Why Risk Management Software Fails—And How Acclaimit's CEO Kathy Burns Built a Better Solution

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Jun 25, 2025

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ANECDOTE

Early Career Risk That Paid Off

Kathy Burns took a risk early in her career by diverging from the traditional broker path at Aon.
This shift led her to help create the RMIS category and build a successful technology business.

INSIGHT

Outcomes Over Technology

The focus in insurance technology should be on outcomes, not just technology itself.
Better data and processes lead to smarter customers and improved risk transparency.

ANECDOTE

Pivot to Digital and Acclaimant

Kathy transitioned from building Ventiv Technology to working in digital business at Ryan Specialty Group.
She digitized a wholesale insurance business and joined the board of Acclaimant to bring modern tech solutions to risk management.

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We're coming to you LIVE from Riskworld 2025! In this episode of Risk Management: Brick by Brick, Jason Reichl sits down with Kathy Burns, CEO of Acclaimant, to explore her remarkable journey from Aon's technology pioneer in the 1990s to leading one of the most innovative risk management information systems companies today.

Kathy shares how she broke away from the traditional broker path early in her career to help create what is now the RMIS category, her experience building and selling Ventiv Technology, and her strategic pivot to the wholesale insurance market at Ryan Specialty Group. Now as CEO of Acclaimant, she's on a mission to democratize enterprise-level risk management solutions for middle market companies.

Discover why "everybody deserves the right to be a good risk," how focusing on specific problems rather than feature lists transforms sales conversations, and why the most successful leaders surround themselves with great people. Learn practical insights about balancing innovation with risk-averse buyers, the importance of consultative selling in insurance technology, and when to trust your intuition over data in pivotal decisions.

To find out how TrustLayer manages risk so that people can build the physical world around us, head to TrustLayer.io.

Podcast Host: Jason Reichl

Executive Producer: Don Halliwell

Episode Highlights:

00:00 Intro: Meet Kathy Burns, CEO of Acclaimant
00:39 Early Career Risks: Breaking Away from the Pack
02:14 Building the RMIS Category at Aon and Ventiv
04:36 The Ryan Specialty Group Experience
05:26 Democratizing Risk Management Technology
07:21 Strategic Focus: The 18-Month Transformation
10:42 Beyond Features: Solving Real Problems
13:17 The Consultative Sales Revolution
16:47 Enterprise vs. Middle Market Strategy
18:10 Leadership Rapid Fire: Risky or Too Risky
22:27 Career Advice: Surround Yourself with Good People

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Previous guests include: Seth Hausman of Kraus-Anderson Insurance, Matthew Meyer of The Horton Group, Diana Rich of Foundation Building Materials, Christy McHenry of Suffolk Construction, Mark Rieder of NFP, and Cory Mangum of Primoris Services Corporation.

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