The Leadership in Insurance Podcast - Insurtech & Innovation

Miles Thorson joins us for a deep dive into what it actually takes to innovate in insurance.This one's fascinating because Miles isn't your typical InsurTech founder: he's third-generation insurance expert, with experience across the industry, including brokerage services, specialty MGA, program management, and tech-enabled ventures. Now he's using all his knowledge to build something genuinely different in pet insurance with @Odie Pet Insurance. What we get into:🐾 Why they spun off pet insurance entirely — new entity, new systems, outside capital (and why that mattered)💰 The B2B distribution pivot — how budget constraints forced them away from competing with Trupanion and into partnerships that actually work better📊 The Many Pets US acquisition — how their strategic decision to focus on European operations created a smart opportunity for portfolio growth🏗️ Navigating legacy knowledge — Miles gets real about using three generations of insurance expertise as foundation while staying open to new approaches📈 Sustainable growth over vanity metrics — building reserves, managing loss ratios, and why profitability beats book size⚡ Hard market opportunities — why right now is actually brilliant for innovators (despite higher rates)The bit that really stood out for me: Miles talks about how working across the entire insurance stack — underwriting, reinsurance, claims, tech — means he can solve problems others can't even see. That's the advantage of actually understanding this industry rather than trying to "disrupt" it from the outside.Also, the humanisation of pets as the real driver of demand (not just pandemic puppies) is spot on. People are spending serious money on their pets now, and the insurance products haven't caught up.Episode link in comments 👇If you're in pet insurance, thinking about M&A, or just want to hear someone who actually gets both the legacy and innovation sides of this industry, give it a listen.Thoughts? Are we finally seeing pet insurance distribution models that actually work?#PetInsurance #InsurTech #Insurance #MandA #Podcast #Innovation #Legacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🚀 AI Talent Reskilling for CEOsAlex discusses how Finpro helps innovative insurance and InsurTech firms adapt to AI-driven change.His recent CEO presentation explored how leaders can embrace AI-augmented talent and prepare for workforce transformation over the next five years.🤖 AI’s Impact on the Insurance WorkforceThe insurance industry is facing a major shift in talent needs.Upskilling is vital for agility, engagement, and transformation success.AI has become a key factor influencing job seekers’ employer choices.🌍 AI’s Impact on Business TalentNew AI-specific roles are emerging across technical, ethical, creative, and operational areas.Talent is the cornerstone of innovation — adaptability and creative leadership define success.AI expands the “art of the possible”, demanding curiosity and bold thinking from leaders.💪 Innovative Leadership in Uncertain TimesLeaders must be catalysts for innovation, not just planners.Qualities like curiosity, bravery, conviction, and emotional engagement are critical.Mistakes are inevitable — bold, decisive action matters most.Soft skills are now strategic assets for modern leadership.🧠 Enhancing Candidate Assessment MethodsStructured and competency-based interviews outperform unstructured chats.References and personality insights reveal true motivations and behavior under pressure.Assessments should be seen as tools for understanding, not pass-or-fail tests.📈 AI Reskilling Strategies for OrganizationsInspired by Allianz’s AI transformation — leadership must drive change top-down.Encourage curiosity and experimentation with accessible tools (like LinkedIn Learning).Avoid relying solely on new graduates or single data roles — build an AI-ready culture.🤝 Middle Managers: The Unsung Heroes of AI AdoptionMiddle managers bridge strategic vision and day-to-day execution.Provide time, support, and development to ensure AI initiatives succeed.Weak middle management can undermine even the strongest executive strategies.🌟 Attracting AI Talent to InsuranceTell specific, human-centered stories — not broad industry narratives.Treat candidates like customers: make hiring clear, fast, and engaging.Keep “humanity in the loop” alongside AI recruitment tools. