The Leadership in Insurance Podcast (The LIIP)

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:

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:

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.

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:

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:

This week on The Leadership In Insurance Podcast, I sat down with Wardah Inam, CEO of Overjet, to discuss the dental industry challenges she aims to solve.In 2018, a team of dentists and scientists from MIT and Harvard came together to revolutionise dentistry. Overjet was born to help the dental industry provide better care, using AI to reduce administrative overheads with precision, consistency, and speed. From clinical to operations, Overjet focuses on the patient journey end-to-end, improving systems and allowing dental workers to focus on what they do best.Overjet is now a world-leader in dental AI, raising more than $130m in funding and lauded as a top AI startup by the likes of Forbes and LinkedIn.In this episode, we covered:How one bad experience switching dentists led to building the #1 dental AI company.Different ways AI is applied to improve the patient-carer experience.Real-life examples of how data processing impacts scale.The main reasons Overjet has become the ‘no-brainer' choice in dentistry.This episode is an inspiring story that highlights how keen problem-solvers turn experiences into entrepreneurship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Leadership In Insurance Podcast, I sat down with Tarun Mathur, Co-founder & Chief Business Officer of Policybazaar.com, to explore their journey from pioneering digital insurance in India to building out an ambitious global reinsurance strategy.Founded in 2008, PolicyBazaar has grown into India's largest insurance broker, managing $3B in annual premiums across life and general insurance. Built on a unique digital + human model, their mission has always been clear: protecting India's middle class through affordable, accessible insurance.In this episode, Tarun shares the story behind their growth, their push into reinsurance and surety bonds, and their vision to expand into Europe, the US, and beyond.✨ Highlights from the conversation:

On this week's episode of The Leadership In Insurance Podcast, I sat down with Samuel Broomer, President of NormanMax Insurance Solutions, to explore how parametric insurance is reshaping the industry and what it means for carriers, agents, and customers alike.From its early applications in Sub-Saharan Africa to its role today in addressing protection gaps across the U.S., this episode dives deep into how parametric solutions are transforming the insurance landscape.

Distribution, Digitized: How Foxquilt is Reshaping Small Business InsuranceIn this week's podcast, I sat down with Josh Reznick, Foxquilt's Chief Distribution Officer, to unpack how the insurtech is redefining distribution in commercial insurance.Foxquilt is a digital MGA focused on serving underserved small business markets across North America. By leveraging its proprietary technology platform, Foxden, the company has streamlined what was once a heavily manual process at traditional carriers — delivering a faster, more efficient quote-to-bind experience.But Fox Quilt's real differentiator is its multi-channel distribution model. By balancing wholesale and enterprise partnerships, they have built a scalable approach that expands reach without losing control of the customer relationship. Josh brings over a decade of carrier experience from Aviva to Fox Quilt, applying partnership-driven strategies in a modern digital context.Here are some of the key insights from our conversation:

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This week on The Leadership In Insurance Podcast podcast, I had a brilliant conversation with Rohit Mittal, all about just that. We covered why he chose to buy and operate an insurance tech company and how he's helping agents reclaim their time and boost productivity through AI.Here's a few highlights from what we covered...⚙️ “From 45 minutes to 5 minutes” – Solving the data bottleneck with AI Rohit explained how InsurGrid uses AI to extract declaration pages and policy data by connecting directly to carrier websites.

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This week I was joined by Grace Hanson, CEO of Elysian, who's on a mission to fix one of the most overlooked parts of insurance: claims handling.“People underestimate how much profit lives in the claims department — and how much value is wasted when it's not run well,”Grace calls Elysian an AI-native outsourced claims service — but what that really means is her team uses their own technology to handle commercial claims better than traditional models allow. Faster answers. Better data. Fewer inconsistencies. All designed by people who've actually sat in the adjuster's chair.Some highlights from our chat...

