InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

In this episode, Robin Merttens is joined by Dr Thomas Kuhnt (HDI Global SE), Ed Ackerman (Qover) and Vincent De Ponthaud (AXA) for a rare C-suite perspective on Agentic AI — what it is, how it's being deployed and why senior leaders are walking a tightrope between bold innovation and operational risk.

Agentic AI promises transformative value, but for decision-makers at the top, it also brings real uncertainty. What do you build vs...

In this episode, Claire Souch is joined by Tom Philp, CEO of Maximum Information; James Lay, AVP of Product Management at Verisk; and Stephen Martin, Head of Catastrophe Modelling at Westfield Specialty, for a timely discussion on the future of catastrophe model evaluation, and why it's no longer enough to simply trust what’s in the black box.

As new specialist model vendors emerge and market expectations evolve, the panel unpacks ...

In this episode, Brian Owens is joined by Dana Foley (Head of Catastrophe Research at Chaucer), Joss Matthewman (Chief Revenue Officer at Reask) and Olivia Sloan (Head of Catastrophe Products at Fathom) to explore the growing influence of specialist model vendors in catastrophe risk modelling and why they’re anything but “niche”.

With decades of combined experience across underwriting, model development and scientific research, the...

Introduction

In this episode, Robin Merttens is joined by Jack Miller, CEO and Co-founder of nettle, to explore how generative AI is being applied to one of insurance’s most complex and resource-constrained challenges: risk engineering. Jack shares how his work at McKinsey, leading AI transformations for insurers, exposed him to the inefficiencies in assessing commercial property risks and how that inspired Nettle’s founding.

From ...

In this episode, Richard Gunn, President & CRO at hyperexponential, joins host Matthew Grant to share the inside story of hyperexponential's expansion journey from the UK to the US, and how the company is reshaping pricing and underwriting in the insurance sector.

Richard reflects on seven years at hyperexponential, starting as the first non-engineering hire to now leading a fast-growing US team in New York. He explains how hyp...

In this episode, Robin Merttens is joined by Tim Hardcastle, CEO and Co-founder of INSTANDA, to reflect on what it takes to turn a contrarian vision into a global insurtech platform and what the next decade of innovation might look like.

Tim left a senior role at Hiscox to build a no-code platform for insurers at a time when most said it couldn’t be done. Ten years on, INSTANDA powers operations around the world and is gearing up f...

In this episode, Robin Merttens sits down with Haris Khan and Arved Pohlabeln, co-founders of Novee, to unpack what’s broken in specialty underwriting — and how AI is finally in a position to fix it.

Having met as consultants at Deloitte, Haris and Arved kept encountering the same themes: overworked underwriters, inconsistent submissions, and transformation efforts that rarely made a real difference. That frustration turned into ac...

In this episode, Matthew Grant sits down with Jonathan Rake, CEO of Risk Data Solutions at Swiss Re, to explore how a major reinsurer is building data and analytics as core capabilities beyond traditional risk‑transfer. Jonathan explains why the shift matters, how analytics are being embedded in real‑time workflows, and what insurers and corporates should focus on as risk becomes more interconnected and dynamic.

In this conversatio...

Catastrophe models have come a long way - but are decision-makers keeping up?

In this panel from InsTech’s The future of catastrophe risk: where science meets reality, Alice Kaye (Inigo), Caroline McMullan (Verisk) and host Dickie Whitaker (Oasis LMF) confront the challenges of turning sophisticated risk models into clear, actionable decisions.

Together, they explore why uncertainty is often more valuable than the average, how huma...

In this special episode of the podcast, originally hosted by Indico Data’s Unstructured Unlocked, Matthew Grant, CEO of InsTech, joins Tom Wilde and Michelle Gouveia to discuss how insurers are harnessing third-party data and AI to make more informed, efficient underwriting decisions.

With over 25 years in catastrophe modelling and analytics, Matthew shares his view on where the real innovation is happening and where insurers are s...

What are we still missing in catastrophe modelling and how can we close the gap?

As part of InsTech’s The Future of Catastrophe Risk: Where Science Meets Reality event, this expert panel explored the limitations of current catastrophe models and how the insurance industry can evolve its approach to risk.

Hosted by Ludovico Nicotina (Inigo), with insights from Sandra Hansen (Guy Carpenter) and Paul Wilson (Twelve Securis), the discu...

In this episode, Robin Merttens is joined by Julian Schoemig, CEO and Co-founder of Diesta, to explore why payments and settlements remain one of the insurance industry’s biggest unsolved problems, and what it will take to fix them.

From his early days selling boxing machines to Munich pubs to underwriting aviation at Munich Re, Julian’s career has been shaped by a single truth: business doesn’t count until the cash is in the bank....

What would happen if the next hurricane wasn’t just stronger but completely off the scale? Are we prepared for a Category 6 event, and would it even show up in our models?

In this panel discussion from InsTech’s July evening event The future of catastrophe risk: where science meets reality, supported by Inigo, Ruth Petrie leads a conversation on how insurers are responding to more extreme, uncertain and fast-changing catastrophe ri...

In this episode, Matthew Grant sits down with Matthew Eagle, Head of Global Model Solutions and Advisory at Guy Carpenter, to explore how one of the industry's most respected voices sees the future of modelling, capital management and advisory in reinsurance.

With three decades of experience, Matthew reflects on what’s changed — and what hasn’t — in how reinsurers view risk. From the early days of catastrophe models to today’s gene...

In this episode, Matthew is joined once again by Richard Hartley to reflect on a major milestone in Cytora’s journey: its acquisition by US-based Applied Systems.

But as Richard makes clear, this isn’t the end of the road. It’s a platform for scale. Listeners will hear how Cytora evolved from tackling political risk to transforming how risk flows through commercial insurance. Richard shares practical lessons from scaling into the U...

Jonathan Spry, CEO and co-founder of Envelop Risk, joins Robin Merttens for a deep dive into how data science, AI and portfolio-level modelling are transforming cyber reinsurance. As one of the earliest voices in the industry championing machine learning and systemic risk analysis, Jonathan shares what he's learned over nine years of building Envelop into a leading hybrid underwriter operating across London and Bermuda.

In his own ...

What happens when a major US insurance tech player sets its sights on Europe? This week, Robin Merttens speaks with Chris Quirk, VP and General Manager at Insurity, to unpack the drivers behind the company’s international expansion and what it signals for the wider market.

Chris brings a unique cross-market perspective, working with carriers, MGAs and brokers on both sides of the Atlantic. He shares how Insurity is navigating the c...

In this special edition of the InsTech podcast, Robin introduces listeners to new colleague Chris Eberly, Insurance Practice Lead at Datos Insights, following Datos’ recent acquisition of InsTech. Chris brings more than 30 years of carrier experience and a unique practitioner’s perspective on the forces shaping insurance today.

Together they explore what this new chapter means for InsTech members, the wider insurance ecosystem, and...

What will the specialty insurance market look like a decade from now? Will we still be talking about legacy systems and manual processes, or will the model itself have changed?

In this panel discussion from InsTech’s Outpace. Outprice. Outperform event, Robin Merttens leads a conversation with four senior experts on the future of the market and the forces that could reshape it.

Featuring:

• Paul Carr...