Brazilian insurance is a regulated, comparatively small professional market. People know each other, moves are noticed, and a clumsy approach circulates quickly — which makes discretion part of the method even below executive level.
Registration where the function requires it
Insurance broking requires authorisation and registration with the competent authority. It is a condition of performing the activity rather than a CV advantage, and status is verifiable.
It does not apply to every role — underwriting and claims analysts do not need it — but it does apply to anyone intermediating. Confirm which registrations apply to your operating model with Brazilian counsel.
Where the scarcity sits
Actuarial is the hardest to fill: specific formation, a small market, and direct competition from banks and consultancies for the same people. Plan around it rather than expecting to out-pay it locally.
Underwriting decides what the insurer covers and at what price, and errors surface months later in portfolio results — so assessment has to examine decisions with consequences rather than product knowledge. Claims combines technical work, investigation and difficult conversations under emotional pressure, and is consistently undervalued in org design.
Distribution follows local channel structure
Distribution in Brazil runs heavily through independent brokers and bank channels, and those relationships are held by individuals over years. A distribution hire's network is therefore a genuine asset, worth probing specifically: which relationships are theirs and what transfers.
Follow-up continues for 90 days, focused on the fit between the autonomy described during the process and what the approval structure actually permits — the most common source of early frustration in this sector.
