How can AI weather models improve the accuracy and scale of catastrophe modelling?

Matthew Grant is joined by David Wood, Managing Director at JBA Risk Management, and Jochen Papenbrock, Head of Financial Technology (EMEA) at NVIDIA, to explore how accelerated computing is unlocking new ways to simulate and manage flood risk.

JBA has long been a pioneer in flood modelling, while NVIDIA’s GPU technology has helped drive the recent breakthroughs in AI and generative modelling. Together, they discuss how high-resolution simulations, new ensemble methods and open-source tools are pushing the limits of what’s possible in climate and catastrophe analytics.

Key Talking Points:

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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. buy? How do you prove ROI? And how do you prevent over-trusting agents that are inherently probabilistic?

In this conversation, Thomas, Ed and Vincent share:

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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 a growing demand for transparency, interoperability and smarter ways to adopt models that fit real-world portfolios. At the heart of the conversation is a shared belief: the industry doesn’t just need more models, it needs better ways to evaluate and use them.

In this conversation, they explore:

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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 panel discusses how climate change, regulatory pressure and the need for portfolio-specific insight are pushing insurers to reconsider single-platform dependency. They explore how new vendors are filling gaps left by traditional models offering science-led, transparent and highly customisable solutions tailored to specific business needs.

Drawing on their respective roles across the risk ecosystem, the panellists explain why the return to multi-modelling is gaining momentum and how platforms like Oasis are helping democratise access to emerging tools.

In this conversation, the panel explores:

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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 mass retirements of risk engineers to the reality that most properties are never physically assessed, Jack outlines why the status quo is unsustainable and how AI can help underwriters make faster, more informed decisions without sacrificing depth or judgement. He explains how nettle is already working with insurers like Allianz to roll out configurable, production-ready tools that reduce manual burden, unlock previously inaccessible insights and integrate directly into existing underwriting platforms.

In this conversation, Jack shares:

If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Jack Miller or Robin Merttens on LinkedIn.

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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 hyperexponential has evolved from a pricing platform into a broader decision infrastructure provider, with tools spanning triage, portfolio intelligence and AI-powered underwriting support.

In this conversation, Richard shares:

Resources & Mentions:

If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Richard Gunn or Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.

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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 for its next big leap. This conversation revisits the early sparks of that journey, including a memorable chat at the Royal Exchange, and dives into the personal and professional lessons Tim has gathered along the way.

In this conversation, Tim shares:

This one is part retrospective, part roadmap and full of insight for anyone thinking long-term about change in insurance.

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Continuing Professional Development

This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.

By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:

If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 382 page of the InsTech website or email [email protected] to let us know you have listened to this podcast.

To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.

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 action. Today, they’re building Novee — an AI assistant designed specifically for underwriters, combining insight generation with targeted automation.

In this conversation, Haris and Arved share:

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Continuing Professional Development

This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.

By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:

If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 381 page of the InsTech website or email [email protected] to let us know you have listened to this podcast.

To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.

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 conversation, Jonathan shares:

If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Jonathan Rake or Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.

Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.

Continuing Professional Development

This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.

By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:

If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 380 page of the InsTech website or email [email protected] to let us know you have listened to this podcast.

To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.

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 human biases still cloud our understanding of extreme events, and what’s needed to close the communication gap between modellers, underwriters and boards. This conversation gets real about the behavioural, structural and cultural shifts the insurance industry must make to better navigate risk in an increasingly volatile world.

What you'll learn in this episode:

If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.

Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.

Continuing Professional Development

This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.

By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:

If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 379 page of the InsTech website or email [email protected] to let us know you have listened to this podcast.

To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.