InsurTech Geek Podcast

Paul Andrews and Mark Elliott of PoloWorks join us to discuss how insurers can access,operate, and scale across the Lloyd’s and broader insurance market. Drawing on decades ofexperience across underwriting, reinsurance, and operations, they share how PoloWorks issimplifying complexity through turnkey managing agency solutions, outsourced services, andsupport across the full insurance lifecycle.

Dr. Thomas Kuhnt, Chief Information Officer and Chief Operating Officer at HDI Global SE, joins hosts James Benham and Rob Galbraith to explore leading digital and AI transformation in corporate and specialty insurance — recorded live at Insurtech Insights London on March 18, 2026.Dr. Kuhnt's path is unlike most in insurance. A PhD in algebraic number theory from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 15 years at McKinsey building the European insurance practice, and now a dual CIO/COO seat overseeing technology, operations, and transformation at one of the world's oldest and largest industrial insurers. He brings a systems thinker's lens to one of the most complex transformation challenges in the industry.In this episode:• Why organizations must stop waiting for perfect conditions and start experimenting with AI now• How agentic AI is transforming input management and underwriting workflows at HDI Global• Why business leads — not IT — should own AI transformation in global insurance organizations• The process trap: how applying AI to broken workflows just accelerates the breaking• What the next 5–10 years really looks like for underwriters and claims professionals at the desk levelKey Quotes:"Don't wait. Start to experiment and iterate. This is not going to go away.""Business becomes IT — and IT becomes business.""We're overestimating the short-term impact — but underestimating it in the long term.""Seventy to eighty percent of an underwriter's work is just rekeying data. That's not really underwriting.""The first question should always be why — and that's an ops question, not a tech question."🔗 Connect:Dr. Thomas Kuhnt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kuhnt/HDI Global SE: https://www.hdi.global/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/hdi-global/👤 Hosts:James Benham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbenhamRob Galbraith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-galbraith/🎙️ This episode is sponsored by Terra — the next-generation Workers' Comp and Commercial P&C Software.Visit 👉 https://terra.insure / https://www.linkedin.com/company/terrainsure/📌 Find InsurTech Geek:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insuretechgeek/Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/InsurtechGeekInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/insurtechgeek/Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always — Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out! 🤓

Vineet Bansal, Chief Information and Technology Officer at The Mutual Group, joins hosts James Benham and Rob Galbraith to explore how technology leadership, disciplined AI adoption, and a shared operating model are shaping the future of mutual insurance — from inside a two-year-old, Bain Capital-backed startup built to help community-based carriers compete and grow.Vineet brings over 20 years of financial services and insurance technology experience to the role — from engineering roots in Nagpur, India, to nearly two decades at Fidelity Investments across ten different business lines, to building a greenfield digital platform as CTO at IptiQ by Swiss Re. Now at The Mutual Group, he's architecting a shared technology and operations platform designed to scale across multiple member companies — starting with GuideOne Insurance in Des Moines, Iowa.In this episode:Why insurance is a deliberately risk-managed industry — and what that means for responsible AI adoptionHow The Mutual Group is building a multi-tenant platform to help smaller mutual carriers access enterprise-level capabilitiesWhy clean data, API-driven ecosystems, and strong governance are the real foundation for AI success — not the tools themselvesWhat it means to hold the combined CIO and CTO role — and how Vineet divides his focus across operations, applications, strategy, and multi-member platformThe shift toward hyper-personalized insurance: policies sold by the hour, by the day, or only when the risk event is happeningKey Quotes:"The winners will be the ones with the strongest foundation.""Insurance sits at the intersection of risk, regulation, economics, and human behavior.""AI won't solve your data issues. It's garbage in, garbage out.""There's no easy answer. It takes meticulous planning and thoughtful execution.""We may have insurance products sold by the hour, by the day."🔗 Connect:Vineet Bansal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vineet-bansal/The Mutual Group: https://www.themutualgroup.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-mutual-group/👤 Hosts:James Benham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbenhamRob Galbraith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-galbraith/🎙️ This episode is sponsored by Terra — the next-generation Workers' Comp and Commercial P&C Software.Visit 👉 https://terra.insure / https://www.linkedin.com/company/terrainsure/📌 Find InsurTech Geek:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insuretechgeek/Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/InsurtechGeekInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/insurtechgeek/Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always — Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out! 🤓

