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AI is an important part of everyday life, and is integral to many activities from algorithms on the internet to self-drive cars. This technology could be used within the insurance industry to drive innovation and to improve the overall customer experience, which will put you head and shoulders above the competition. Applications within the insurance industry If you think that introducing AI into your business has to be a big commitment to the level and impact of ChatGPT, you’d be wrong. There are many low-key ways of implementing AI which will have positive results for your business processes. There are three main areas where AI would be beneficial. Customer Experience Virtual Assistants - By introducing Chatbots or Virtual Assistants to your website customers will be able to get answers to the most frequently asked questions 24/7. They can then be guided through the insurance process, get help with common policy enquiries and receive basic trouble-shooting whenever they need it. Predictive Analysis for Pricing - Using AI-driven predictive analytics will provide easier, quicker and more accurate pricing based on customer risk and specific circumstances. For the customer this could mean quicker and more accurate quotes. Automated Underwriting - Policy approval times can be improved by introducing automated underwriting, which uses AI models meaning there will be more consistent decisions across the board. Fraud Detection Anomaly Detection – Machine learning algorithms can identify unusual data patterns and can flag them as potential fraudulent claims, quicker than could be caught manually. Social Media Monitoring – It can be surprising what fraudulent activities can be picked up on social media if you have the time and capacity to monitor it. This is where AI tools can help. They can monitor social media and help to verify claims or flag them as potential fraud. Behaviour Analysis – Often people behave according to type and with the help of AI it is possible to analyse historical customer behaviour data which could help to detect fraudulent claims. Claims Processing Automation of Routine Tasks – Not all tasks need to be carried out by a human, and by automating routine tasks like data inputting and document verification can speed up the claims process as well as freeing up your staff for more skilled work. Image Recognition – AI can be used to assess images of damaged property which automates another time consuming part of the process as well as speeding up the claims procedures. Predictive Analytics for Claims Handling – It is possible to use predictive modelling to determine claim complexity and to allocate resources accordingly. This can speed up the claims process and enable your staff to be more productive elsewhere within the business. How to get started In order to be innovative in your approach to customer service and claims processing you don’t need to implement all of these suggestions in one go. In fact introducing AI in just a couple of places can vastly improve the customer experience, enabling your business to continue growing. However, choosing the right AI tool to use, knowing how to implement it and how to ensure it is accurate can be a daunting task if going alone. Wouldn’t it be useful to speak with people who have already introduced AI into their businesses? How much do you think you could learn from their successes and more importantly their mistakes? This is where Camelot Marketplace can help. We ensure that our members are all C-suite level executives with years of experience within the insurance business. This means they will be able to provide you with exactly the support and guidance you and your business need. For more information speak to a member of the team today.

What is your role now since leaving corporate life? I’m working as an independent consultant offering expertise in a number of areas; primarily Customer Experience but also marketing, comms, programme management and operational transformation. How long have you been an expert of Camelot? 10 months. Have you been a panel expert on any Road Tests? Verisk road test, refining their pitch of a new tech model. Really enjoyed helping them, like editing in real time! I also love the Insurtech clinics, of which I’ve done many. It is so interesting and I love being able to help people build on their ideas. Area of expertise Customer Experience in the widest sense, which to me includes culture change, operational transformation, programme management, internal and external comms and all kinds of data and insight to inform where to improve. Highest/proudest most recognisable previous role I am super proud that I’ve led CX at three very different insurers (Aviva, LV= and ManyPets) who were at completely different stages so required quite different approaches, from transformation of legacy to propositions to supporting rapid growth. How long have you been doing this subject/area 20 years! Please can you provide some examples of recent projects/professional high point that you’ve worked on? My most recent projects have been working with start up insurers doing discovery work to help them assess what they need to prioritise.  As always there’s so much for them to do and limited time and resources. I have really enjoyed these projects as it uses my varied skills and enables the start ups to get clarity that is sometimes hard to see from the inside when you’re so close to something. What is your unique selling point? What makes your business approach unique? My ability to improve CX and EX whilst also reducing costs and improving efficiency. People think this is a myth, but in my view it’s the only way to do it. Bad experience costs money! I take the insight from those three areas and work on what creates improvement across the board. Do you have a Favourite quote? “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Any professional goals for the upcoming year? To do interesting work with good people, that makes a difference and pays the bills plus a bit more! And… Last but not least, how does being an expert of Camelot help you/or add value to your business? Being a part of Camelot has been invaluable to me as I’ve been starting out on this consultancy path. It can be a bit overwhelming at first and I think I’d have felt quite lonely if I didn't have Camelot to connect with.