I was joined this week by Murtaza Ali, CEO & Co-Founder of Symphony (YC F24), for a conversation about how he's tackling some of the biggest challenges in the insurance industry with cutting-edge voice AI — without losing sight of the human touch.A bit of context: Murtaza's journey insurtech journey started at McKinsey before joining Tractable to build out their platform. He's seen firsthand how AI can transform industries — but also where it can fall short without humanity in the loop. That insight became the driving force behind Symphony AI.What we covered in this episode:

I'm excited to share this week's conversation on The Leadership In Insurance Podcast with no other than JP Fabri, CEO of myUbuntu all about transforming agricultural insurance in Africa

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Tune into our latest episode of The Leadership In Insurance Podcast Podcast, where I was joined Rory Pyke at Insurtech Insights, to unpack the real state of innovation in insurance.

Good morning and welcome to the latest episode of The Leadership In Insurance Podcast where where this week we are joined by Jared Kaplan, CEO of Indigo Insurance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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As a first in a webinar series, GTM lead, Connor Berry invites senior sales leaders from the InsurTech industry to discuss what is actually driving sales in 2025 and what's just noise. The panel discuss AI, Social selling, Cold calling & how to attract and build a successful sales team.Also, if you enjoy these conversations, make sure to follow The Leadership in Insurance Podcast—we're talking to the people leading real change in the industry every week.Would love to hear your thoughts on this "Finpro Presents ... InsurTech Sales: What's driving deals in 2025 (and what's not)" Let's chat in the comments.#LeadershipInInsurance #Podcast #Insurtech #AI #InsuranceInnovation #CommercialInsurance #FutureOfInsurance #Fairmatic #RiskManagement #AutoInsurance #InsuranceTech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've had plenty of conversations about how insurance should work, but this one really got me thinking.This week on The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, I sat down with Jonathan Matus, CEO of Fairmatic, to talk about something that's been a huge challenge in our industry—fairness in commercial auto insurance. The way risk is priced right now often feels outdated. Businesses that invest in safer driving and better fleet management don't always see that reflected in their premiums, and that's a problem.Fairmatic is trying to change that. They're using AI and behavioural data to create a pricing model that actually rewards good driving instead of just relying on broad, traditional metrics. We talked about why the current system often gets it wrong, how better data could make roads safer, and what it really takes to scale an insurtech in an industry that isn't exactly known for embracing change.This was such an insightful conversation, and if you're in insurance, insurtech, or just curious about how AI is shaking up the industry, you won't want to miss it.Also, if you enjoy these conversations, make sure to follow The Leadership in Insurance Podcast—we're talking to the people leading real change in the industry every week.Would love to hear your thoughts on this"Rewriting the Rules of Auto Insurance with AI – A Conversation with Jonathan Mates, CEO of Fairmatic—do you think AI can actually fix insurance? Let's chat in the comments.#LeadershipInInsurance #Podcast #Insurtech #AI #InsuranceInnovation #CommercialInsurance #FutureOfInsurance #Fairmatic #RiskManagement #AutoInsurance #InsuranceTech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to build a speciality insurance business from the ground up? This week on The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, we're joined by Gerard Van Loon, CEO of Alta Signa, to talk about his journey in launching and scaling a speciality insurer, the challenges of underwriting unique risks, and what the future of speciality insurance looks like.In this episode, Gerard shares:✨ How he went from idea to execution in building Alta Signa✨ The biggest challenges of starting a speciality insurance business – and how to overcome them✨ Why culture and team-building matter just as much as strategy✨ How the speciality risk landscape is evolving and where the opportunities areWhether you're an entrepreneur, a leader in the insurance space, or just someone who loves hearing the stories behind successful businesses, this episode is packed with insights, lessons, and a behind-the-scenes look at the speciality insurance world.Enjoy the episode? Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to stay updated with the latest conversations from leaders shaping the insurance industry! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Insurance has poured billions into growth and distribution, yet claims—the biggest cost in the industry—hasn't seen the same level of innovation. Why is that? And what happens when experienced founders decide to tackle it differently?In today's episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Alex Pezold, CEO & Co-Founder of Agentech, about what needs to change in claims and how Agentech is approaching it differently.