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this week’s episode, I caught up with Dave Connors, CEO and Founder of distriBind, who's on a mission to transform how the insurance industry handles data.Dave shared the story of how distriBind is eliminating spreadsheet chaos in delegated authority processes—a problem even the largest insurers struggle with. The AI Reality Check:One of the most refreshing parts of our conversation? Dave's perspective on AI. While everyone's rushing to apply AI to every problem, Dave explained why data ingestion and transformation doesn't need AI—traditional methods can be more efficient and cost-effective. Where AI does add value is in the analytics layer: but you need to solve the foundational data problem first.Other Key Insights:Why enforcing a single data standard across the industry misses the point—distriBind's approach transforms and enriches data to meet each receiver's needsTheir dual product strategy: distriBind as the digital workbench for post-bind data exchange and processing, and their newer product Sunapto, focused on the due diligence and onboarding phaseThe importance of having patience and developing long-term client relationships—building trust from the early days when clients believed in their vision to now processing over $1 billion in premium annuallyHow they've grown ARR by 50-60% this year through expansion with existing clients - like Allianz where they started small and are now expanding into US operationsTheir expansion strategy into the US market and the global delegated authority spaceWhy having deep industry expertise is crucial to solving this problem—it's not just a tech challenge, it's an insurance industry challengeDave's journey from 2019 to today offers valuable lessons on building in a complex space, choosing the right technology for the job, and why sometimes the best innovation is making the fundamentals work properly before adding bells and whistles.If you're interested in insurance innovation, practical vs. hyped technology, or building sustainable client relationships in complex markets, this episode is for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, I sat down with Dr Magda Ramada, Global InsurTech Innovation Leader at Willis Towers Watson (WTW). With over 20 years’ experience at WTW, for the past 12 years she has been solely focused on innovation, especially around digital transformation, advanced analytics, blockchain, emerging risks and Insurtech.In this episode, we discuss actionable data insights and practical applications of AI in insurance, with Magda emphasising the unique potential of generative and agentic AI to transform operating models and software development.Key Takeaways:🔄 The AI Evolution We've moved beyond traditional prediction models. Generative AI and transformer architectures are offering unprecedented opportunities through zero-shot learning and text generation. However, Magda was refreshingly candid about the limitations—AI agents aren't yet ready to handle complex pricing and claims independently.👥 Change Management is Everything Magda's insight really resonated: "If you don't manage change, then change doesn't happen." Her analogy of integrating AI like onboarding new interns is brilliant—it needs training, time, and patience. Employees must learn to accept machine errors as part of the process.🤝 Human + AI, Not Human vs AI Despite automation advances, Magda emphasised that complex judgements and human empathy will always require people in the loop. The future isn't about replacement—it's about augmentation.🛠️ Building AI-Ready Systems The focus should be on modularisation, API integration, and robust governance frameworks. Insurance carriers need to invest in testing AI tools tailored for specific tasks like data cleaning and claims processing.📚 The Unlearning Challenge Perhaps the most striking point: we all need to unlearn and relearn, even those approaching retirement. This isn't just about work—AI will affect every area of our lives, and it's our personal responsibility to adapt.I found this a thought-provoking conversation that balances optimism with pragmatism about AI's role in insurance now and in the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our latest Leadership in Insurance Podcast episode, I sat down with the Finpro team for a debrief on ITC Vegas. This time I handed the mic over to Dan, who put Sophie and I through our paces on the key insights from the conference.What we covered:🚀 Innovation Across Regions Sophie noted the vibrant startup ecosystem in Vegas, with particular interest in companies like Anthea exploring psychedelics in healthcare—a topic underexplored in UK markets.💰 InsurTech Investment is Back After years of risk-averse, efficiency-focused investment, I spoke about the fact that we’re seeing larger rounds and renewed appetite for innovative products, new distribution methods, and AI technologies. The market is embracing risk again.🧠 The Talent Attraction Challenge As ever, Talent was a hot topic with a key focus on how AI is affecting recruitment. It’s a challenge, but I think attracting AI talent to our industry requires better storytelling. Instead of "Do you want to work in insurance?" try "Do you want to help solve climate change?" Frame the impact, not just the industry.