Katie Crook-Davies, Managing Director of consultancy, Tabei, tells us all about life and health insurance and her mission to protect more people through market-leading propositions and faster processes. What is your role since leaving corporate life? I’m the Managing Director of Tabei, a consultancy supporting the life and health insurance sector across proposition development, actuarial and data science and marketing. How long have you been a member of Camelot? Since mid 2019. Area of expertise? Life insurance proposition development, actuarial services, marketing and PR. Highest/proudest most recognisable previous role? National Account Manager at Vitality (possibly the first actuary to join the ‘dark side’ of sales… but don’t quote me on that 😉). How long have you been doing this subject/area? 12 years. Please can you provide some examples of recent projects that you’ve worked on? Proposition development and innovation for one of the UK’s largest insurers. Life proposition development for large UK mutual insurer operating in the advised market. Marketing support for global MarTech business supporting digital distribution for life insurers. Content marketing for UK protection advice firms. What is your unique selling point? What makes your business approach unique? Tabei combines 20+ years of actuarial expertise with a keen eye for marketing and customer experience – a combination I believe is essential in delivering life and health insurance solutions that customers really want! Can you name one professional high point from the last 12 months and what made it so good? Launching our new actuarial software, t+1, was a huge professional high point for me. It’s four years in the making and I’m so proud of what this new technology can do and the potential transformation it can bring to the actuarial modelling space. We need to talk about…? What is, or what should be, hot on the industry’s lips in your view? It has to be diversity and inclusion! We need to get uncomfortable topics on the table, normalise them and create safe spaces for everyone to discuss openly. And of course, it’s not just the right thing to do, it makes absolute business sense – it’s really time to make D&I a strategic business priority! Please describe a challenging work scenario and how you resolved it? Naturally, being self-employed, I wear many hats and am often juggling multiple work priorities at any one time. I find this situation can fix me in the ‘doing’ and the day-to-day work, sometimes taking focus away from the bigger picture and important business strategy work. I’m continuously working to better manage this but it’s certainly a work in progress. For me, it’s never easy to say ‘no’ to things! What should everyone be reading/listening to? A shameless plug, but check out https://riskymix.uk/ if you’d like to learn more about D&I and hear thoughts from experts in this field on the work we can all do to make our industry a nicer place for everyone! Do you have any words of wisdom for us or a short phrase that sums up your ethos? Do work that excites you, surround yourself with people who energise you, don’t calibrate to others’ measures of success, write your own story and, above all, never undervalue your skills and experience! Do you have a Favourite quote? “Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be; embrace who you are.” – Brené Brown Any professional goals for the upcoming year? This is an easy one – to spread the t+1 message far and wide and to continue to deliver seamless integration and exceptional service to existing clients. t+1 delivers more competitive pricing and better model cost control and we’re really excited to show everyone in the insurance industry the power that newer technology has over legacy actuarial modelling software. Why are you such an asset to the industry & the network? My 12-year tenure in life and health insurance puts me in a unique spot as an independent consultant – I’ve developed a solid actuarial grounding in the sector and specialist technical expertise yet I’m also at an early enough stage that my thoughts and behaviors flow freely – I’ve not been shaped by decades in the corporate world, and instead present with fresh ideas and approaches that haven’t been tried before. Katie’s experience and technical know-how meant that she delivered work to a high quality. Katie was a trusted pair of hands, an absolute pleasure to work with and far exceeded my expectations. Claire Kelly – Head of Protection Product, LV= Why does your area of expertise need to be spotlighted? As in many industries, I believe success comes from designing great products, pricing competitively and marketing effectively and this couldn’t be more true than for life and health insurance – products that are notoriously difficult to sell. Great proposition and customer experience, actuarial pricing capabilities and simple, jargon-free, communications will be a winning combination in this space – and it’s these three pillars that we specialise in at Tabei. Most importantly what are 2 or 3 tips or ‘give aways’ that you can give to fellow consultants? Try new things and encourage teams to think creatively and explore their curiosity. Embrace failure – see failure as a chance to learn. Step away from the pack to see brand new opportunities and apply your existing capabilities in exciting ways to develop a competitive advantage. Really put the customer at the heart of all proposition development work and never undervalue the importance of customer research. And… Last but not least, how does being an expert of Camelot help you/or add value to your business? The life of an independent consultant can be a lonely one, but Camelot has allowed me to meet so many like-minded individuals from across insurance who are facing, or have faced, very similar challenges. I’ve been able to get invaluable advice and guidance from more established consultants, which I’m extremely grateful for, and hope to be able to do the same for the fresh talent entering this space.