Dan Bratshpis, CEO and Co-founder of INSHUR, joins host Rob Galbraith to discuss how commercial auto insurance is being reimagined for the platform economy — and why traditional products are failing the drivers powering the gig economy.Dan built INSHUR from a two-person MGA startup into a 200-person global company operating across the US and UK, with embedded insurance partnerships with platforms like Uber, Amazon, and DoorDash. His approach: build coverage that works with how people actually live and work, not how insurers traditionally categorize risk.In this episode:Why traditional commercial auto products fall short for gig and platform workersHow INSHUR embeds insurance directly into platform onboarding — and what that data advantage means for underwritingThe usage-based wallet model: pay-per-ride, pay-per-delivery, pay-per-minuteHow COVID wiped out rideshare demand overnight — and became the pivot that launched INSHUR's delivery insuranceWhy INSHUR built Komodo Claims from scratch instead of outsourcing to TPAsWhat autonomous vehicles mean for frequency, severity, and the future of commercial auto insuranceKey Quotes:"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.""Technology is an enabler to do things differently, do things better.""Claims is kind of at the heart of insurance.""These things don't get into accidents nearly as much as humans do." — on autonomous vehicles"Insurance is a really big part of protecting this new economy."Timestamps:09:05 — The wedding night pitch that launched Columbia Pacific Finance (placeholder — update with actual)10:55 — From Wall Street to rideshare insurance (placeholder — update with actual)19:13 — The COVID cliff: how INSHUR pivoted to delivery insurance overnight23:49 — Building Komodo Claims: why INSHUR owns its claims infrastructure26:22 — Autonomous vehicles and the frequency drop coming for commercial auto🔗 Connect: Dan Bratshpis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bratshpis/ INSHUR: https://inshur.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/inshur/👥 Host: Rob Galbraith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgalbraith1/🎙️ This episode is sponsored by Terra — the next-generation claims and policy software for Workers' Comp. Visit 👉 https://terra.insure📲 Find InsurTech Geek: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insuretechgeek/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/InsurtechGeek Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insurtechgeek/Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always — Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out! 🤓

Hosts James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Dominique Roudaut from Dai-ichi Life Holdings, inc. Dominique joins us to discuss how his global experience across AIG, Chubb, Hannover Re, and now Dai-Ichi has shaped his perspective on the future of insurance. Drawing on deep expertise in underwriting, strategy, and innovation, Dominique shares insights on how insurers are responding to climate-driven risk, leveraging emerging technologies, and collaborating across ecosystems to build more sustainable and resilient insurance solutions.This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Workers’ CompVisit 👉 https://terra.insure to learn moreFind us on social media! We're on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; or follow James on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always, Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out!

Hosts James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Andrew Bate from VelarisRe. Andrew shares his perspective on how insurance is evolving to better protect the modern hospitality industry. From emerging technologies to shifting guest expectations, Andrew offers insights on building trust, managing risk, and creating safer travel experiences.This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Workers’ CompVisit 👉 https://terra.insure to learn moreFind us on social media! We're on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; or follow James on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always, Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out!

Host ⁠James Benham⁠ is joined by Steve Kappel from Safety National. Steve takes us inside the CIO’s lens on data, AI, and industry change. Discover why innovation from within matters, how global strategy conversations shape technology leadership, and why educating the industry on AI and data has never been more important.James Benham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbenhamSteve Kappel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevekappel/Safety National: http://www.safetynational.com/This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Workers’ CompVisit 👉 https://terra.insure to learn moreFind us on social media!⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insuretechgeek/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://twitter.com/InsurtechGeek⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.instagram.com/insurtechgeek/Follow James on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesmbenhamSubscribe, rate, and comment. As always, Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out!

Hosts James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Stan Smith from Gradient AI. Stan shares his expertise in advancing workers’ comp through AI partnerships and predictive intelligence. Discover how Gradient’s partnership with Terra gives adjusters earlier insight into high-risk claims, reduces costs, and improves outcomes for injured workers.This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Workers’ CompVisit 👉 https://terra.insure to learn moreFind us on social media! We're on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; or follow James on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always, Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out!

Hosts James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Frank A. Schmid from Gen Re. Frank shares his expertise on the intuition behind generative AI. Discover how this emerging technology continues to reshape insurance decision-making, why narrative still matters, and what insurers can do to prepare for an AI-driven future.This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Workers’ CompVisit 👉 https://terra.insure to learn moreFind us on social media! We're on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; or follow James on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always, Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out!

Hosts ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Brett Fulmer from Newport Beach Insurance Center LLC and Skyway Underwriters. Brett shares his expertise on how tech is powering the modern agent in licensing, launching and leveling up. Discover how digital tools are helping accelerate early success and reshaping what it takes to break into the insurance industry today. This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Workers’ CompVisit 👉 https://terra.insure to learn moreFind us on social media! We're on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; or follow James on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always, Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out!

Host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is joined by Jason Gross from TruStage. Jason shares his expertise on rethinking enrollment from the strategy seat. Discover how emerging technologies are reducing friction in the enrollment process, and how those improvements connect to larger goals like access, equity, and long-term customer value.This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Workers’ CompVisit 👉 https://terra.insure to learn moreFind us on social media! We're on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; or follow James on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always, Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out!

Hosts ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Bobbie Collies from Coterie Insurance. Bobbie shares her expertise on intrapreneurship and disrupting insurance from within. Discover how to turn innovation into real change, leverage technology and data, and drive meaningful impact in the future of insurance.This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Workers’ CompVisit 👉 https://terra.insure to learn moreFind us on social media! We're on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; or follow James on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always, Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out!