🤝 Making Conferences Better Dan's first ITC Vegas was a success—meeting our placements in person was a highlight as was seeing the buzz about the industry in the room.But we identified room for improvement: ·      More impromptu meetings can be better than packing the diary before you go·      Better representation of talent/recruitment perspectives on stage (especially from smaller companies who face different challenges),·      More diversity among speakers representing different demographics to avoid the "same voices" phenomenonIt was fun to unpack ITC Vegas together—three different perspectives, one shared experience, and plenty of debate about what it all means for InsurTech's future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our latest Leadership in Insurance Podcast episode, I sat down with Garrett Droege (SVP, Director of Innovation & Digital Risk Practice Leader at IMA Financial) for a fascinating discussion on InsurTech with some thought-provoking insights that challenge conventional thinking about insurance technology.With 20 years exclusively on the brokerage side, Garrett brings a unique perspective as a former startup founder and self-taught software developer. As both Innovation Lead and Digital Risk Practice Leader at IMA, his role sounds incredibly broad, but as Garrett says, both sides serve each other—you need wide ranging touchpoints across tech ecosystems to stay ahead in both innovation and risk.In this episode, we cover: Build vs. Buy Decision Framework: Garrett's approach is clear: build customer-facing proprietary solutions that differentiate your business and serve your customers, but make sure it works with existing technology. The POC Framework That Actually Works: Forget 12-month POCs that drag on and lose momentum. Garrett advocates for highly targeted, 45-60 day maximum POCs with clear KPIs and the right team selection upfront. His advice to founders? "You think you want a 12-month contract. You don't. Let's prove your platform works fast and furiously, or let's wait until you're ready."The Bold Take: Garrett’s view on how the industry has gone about InsurTech all wrong and allowed it to become a series of Band-Aids for the real problem: antiquated core systems from the 1980s and 90s that were built before APIs even existed. The result? Frankenstein workflows requiring 7-15 platforms to complete a single task, with 80% of users still working around the technology the same way they did 20 years ago.The AI Wake-Up Call: Despite AI being "transformational unlike anything we've ever seen" (and Garrett argues it's under-hyped), its promise is severely limited without access to core data systems. Garrett stated "You could build a fully agentic AI brokerage much easier than you could reverse engineer and retrofit an existing brokerage."The Investment Landscape: With 80% of recent Y Combinator and Broker Tech Ventures companies being AI-focused InsurTech solutions, the momentum is undeniable. The dot-com parallels are real—there will be winners and losers, and consolidation is coming.What Technology Can't Replace: Despite all the transformation, some challenges remain timeless: renewal management, client communication, trust-building. As Garrett notes, these require human expertise that AI augments rather than replaces.This conversation is essential listening for anyone in insurance, InsurTech, or risk management. The future of insurance isn't just about innovation—it's about getting the foundation right first. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🎙️ AI, Innovation, and the Future of Claims: Insights from Heather Wilson of Clara AnalyticsIn this week’s episode of The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, I’m excited to share my latest conversation with Heather Wilson, CEO of Clara Analytics. Clara Analytics’ AI Claims platform uses its models and data utilities to fully understand each claim, leading to positive outcomes for both claims professionals and customers alike.From Heather’s background in Fortune 50 companies, over 25 years’ experience of data analytics and driving innovation at scale, this episode dives deep into AI driven technologies and how that is impacting, and will continue to impact, Insurance Talent. In this episode, we cover:🤖 AI in Claims Management: How Clara Analytics' AI platform works post-first notice of loss to assess severity and optimise outcomes🏢 Innovation at Scale: We discussed the challenges and opportunities in leveraging legacy core systems while implementing new AI and data solutions in the insurance industry. Heather emphasised how freeing data from legacy systems is crucial for AI adoption.Build Vs Buy: We discussed the ongoing "buy vs. build" debate in the insurance industry and how the growing expectation for AI accuracy is impacting this decision for businesses.