In the current insurance market, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to stand out from the competition and it can be very tempting to fall into the trap of gimmicks. Whilst effective these are short-term solutions. Instead, why not investigate true innovation for your industry? Innovation doesn’t need to be big and flashy. It doesn’t require ping pong tables and bean-bags in the staff relaxation room, or great offers for new clients. Instead, innovation can be as simple as finding out what would make your service more appealing to your customers (current and prospective) and then finding a means of delivering this requirement. A common pain point with clients, for example, is their claims aren’t processed quickly enough, or there are delays due to difficult environmental or locational challenges. Rather than completely overhauling your entire processes to address this issue, you can implement some innovative technology. Such technology could be the introduction of drones into your business assets. Drones vary greatly in their application but essentially they are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be controlled by a pilot on the ground or remotely via a pre-programmed route. So, how can drones be used effectively within the insurance industry? Application of Drones There are various ways a drone can improve your customer service, processing times and health and safety including: Property and Damage Inspection - Drones can facilitate the inspection of property in dangerous or hard-to-access places, as well as following a natural disaster like a flood, wildfire or landslide. Deploying a drone to carry out the assessment will speed up the claims process as well as be able to collect more accurate data for the underwriting policies than could be possible if carried out manually. Using drones with sensors is also a much safer option for insurance company personnel in high-risk areas, meaning that insurers can proactively mitigate risks whilst at the same time processing claims. Claims Processing - By using drones adjusters can collect aerial and detailed shots of properties which may not be otherwise possible allowing them to assess claims more accurately but also remotely. This potentially could extend the catchment area of your ideal clients as well. Additionally, drone footage could also assist in investigating suspicious claims by providing visual evidence to verify the claim’s legitimacy. Improved Customer Service - This can include quicker response time to claims but also by providing real-time updates about property inspections and claim assessments. Considerations of Implementing Drones If you are considering using drones to streamline your claims processes and improve customer service there are a few considerations. Compliance - For security and safety reasons the use of drones in the UK is subject to strict regulations. Insurance companies must comply with these rules for safe and legal operations. Data Privacy - Handling the data collected by drones must comply with data protection laws. Therefore ensuring the secure transfer and storage of sensitive information is crucial and processes will have to be created for use. Initial Investment and Training - There is an outlay required for the equipment itself but also for staff training, as everyone using the drone needs to be licensed. However, this outlay will be recuperated through reduced operational costs and improved claims processing times. Of course, introducing new technology into such a traditional industry can feel like a gamble. Here at Camelot Marketplace we understand that and we are here to help. How useful would it be to speak with people who have already implemented innovative ideas in insurance businesses? What could you learn from their successes and more importantly their mistakes? Our members are all C-suite level executives with years of experience within the insurance business and will be able to provide you with exactly the support you and your business need. For more information speak to a member of the team today.

A global reinsurer sought expertise from Camelot for crafting their new digital strategy. They attended a workshop led by Camelot experts and engaged a team of three experts to further develop their strategy. The client wanted to refine their draft strategy before presenting it to their Board. They sought an external viewpoint from experts who had experience in conceptualizing and implementing digital strategies. The project involved examining previous efforts, clarifying objectives, understanding stakeholder positions, and adapting to remote work due to the pandemic. The Camelot experts acted as facilitators, providing valuable content, and integrating into the client team. They organized virtual workshops using collaborative tools and encouraged reflection between sessions. The workshops were designed to allow the client ample preparation time and encouraged real-time oversight. In addition to aiding strategy formulation, the team aimed to enhance the client's skills and confidence. Frequent review sessions ensured alignment with project objectives and allowed for necessary amendments. The collaborative effort resulted in the successful execution of the digital strategy project within timelines and budget, leading to the client formulating and securing approval for its strategy. The client also received resources for implementation, monitoring, and management, contributing to present value and future-proofing The client expressed immense satisfaction with the process and outcome, remarking that it offered tremendous value at a fraction of their customary expenses. If you have an insurance challenge or opportunity that could benefit from the insights of our experts and corporate partners, please contact us.

What does a beautiful meal have to do with business transformation? Transformation is a key phrase in everyone's mind right now, but it's not always smooth sailing. Gary Burke , one of our Camelot Experts has provided us with a key insight using a very simple dinner party example. Consider this…. If you enjoy entertaining and cooking for friends, you wouldn't think twice about having a handful of friends over for dinner at the weekend. However, if it wasn’t a handful of friends but a ten-course banquet for 100 people (it's still cooking and entertaining!) you'd recognise that a different set of skills and experience would be needed to do this successfully. Transformation is like a banquet, and if you approach it like 'cooking for friends', it's not going to end well. This simple example shows us how easy it would be to underestimate the complexities and challenges when undertaking a transformation programme. In today’s fast-paced and resource-constrained environment, making informed decisions and determining the right approach at the outset of any transformation initiative is imperative to avoid some of the all-too-common pitfalls.    Transformation programmes – business, digital, organisational or any other flavour of transformation – don’t traditionally have a great reputation for success.   A key factor for the lack of success is that what’s involved and the impact the transformation will have on the organisation is often underestimated. This can easily result in the wrong approach being taken and, before you know it, the problems start… possibly ending up with a board meeting some months later where you need to discuss the huge amount of money already spent, the lack of progress and how to get the programme back on track.   So how can we prevent this? At Camelot, we have over 150 insurance experts with C-Suite and senior experience. We are here to guide you through the intricate world of transformation. Our curated team of experts will dedicate their time to help you find the right way forward for your unique business needs. Here's what we offer: Expert Advice: We provide you with in-depth insights into how to approach transformational change, providing guidance, support and challenge so programmes can be set up for success. On your side: We provide access to independent experts who have real-world experience in transformational change and are on your side, acting in your best interests to help you make better decisions. Execution Expertise: We'll help you execute your transformation programme, steering clear of common pitfalls, and ensuring a smooth and successful journey.  Don't let the minefield of transformation overwhelm you. Choose Camelot as your trusted advisor, and together, we'll achieve greatness!  Contact us to find out how.

