The Leadership in Insurance Podcast - Insurtech & Innovation

New Episode Alert: Claims Tech Year in Review 🎙️In this week’s episode of the Leadership and Insurance Podcast host Alex Bond caught up with Jonathon Valentine from I Love Claims with an end of year review before we head into 2026. I Love Claims (ILC) is a community focused on claims professionals sharing best practices, bringing together claims tech companies to pitch their products to insurers. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore some of the biggest shifts happening in the claims space including:📊 AI Breaking Through the Data Barrier Jonathon explains how new technologies like LLMs are finally making complex, unstructured claims data accessible after years of being difficult to manage with outdated systems.🤝 The Tech-Insurance Integration Challenge History has shown that technology teams coming into the insurance space face "a hard market to crack if you're not insurance first." Successful ventures often blend insurance and tech expertise, with examples like Grace Hansen from Elysium demonstrating how claims professionals can build modern TPAs.💡 Smart Strategies for Market Entry Jonathon shares how one TPA successfully navigated IT procurement by positioning itself as a TPA rather than a claims platform, allowing them to compete based on rates rather than integration time.🚀 Automation That Actually Works The key is using tech to improve the customer journey rather than completely redesigning existing processes, with Tesco's car claims process cited as an example of effective automation.⚠️ The OpenAI Dependency Question Alex and Jonathon express concerns about over-reliance on OpenAI and the potential for pricing changes to impact businesses that wrap their services around AI technology.Looking Ahead to 2026 Jonathon announces exciting changes to the next I Love Claims tech event. For the first time, it will feature semi-finals online in April followed by a final hosted by Kennedys in London in June, giving a platform and exposure to a greater number of companies in the claims space.Whether you're in claims, Insurtech, or just curious about where the industry is heading, this conversation offers valuable insights on navigating the intersection of technology and traditional insurance.

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

🚀 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.