Revisiting One of Our Most-Viewed and Favorite Episodes of the Year

What if the biggest hurdle to starting a family – the financial cost – could be eased by a breakthrough insurance model? In this eye-opening episode, The Leadership in Insurance Podcast welcomes Ines Cheaib, the COO at Gaia, a company reshaping fertility care with a purpose-driven, outcome-based insurance solution.

We're excited to share our latest episode on The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, featuring Romaney O'Malley, a trailblazer in the insurance and insurtech space and a key leader at bolttech. Join us as we explore bolttech's groundbreaking work in connecting insurers, distributors, and customers worldwide through seamless, tech-driven solutions.In this insightful episode, Romaney dives into:

In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Zachary Townsend, CEO of Meanwhile, who's leading a game-changing initiative by using Bitcoin to tackle underinsurance in high-inflation countries. Zac and his team are rethinking life insurance from the ground up, and our conversation was packed with fascinating insights into how they're doing it.Here's what you'll learn:

We're thrilled to announce the latest episode of The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, featuring Maria Coko, COO of Insurtech Gateway — one of the leading incubators and investors in the insurtech space.In this insightful conversation, Maria shares how Insurtech Gateway accelerates the growth of startups, offering a unique combination of insurance capacity, regulatory expertise, and strategic investment. We discuss:

On this weeks episode of The Emerging Tech Series on The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jim Heide, Co-Founder & COO of LoadShore, about their vision to revolutionize the freight and logistics industry.

In this exciting episode we sit down with Sam Hoppe, the Chief Commercial Officer and Insurance Officer at Open, to dive into the company's journey from its Australian roots to becoming a leader in the insurtech space

In our latest episode of The Emerging Tech Series I had the opportunity to chat with Anirban Gangopadhyay, Co-founder of Angle Health, about their mission to transform the healthcare industry.

In the latest episode of the Leadership and Insurance podcast, I had the opportunity to enjoy a compelling conversation with Alex Hearn, CEO and Founder of Slipcase.For those unfamiliar, Slipcase is a leading platform providing curated content and insights for the global insurance and reinsurance industries. It serves as a central information portal, catering to both individual professionals and organisations, offering unparalleled access to specialised, contextual intelligence.In this episode, Alex shares the story behind Slipcase's evolution—from a social tool to an indispensable platform for industry-specific knowledge. We also explore:The rise of data-driven content distribution in insurance marketing.The increasing demand for targeted, insightful content tailored to industry needs.Exciting developments ahead, including a major platform upgrade and Slipcase's strategic acquisition of a key competitor, positioning the company for significant growth in 2025.This discussion offers valuable insights into the changing landscape of insurance content and the role of intelligent curation in driving industry progress.#Insurance #Reinsurance #Slipcase #ContentCuration #Leadership #Innovation #DataDrivenMarketing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Bob Frady, Co-Founder & CEO of Property Lens, where we explored the evolving landscape of real estate and insurance.In this episode of The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, Bob shared his entrepreneurial journey, including the sale of Hazard Hub to Guidewire, and how that experience shaped his vision for Property Lens. Property Lens is helping reduce the stress of home buying with comprehensive property history reports, uncovering hidden issues for just $99.We also discussed:

Curious about how to take your career to the next level? In this week's episode of The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, I connect with Emmanuel Djengue, CEO & Co-Founder of Kaatch, to discuss actionable strategies that could transform your career journey.

Is the ‘Insurtech revolution' over? Max Drucker, CEO of Carpe Data and I explore this and other questions on this week's The Leadership in Insurance Podcast . We also discussed the refocus of Insurtech from revolution to measurable results using an evolutionary approach.