What is your role now since leaving corporate life? I have co-founded and lead a digital marketing agency, Balance. We specialise in financial services, consulting on and managing Search and Social Media marketing, training, conversion rate optimisation and more. The rest of my time I’m an independent marketing consultant for SMEs and startups, which helps keep me sharp and give something back. How long have you been an expert of Camelot? Just under a year. Have you been a panel expert on any Road Tests? No but I have done a couple of Insurtech clinics which have been very interesting. Area of expertise:- Marketing and Digital Highest/proudest most recognisable previous role:- Marketing Director of Admiral for 5 years. How long have you been doing this subject/area - 20 years What is your company name? Balance Do you have a website? www.thebalanceagency.com What is your LinkedIn profile URL? https://www.linkedin.com/in/consultantcmo/ Do you have a blog? My LinkedIn and https://www.thebalanceagency.com/insights/ Please can you provide some examples of recent projects/professional high point that you’ve worked on? My professional high point to date was the Stay at Home Refund campaign at Admiral during Covid. We understood a few weeks before we officially went into lockdown that we would likely be facing an extended period of lower driving, and therefore the perceived value of car insurance would diminish at the same time people may start to struggle financially. After considerable planning, we were the first to give something back to customers. Living up to our brand positioning of Rewardingly Simple, getting over a thousand pieces of coverage and putting our brand as number 1 for consideration for the first time in its 30 year history. The campaign cost £110m but the brand business benefit exceeded that, but more importantly, it was the right thing to do. YouGov voted our marketing the best of covid, above the likes of Dominoes, various banks and other household brands. What is your unique selling point? What makes your business approach unique? I’m a marketer with an understanding of the application of classic strategy but an affinity for executing digital methods. Do you have a Favourite quote? “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former sell” Any professional goals for the upcoming year? Establishing Balance as the go to digital agency for financial brands. I will also be helping more fintechs and insuretechs with their growth. And… Last but not least, how does being an expert of Camelot help you/or add value to your business? As I only started my own businesses in the last 12 months I’ve relied almost exclusively on my previous employer, employees and partner network, with no means outside LinkedIn to raise awareness of my skills and experience. Camelot not only gives me and extra channel but also enables me to become a better consultant through seeing others with excellent experience and enabling me to support up and coming businesses in the clinics. If you’d like to network with our members, register for our next Camelot Connect

What is your role now since leaving corporate life? I work as a NED (Non-Executive Director) for four insurance companies - one in Gibraltar and three in the UK. Plus, I do consulting for firms wishing to set up in Gibraltar How long have you been an expert of Camelot? About 8 months Area of expertise:- I am an actuary - numbers are my thing. Also I have expertise in governance and regulation. Highest/proudest most recognisable previous role:- Director of Regulatory Operations at the Gibraltar regulator How long have you been doing this subject/area? 40 years What is your LinkedIn profile URL? Kathryn (Kitching) Morgan | LinkedIn Please can you provide some examples of recent projects/professional high point that you’ve worked on? I set up a mentoring organisation where older women mentor younger women. I mentor several young women and I’m able to share my experience (good and bad) and help them. The problems don’t change, sadly. The Wise Women: Company Page Admin | LinkedIn We are always open to mentoring women - please message us. What is your unique selling point? What makes your business approach unique? I’m an actuary that focuses on people Do you have a Favourite quote? …it would be too senseless after all for so many to have died while you live doing nothing with your life. (Charlotte Delbo) Any professional goals for the upcoming year? To keep a good work / life balance. And… Last but not least, how does being an expert of Camelot help you/or add value to your business? It’s great to have the resources available, and also the comfort of knowing there are people to ask about things I’m stuck on. Plus, I like meeting new people. I can also support other women in the network which helps my goal of smashing the patriarchy. If you’d like to network with our members, register for our next Camelot Connect

What is your role now since leaving corporate life? I’m a speaker and trainer, specialising in helping firms with developing a referral strategy. Everyone loves referrals, but most firms wait for them to drop in their laps, rather than taking a proactive approach. I help build that proactive referral strategy. The company name is Unnatural Success Ltd - so named because I describe myself as an Unnatural Networker. How long have you been a Camelot Expert? 