InsurTech Geek Podcast

Jay Bell, COO and Head of Business Transformation, Global Construction and Surety at Zurich North America, joins host James Benham live at ITC 2026 to explore AI, insurance transformation, and how to turn technology into measurable impact. Jay served six years as an enlisted Marine, then worked as one of the first DSL installers in the country before starting over at 29 as a workers' comp clai...

Jay Vinda, Global CISO and Cyber Risk Engineering Lead at Mosaic Insurance, joins host James Benham live at ITC 2026 to explore cyber risk engineering, the emerging risks surrounding AI, and how cybersecurity intelligence is changing insurance. Jay grew up in London wanting to be a chef, studied mechanical engineering, and spent a couple of months in Peru building wind turbines for villages withou...

David Fernandez, Chief Claims Officer at Kingstone Insurance, joins host James Benham to explore claims transformation, operational excellence, and why the team comes before the technology. David fell into claims almost by accident: a broken-down car and a newspaper ad for a claims rep trainee job at Progressive, one that came with a company car, started an 18-year run there. A decade at Liberty M...

Dawn Miller, Chief Commercial Officer of Lloyd's and CEO of Lloyd's Americas, joins host James Benham to explore what an insurance ecosystem actually is, why a 338-year-old market still has to fight to be understood, and how Lloyd's Lab turned an accelerator into a pipeline that keeps its alumni in the industry. Dawn grew up in Georgia and went to university in Washington, D.C. plannin...

Ken Bunn, Vice President of Claims at Builders Mutual Insurance Company, joins hosts James Benham and Rob Galbraith to explore how a construction only Southeast insurer built its claims department from scratch, why the AI tools that stick are the ones adjusters never have to think about, and what it takes to keep training junior adjusters into seniors. Ken's path ran through 18 years at Nation...

Freddie Scarratt, Global Deputy Head of InsurTech at Gallagher Re, joins James Benham and Rob Galbraith to unpack why 95% of all insurtech funding in Q1 2026 flowed into AI-focused companies, and what that means for the birth of an entirely new risk class: AI liability. From the Air Canada chatbot case that made headlines, to the hard lesson the industry learned when cheap venture capital tried to...

Cyber risk is evolving faster than the policies written to cover it. Rick Wong, Head of Insurance at Parametrix Insurance, sits down with James Benham live at RIMS 2026 to talk about the future of parametric cyber — and why the standard tech E&O form wasn't designed for the exposures that actually matter today.   Parametrix is a Lloyd's coverholder writing parametric cyber, SLA, and en...

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 of experience across underwriting, reinsurance, and operations, they share how PoloWorks is simplifying complexity through turnkey managing agency solutions, outsourced services, and support across the full insurance lifecycle...

Danilo Raponi, Group Head of Innovation at Generali, joins us to discuss how one of the world’s largest insurers structures and scales innovation. From venture investments and startup partnerships to AI, IoT, and climate-focused solutions, Danilo shares how Generali is evolving insurance from a reactive claims payer to a proactive partner in risk prevention. 

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 Ur...

Amir Kabir, Founding & Managing Partner at Overlook Ventures, joins hosts James Benham and Rob Galbraith to reimagine risk in the age of AI — what the last decade of insurtech got wrong, where the next wave of opportunity actually lives, and why "liability is getting weird" is an understatement. Amir spent the first chapter of his career in Germany, building enterprise software at a...

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...

Holly O'Dell, President & CEO of Montana State Fund, joins host James Benham to discuss how systems thinking, people-first leadership, and strategic clarity are transforming workers' compensation — from inside a mission-driven organization that competes and wins in a fully open market. Holly brings a rare combination of credentials to the role: a BSN from Oregon Health & Science Un...

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...

Hosts ⁠James Benham⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith are joined by Reghan Brandt, Chief Digital Operations Officer at K2 Insurance Services. Reghan joins us to discuss how digital strategy and operational transformation are changing the way underwriting teams, MGAs, and carriers work. With experience co-founding Columbia Pacific Finance and Loss Run Pro, Reghan shares a practical perspective on...

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 insig...

As 2025 wraps up, ⁠⁠James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith reunite in a special episode of the InsurTech Geek Podcast to reflect on a transformative year in the insurance technology space. With AI moving from theory to production, cloud-native systems becoming the new standard, and user adoption still presenting real challenges, this episode offers deep insights into wha...

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 Episo...

Host James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is joined by David Bell from ALPS . David shares his expertise in driving innovation at the nation’s largest lawyers’ malpractice insurer. Discover how insurers in legal malpractice and P&C are rethinking risk, driving innovation, and shaping the next decade of change. This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next Generation Claims and Policy Software for Wor...

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/jbenham Steve Kappel: https://www....

Hosts James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Matt Crum from Frank Winston Crum Insurance . Matt shares his expertise leading with purpose in insurance. Discover how leaders can tackle industry challenges, strengthen workplace culture, leverage technology like AI, and prepare for the future of work. This Episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Terra, the Next...

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 Epi...

Hosts James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Dean Fadel from Ohio Insurance Institute . Dean shares his expertise in connecting policy, people, and progress in the insurance industry. Discover why he believes insurance is in everything, everywhere, all the time, and how that perspective should influence innovation, public understanding, and the ro...

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 ⁠⁠⁠...

Hosts James Benham⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Galbraith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Denise Olson from K2 Insurance Services, LLC . Denise shares her expertise on how analytics is rewriting underwriting. Discover how data is transforming risk evaluation, streamlining claims forecasting, and shaping the future role of the underwriter across diverse insurance programs.  This Episode is sp...