👥 Multigenerational Workforce Challenges: Heather discussed managing expectations across multi-generational teams with Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, all having different experiences of technology.Knowledge Transfer: Heather spoke about how remote working has impacted Industry knowledge transfer to Gen Z and millennials from older, more experienced colleagues. We discussed how this best happens in a face-to-face environment and that businesses need to find a way to bridge this gap. As Heather powerfully stated “We need Gen Z to have Critical Thinking Skills as well as AI skills”💡 We also discussed how Talent Strategy needs to focus as much on redeploying experienced claims professionals, as well as attracting Gen Z talent from an AI or data background, and how the industry needs all these people to thrive.🔮 Looking Ahead to what’s on the horizon for Clara Analytics with a focus on agentic reasoning, a new approach to AI that leverages multiple data sources to enhance decision-making for claims adjusters. My key takeaways from this fascinating conversation with Heather: the insurance industry isn't resistant to innovation—it's navigating complex regulatory frameworks, legacy systems, and multigenerational workforces while embracing transformative change. Success requires respecting both the experience of seasoned professionals and the capabilities of emerging technology.#InsurTech #AI #ClaimsManagement #Insurance #Leadership #Innovation #WorkforceDevelopment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, I sat down with James Fairgrieve, Head of Innovation at Aventum to explore how their Innovation Lab has designed award winning technology to fit their unique business requirements.From James’ 25 years’ experience in technology, all the way from Y2K testing to UK FinTech innovator of the year 2025, this episode dives deep into the formula for creating an innovation space that delivers.In this episode, we cover: 💡How innovation isn't about lack of ideas - it's about needing structure. Before James had a dedicated innovation team, he kept a running list of ideas that he had no time to implement. Now it’s his primary focus.🔧 How choosing to build their own tech platform rather than buy off-the-shelf solutions has become a success story at Aventum.  ⚖️ The challenges that businesses face when buying in systems that can’t be easily changed to fit business needs🔗 How you take something from proof of concept to becoming fully embedded across a business.⚡ How Aventum have created a culture of innovation throughout their whole business which enables ideas to be pitched from anyone  💻 The importance of making it fun. Activities that spark curiosity and gain employee buy in including game coding on lunchbreaks 🚀 Looking to the future and pushing the boundaries of what Agentic AI can achieve   This episode is packed with insights for anyone passionate about innovation, technology, and creating a team culture where ideas are encouraged -and pushed through to completion. Give it a listen via the links in the comments below 👇👇 👇 👇 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Leadership In Insurance Podcast, I sat down with Ibrahim Sarwar, Co-founder & COO of Artio, to talk about how they’re building the world’s first early-stage carbon credit insurance business — and why the timing has never been better.Artio was founded to address one of the biggest barriers in climate finance: risk. By insuring carbon projects from the very beginning, they’re enabling capital to flow into reforestation and nature-based solutions with greater confidence. Backed by data, science, and insurance expertise, Artio is helping to unlock the scalability the carbon market desperately needs.✨ Highlights from the conversation:🌱 How Artio insures carbon projects from inception — filling a critical gap left by traditional solutions that only step in later.📊 The science behind their approach: a proprietary database of 8,000 tree species + growth models for real-time risk assessment and pricing.🛡️ Why robust structures like insurance are essential to protect against fraud, build trust, and accelerate adoption of carbon credits.👥 The team’s journey — from identifying gaps in financial analysis and governance to bringing on Lindene Patton (ex-Zurich Chief Climate Product Officer) to strengthen their insurance expertise.🔮 How proactive risk management and free insurability assessments are helping developers and investors deploy capital more confidently.🌍 Why today’s market conditions — institutional capital, insurer involvement, and global demand for credible carbon solutions — make this the perfect moment for Artio.This was a powerful discussion about innovation, trust, and climate finance — and how insurance can be the bridge to a more sustainable carbon market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.