4 months Areas of expertise? Referrals, Networking, Public Speaking Highest/proudest/most recognisable previous role? I was National Director of BNI (Business Networking International) in the UK/Ireland - BNI is the world’s leading business referral organisation. How long have you been doing this subject/area? 20 years What is your company name? Unnatural Success Ltd Do you have a website? www.unnaturalsuccess.com What is your LinkedIn profile URL? www.linkedin.com/in/charlielawson Do you have a blog? https://unnaturalsuccess.com/blog/ Please can you provide some examples of recent projects that you’ve worked on? I’m working with a professional services firm owner, a small business of 30 or so people. He’s had me helping his big deal guys to network better, but he also has asked me to upskill his entire team (client facing and non) because they all have friends / family / work contacts that they have conversations with every day. I’m working with them to help them all bring business opportunities into the firm. What is your unique selling point? What makes your business approach unique? Most experts are experts because they have a passion for what they do. I have a passion for the results networking can bring, but as an Unnatural Networker, I really don’t like networking itself. As such, my message resonates with other unnatural networkers. Do you have a favourite quote? “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” —Zig Ziglar Any professional goals for the upcoming year? Successfully build my business past its first anniversary, publish my 3rd book (The Unnatural Public Speaker) And… last but not least, how does being a Camelot Expert help you/or add value to your business? I meet lots of new people, and learn a lot. If you’d like to network with our members, register for our next Camelot Connect

1. What is your role now since leaving corporate life? I am the founding Director of Coach Forward Ltd and specialise in board advisory, strategy, mentoring and coaching. I have deep knowledge of the General Insurance Market, having worked both sides of the fence in board level roles and my aim is to help individuals and businesses move forward faster than if they were to do it on their own. 2. How long have you been an expert of Camelot? I joined in December and as someone new to the world of being self employed, and a very pampered ex-corporate exec, it has been the best thing I have done! Immediately I felt part of a team and less isolated. Everyone was so genuine and understood what you were going through. I received a lot of help as a new expert and still do! 3. Have you been a panel expert on any Road Tests? I have had the pleasure of being involved in 1 road test and remember it was a very impressive partner who had achieved great things and was now looking for support in breaking into the mysterious world of insurance. They had already done a lot of the thinking and collectively we gave them some great feedback. I am very task orientated so for me it is always about – what problem can you solve, how can you solve it, where have you successfully done this before (proof points). 4. Are you a leader or a member of a Camelot Special Interest Group? No, I didn’t even know there were special interest groups…well unless you count Camelot Scotland – we have a few members in Scotland now - myself, Helen Angell, Duncan Leask and Stuart Middleton. We meet for lunch every few months and always offer each other support in what we are doing and generally have a great laugh, usually winding each other up or exchanging pictures of holidays/alcohol on our Whatsapp Group or Duncan showing us his latest footwear 😊. 5. Area of expertise My expertise, and Mastermind subject, would be Personal Lines Insurance. Most recently Customer and Digital Operations, however I have broad leadership experience across a number of functions and I am currently enjoying working with a new start up Brand who are entering the UK Market after a successful launch in Australia. I particularly enjoy standing up new businesses or launching new ‘stuff’ be it products or functions, because I can apply my expertise in its broadest sense and you can see the impact of your work quickly. 6. Highest/proudest most recognisable previous role In my previous role I worked for Atlanta, part of Ardonagh Group, and I was Chief Customer Officer responsible for 2m customers across 14 brands. I had an excellent team and we created a ‘voice’ for the customer to be heard and used it to drive change and influence CX. It was a role that involved constant change and delivery - from introducing point of transaction customer insight, AI & ML for tasks and quality checking, transforming digital operations and self service and new product launches. It gave me a high sense of achievement to see customer satisfaction improve and our cost to serve reduce as we made these transformations. It was a challenging role, and I learned a huge amount that continues to influence what I do today. My dream job however was at Sainsburys Bank – I joined as part of the leadership team that set up the insurance intermediary business from scratch for Car & Home insurance, and then went on to run this plus the travel, life and pet business. I saw it grow from nothing to a significant size over the 4+ years that I was there. Working for Sainsbury’s taught me what it really means to put the customer first and creating a strong digital first CX. 7. How long have you been doing this subject/area? I have been in insurance for 34+ years and performed many, many roles in this time that included, the mailroom as an office junior at General Accident, to the boardroom in AXA as Managing Director of Personal Lines Intermediary, and Atlanta as Chief Customer Officer. 8. What is your company name? Coach Forward Ltd What is your LinkedIn profile URL? (7) Karen Hogg | LinkedIn Do you have a blog? No, but I plan to start one at some point called – Powerup Buttercup – it’s a phrase my sisters and I use to describe when we need to create a short, sharp waive – usually work related. It’s about how you find your A+ game with a purpose in mind or you want to tackle imposter syndrome. I did a talk on it with a large group of females in my last organisation and they still message me today about it to tell me how they have Powered Up which makes me feel really proud. But I need to commit proper time to it 😊 9. Please can you provide some examples of recent projects/professional high point that you’ve worked on? I am very proud to have set up my own business after years of working for large Corporates. It is nerve racking to begin with but 6 months on and I feel like I am in the swing of things. I have had some really interesting contracts including, outsourcing operations to South Africa, product and market strategy review for a major brand, helping a start-up with their FCA application and Coaching execs for their next move. In a nutshell – I have been busy and looking forward to a holiday! 10. What is your unique selling point? What makes your business approach unique? My Unique selling point is my broad experience and expertise in the UK General Insurance Market, my reputation for getting things done and having access to a strong network - super charged by Camelot 11. Do you have a Favourite quote? I often see quotes I love then forget them! But one that always sticks with me is ‘don’t forget the backside you were born with’ which is something my Mum would say if she thought you were getting too big for your boots. It’s very grounding. 12. Any professional goals for the upcoming year? I wanted to be booked for the whole of the first year and I thought – if I just get through the first year that will be amazing. I have worked hard at it and thanks to a strong network I also had some good luck. I still have a few months to go but it is looking promising 😊. I am now working on a 6 months contract, and doing something I have never done before, which is to help an exciting new start up with their FCA application and develop a governance structure for their business. It has been a challenge and on day 1 we received 56 questions from the regulator and 2 weeks to respond! I am delighted to say that after a frantic few weeks and more questions authorisation was given on the 3rd August. A milestone to be celebrated and you learn a lot being thrown in at the deep end! The contract has really developed into something really exciting and is attracting a lot of interest. My 30+ years expertise in general insurance allows me to also help with capacity and investor meetings, setting product and distribution strategy, designing TOM and OD, outsource partners, etc. I often describe myself as a being ‘Jack of all trades master of some’ 13. And… Last but not least, how does being an expert of Camelot help you/or add value to your business? It has given me confidence and belief that ‘It’ can be done and that I can do it, either on my own or with the help of experts. Through the various Camelot meet-ups, I have had a chance to speak with many experts who genuinely all want the best for each other, and to talk with partners and learn/share my knowledge, which has been a great confidence booster. I have even been asked to share my experience with new experts who are starting out! A lovely compliment. If you’d like to network with our members, register for our next Camelot Connect

What is your role now since leaving corporate life? My company is called Light The Spark. I help businesses sell more stuff to more people and businesses. I do that in three ways: Direct assistance with business development - connecting clients to people I know in the industry who need, or could use, what they offer Helping clients understand what people and businesses working in insurance need, what is going on in that world, how to approach and talk to them. Helping people come up with new ideas and new ways of reaching people, getting their message “out there”. Working with me on business development achieves results faster and more easily, with greater insight and understanding. It saves clients a lot of time and hassle! I spend a lot of my time drinking coffee (well, Diet Coke or wine, actually) listening to people talk about what they are up to. I find it absolutely fascinating, learn a lot by listening, and am often able to help with ideas or connections. How long have you been a Camelot Expert? I joined at the end of 2021. I was delighted when David Clamp asked me to take on the role of Lead Expert Ambassador in June 2022 - I work (very!) part-time, putting in place events and activities for our Experts, and making sure they get what they want from their membership. Have you been a panel Expert on any Road Tests? I’ve done quite a few since joining Camelot - they’re great fun. It’s a really good way to understand what our Corporate Partners have to offer. It is also very useful when I am talking to my clients! One common theme is that Corporate Partners usually have a product with (for the sake of argument) 100 amazing features - and they are keen to talk about ALL of them whenever they have the opportunity to meet someone. I think that’s a big mistake - it’s too much to take in. My advice is to work out which 3 or 4 features are your USP (Unique Selling Point), the things that will really make a difference - and concentrate on those. You can do the other 96 features once you have someone on the hook. Areas of expertise? Business development, sales, marketing, customers Highest/proudest/most recognisable previous role I think that covers my 10+ years at Hiscox, really! I had three roles while there, and they were all high profile, highly visible roles with lots of direct contact with brokers - that’s how I built up my network. My first role was as Product Head for Emerging Professional Indemnity - where I focussed on understanding what policyholders wanted/needed, and then found ways to bring it to life for them and for brokers. I mainly do this by telling stories, and giving examples of really interesting professions. “Intimacy Co-ordinator” - helping actors navigate sex-scenes on stage/screen - who knew?! Then I was Regional Manager for the Maidenhead office, responsible for a team of underwriters in both HNW and Commercial business. This involved a lot of liaison on a daily basis with brokers, understanding their needs and concerns. After that I became Head of Marketing for both Brokers and Partnerships. Same role - understanding what brokers and policyholders want/need, but working differently to support them. There’s a theme running through what I have done throughout my career, in whatever role and industry, and in what I do now. I try to understand what the retailer/broker wants and needs, understand what *their* end customer wants and needs, and then look for ways to help that retailer/broker achieve their aims - growing my business as a result. In a nutshell, listening, talking, coming up with ideas. How long have you been doing this subject/area? I’ve been working in sales/business development for big names (Procter & Gamble, Mars Confectionery, Pepsico, BBC Worldwide, Hiscox) for 30+ years - but only “fell” into insurance in 2011. So around 13 years in the insurance world - love it. What is your company name? Light the Spark Limited Do you have a website? www.lightthespark.co.uk What is your LinkedIn profile URL? linkedin.com/in/samanthanewman Please can you provide some examples of recent projects that you’ve worked on? I have introduced one of my clients to several of the networks of brokers and AR’s in the industry, opening doors to senior people and getting them set up as an official, recommended supplier to those networks. I have also facilitated the opportunity for my client to attend the network conferences and events, and helped them create and deliver training to those brokers/AR’s. In another example, I was aware of an insurer with a very specific challenge they were facing - and I knew one of my clients could assist with it. Using my relationship with that insurer, I introduced my client and set up meetings to explore things further, making sure my client was fully briefed/prepared. It’s still relatively early days, but my client is now actively engaged in developing a business opportunity where none previously existed. I open doors for my clients, getting them real and significant business opportunities quickly and effectively that they can then take further for themselves. I “light the spark”. What is your USP? What makes your business approach unique? It’s all about my relationships - the people I know. I spend a lot of time talking to my friends in the industry, understanding their challenges. Often I have ideas that can help - that I give away for free. Why would I not help my friends? Sometimes I am lucky that those ideas “match” with a client for whom I work. The more I talk to people, understand their problems, the luckier I seem to get! Do you have a favourite quote? SUMO: shut up and move on I saw Paul McGee - www.thesumoguy.com - talk at a conference some years ago and loved his approach. Life will always bite you on the bum - when it does, you are entitled to sulk (“hippo time” - wallow in the mud of misery) for a period of time. But keep it short and snappy, then shut up and move on - because after the initial wallow, it gets you nowhere. Love it. Any professional goals for the upcoming year? Make a difference to more people. I do that for my friends in the industry, for my clients, for Camelot Experts, and in my voluntary roles (Enterprise Adviser for a school, Parish Councillor, Home Visitor for a cat charity). Helping people with ideas and connections, getting things done - that makes me happy. And… last but not least, how does being a Camelot Expert help you/or add value to your business? Being a part of Camelot gives me access to lots of lovely people to talk to and meet! I try to meet every Expert when they join - to help them and make sure they get the most from their membership. I love it when I see it work for them, helping them in their businesses. I also get access to all the Corporate Partners, who want help getting into the industry. Some of them have products and solutions I really like - so I have the opportunity to offer them my services to open doors quickly and effectively. That’s really valuable for me. If you’d like to network with our members, register for our next Camelot Connect

1. How long have you been an Expert of Camelot? Three years. How time flies! 2. Have you been an expert on any Road Test panels? I have participated in a number of road tests and they’re great for understanding what the corporate partners propositions are and, in return, to help them better understand how they need to pitch themselves to the insurance market. 3. Are you a leader or a member of a Think Tank(Special interest group)? I’ve participated in a number of Think Tanks that have covered themes such as NED’s and the London Market. I am sure I will be participating in more in future. 4. Area of expertise? Emerging Technology. 5. Highest/proudest most recognisable previous role? Head of Business Intelligence, Chaucer Syndicates 6. How long have you been doing this subject/area? I have over 35 years of commercial experience across multiple industries, 7 years in the insurance market and 7 years providing consultancy in emerging technology. 7. Please can you provide some examples of recent projects that you’ve worked on? I spent several months working for a fast-paced, Asia-based, InsurTech “Unicorn” (i.e. a startup with a Billion dollar valuation). It was very intense, agile, enterprise which is building on its Asia and US successes to extend its Insurtech platforms into Europe. With a technical team in Asia, business architects in Australia, a primary client’s base spread across Europe and a sales, marketing, legal and project management team spread across Europe and Aisa, remote working was the norm! I’ve been helping a (non Insurance) startup with their Go To Market strategy and helping them to identify market potential, create use cases and case studies and validate their overall digital asset custody proposition. 8. What is your unique selling point? What makes your business approach unique? As an adviser and mentor to emerging technology startups, and a consultant to larger established organisations, I am able to use my extensive knowledge of what really works. I cut through the hype, dispel the myths and unveil the reality of emerging technology and what risks and opportunities they present. My consultancy company’s brand name is Distlytics. Think of it as distilling the complexity of technologies into clearly analysed and understood capabilities….Distil- lytics 😊 9. Can you name one professional high point from the last 12 months and what made it so good? One of the things I do is to provide webinars to organisations and professional associations about emerging technologies and the associated risks and opportunities. One organisation received so much positive feedback about a session I ran that they booked me for another….and another! 10. We need to talk about…? What is, or what should be, hot on the industry’s lips in your view? In insurance we’re still encumbered by monolithic, slow moving processes and procedures that firms are reluctant to change for fear of breaking them. We need to accept that any slow processes are, by definition, broken already. In a 24/7, always connected, real time world, customers expect simplicity, transparency and immediacy. It’s time to radically reshape our businesses so they really are ‘customer centric’. 11. Please describe a challenging work scenario and how you resolved it? Working with organisations that are looking to push regulatory boundaries can be, ahem, “interesting” at times. Often they’re trying to develop a new product or service for the benefit of the customer but it doesn’t fit with the regulator mindset (particularly around timescales). For organisations who are looking to deploy innovative solutions it can be frustrating when they want to quickly develop / deploy something but the regulatory hurdles can be considerable. The only solution is to be pragmatic and accept that the approval and review processes will take longer than anticipated. 12. What should everyone be reading/listening to? My default source for news these days is Twitter. Since it was acquired by Elon Musk, it is continuing to extend its broadcast capabilities. Livestreams are a bit glitchy at times but surpass any mainstream media for rapid dissemination of timely information. It also provides access to perspectives around the world that would otherwise be filtered. This does however mean that you need to be ever mindful about the accuracy of some of the items and possible biases in presentation. For industry insights and professional networking, Linkedin remains the de facto platform. Youtube is an excellent learning resource and Tiktok (yes!) is gaining popularity as a learning platform too. I publish short videos on Tiktok and it’s fascinating to see the pace of growth the platform has had. And, unlike Instagram, it’s not just a place for social media influencers to hang out but there’s some great content and livestreams too. 13. Do you have any words of wisdom for us or a short phrase that sums up your ethos? ‘Fail Fast’ should not be the aim. The aim should be to try things and if they don’t work then stop doing them, review/revise/learn and move on. If they do work….do them even more and even better! 14. Do you have a Favourite quote? “The rate at which we are adopting technology, both in our personal and professional lives is getting faster and faster. That means that today is as slow as it’s going to be.” - from Rt Hon Matt Hancock, MP when he was Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. 15. Any professional goals for the upcoming year? I’m a fan of lifelong learning and am always keen to continue learning new things. A great way to learn and develop understanding is to teach others and so I will be continuing to provide education on a range of emerging technology topics as that requires me to keep learning about them. 16. Why are you such an asset to the industry & the network? I’ve worked in many industries and have seen what works and, importantly, what doesn’t. I’m able to balance the excitement and enthusiasm of introducing new technologies with the pragmatism and experience to actually make it work. I have both the scars AND the t-shirt! 17. Why does your area of expertise need to be spotlighted? I’m a well known emerging technology evangelist with a desire to drag industries, such as the insurance market, away from the 20th century physical world and into the digital and virtual world of the 21st Century. To achieve that, I can provide the knowledge and expertise on how to do it right! 18. Anything else you think Insurers, solution providers to the insurance industry or potential members would find useful? I have a vision that insurers need to stop selling insurance products and instead provide ENSURANCE services. I believe that people don’t want to pay for something that compensates them if something goes wrong. They want to pay for the assurance that it’s not going to go wrong. Insurance company data and emerging technologies such as blockchain, machine learning and analytics can provide comprehensive risk management solutions. I’d love to speak to others with a similar vision. 19. 2 or 3 tips or give aways that you can give to 1 or more of the following types of businesses. ● Insurance businesses - startup/scale ups - Don’t spend time building a solution and then exploring the market to see if there is a need for it. Ask the market what their pain points are and then figure out a way of addressing them. That’s where Camelot workshops can be invaluable in helping firms understand how the insurance market actually works. ● Insurance businesses - established - Learn what your competitors are doing and then see if you can do it better. Camelot experts have deep expertise of the market and what works and what doesn’t. Tap into their insights. ● Other consultants - As more people move into consultancy they all have the same worries, fears and make the same mistakes. Save yourself some time and anguish and learn from Camelot experts who’ve been through similar situations. 20. Any stats/results to show off your proud moments? My most successful project failure (?!!!!) that I’m proud of was when I implemented a system that led to a 15% reduction in productivity. But it also delivered a 25% improvement in profitability. In essence it allowed sales people to work less by targeting more profitable customers. They loved it! Another great achievement was a £1/2m analytics project that paid for itself within 15 minutes of going live! System went live at 09:00. By 09:15 I had a disgruntled Marketing Director complaining that the data was completely wrong. Turns out he’d actually stumbled across a major fraud with one of our suppliers. We ended up receiving a rebate of over £1m from them. That paid the total cost of the project and meant that the Marketing Director became a major champion of the system. 21. And… Last but not least, how does being an Expert of Camelot help you/or add value to your business? As an independent consultant you always feel that you’re on your own as you’re not part of a team or organisation. Camelot allows you to network with other consultants in a similar position. It provides a great environment of learning and sharing and has a great feeling of community and inclusion. You’re more than just an Expert of Camelot. You’re part of it. If you’d like to network with our members, register for our next Camelot Connect