Reinventing Insurance

In this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Rob Schimek, founder and group CEO of bolttech, shares his journey from working in leading insurers to building a global Insurtech unicorn. Rob explains how his experience inside large incumbents shaped bolttech’s strategy, and why the company focuses on closing the global protection gap rather than disrupting the industry for its own sake.

The conversation explores how ecosystems, embedded insurance, and AI are reshaping the role of insurers from claim payers to problem solvers. Rob also shares his partnership playbook, his views on online safety and cyber risk, and his advice for the next generation of insurance talent on using AI wisely while maintaining balance in life and work.

Asia’s unprecedented wave of wealth creation and transfer is reshaping the future of the global insurance industry. In this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Edward Moncreiffe, CEO Insurance at HSBC Group, joins our host Paul Ricard to explore emerging market opportunities and the biggest macroeconomic trends redefining the region’s sector.

Based in Hong Kong, Edward draws on nearly two decades of experience working across multiple continents. He articulates a clear vision of the insurance industry’s future in Asia, marked by significant demographic shifts, a rich cultural landscape, and the imperative for digital transformation.

Edward’s insights provide valuable guidance for insurance and financial services leaders to navigate market complexities while remaining focused on customer needs and sustainable growth. He sheds light on the convergence of wealth management and insurance solutions and where this is leading to more comprehensive insurance, investment, and health insurance offerings, as well as fueling deeper engagement with customers.

In this episode, Edward and Paul also share perspectives on:

• Leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation for customer engagement and service models.
• Significant wealth transfer opportunities for insurers to serve legacy planning needs and the changing demographic shifts as older generations retire.
• Sustainable growth opportunities for insurance carriers by reshaping their technology, distribution strategies, and strengthening relationships with distribution partners.
• The lasting resilience and balance of face-to-face distribution alongside digital
• Building a strong organizational culture focused on talent development and employee empowerment which leads to improved performance and innovation.
• Vibrant and emerging opportunities in Hong Kong as it becomes a major global insurance powerhouse amid geopolitical and economic shifts.

In this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Ben Simpfendorfer from the Oliver Wyman Forum joins our host, Paul Ricard, to discuss Asia’s role in a rebalancing world and the megatrends that are shaping the future of insurance. Based in Hong Kong, Ben brings over 25 years of experience working in Asia and the Middle East, and has extensive knowledge of

the local markets. He is a regular commentator on Bloomberg and CNBC and a key opinion leader on LinkedIn with over 440,000 followers.

As the world continues to evolve in this uncertain economic and geopolitical environment, insurers must be proactive in adapting to supply chain impacts, demographic shifts, and the

need for technological advancements. Remaining agile and embracing innovation is crucial for capturing new markets and addressing the diverse needs of consumers across Asia.

In this episode, Paul and Ben share their perspectives on:

• The collision of mega trends, supply chain shifts, and emerging markets for insurers in Asia.
• The Gen Z factor, demographic change, longevity, and the aging population offer insurance opportunities for new product and service offerings.
• The increase in mergers and acquisitions, and partnerships within the insurance industry.
• Climate change, the green energy transition, and the need for adaptation and resilience.
• Moving towards a transformation-led approach to generative artificial intelligence (AI).

In this special edition of Reinventing Insurance, Oliver Wyman Partner and Global Head of Insurance, Asset Management, Actuarial, Mick Moloney and Oliver Wyman Partner and Leader of CustomerFirst, Americas, Rick Chavez, continue their conversation on taking a customer-led approach to industry reinvention and the path forward for insurers.

Rick shares insights from his collaborations with Geoffrey Moore on the four-zone organizational playbook and from his experience working at Microsoft, where he advised senior executives on growth initiatives at the intersection of cloud computing, analytics, and business model innovation.

Mick and Rick share growth opportunities for insurers, covering the macro-economic outlook, industry success stories, strategies for deepening customer relationships, and the path forward to accelerate growth. With more than 25 years of experience in digital transformation, Rick has led digital revolution and growth initiatives for companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, American Express, D&B, Fox Home Entertainment, Kinko’s (now part of FedEx), University of Michigan, Yahoo!, and Walmart. His Customer, Innovation and Growth team brings together world-class business strategists, advisors, technologists, designers, data specialists, and software wizards to make digital transformation sustainable throughout the organization.

In this episode, Mick and Rick explore:

• Mega trends, customer-led strategies, and business reinvention for growth
• Microsoft’s transformation into a multi-trillion-dollar leader in the tech sector
• Applying the four-zone methodology to ‘fund the future ,’ transform, and scale new growth
• Building supply chain resilience and integrating risk management, using examples from Marsh McLennan’s Sentrisk offering
• Driving innovation through customer-led transformation and elevating the next generation of capabilities
• Preparing the workforce for generative AI readiness and developing future talent
• Key themes and insurance opportunities from our publication “Growth, Relevance, Resilience For Insurers”

This episode is part of our Reinventing Insurance series, a series that explores best practices for taking a CustomerFirst approach to innovation within Insurance. Throughout this series, host Paul Ricard discusses lessons, challenges, and new ways of working with guests who will share their first-hand experiences.

In this special edition of Reinventing Insurance, Oliver Wyman Partner and Global Head of Insurance, Asset Management, Actuarial, Mick Moloney connects with Oliver Wyman Partner and Leader of CustomerFirst, Americas, Rick Chavez to discuss how your business can accelerate and reignite growth. As a leader and innovator for our CustomerFirst business, Rick takes us through customer-led approaches to industry reinvention.

Mick and Rick share growth opportunities for leaders to reinvent insurance in 2025, including perspectives on the macro-economic outlook, industry success stories, ways to deepen more meaningful relationships with customers, and the path forward to accelerate growth.

Mick spends his time working with leading insurers, asset managers, and advisory firms on a range of strategic and execution topics with a particular focus on growth, innovation, and efficiency in retail and institutional markets. He’s passionate about growth and reinvention in the industries he serves, with a strongly held belief that while each is facing disruption and dislocation, there are massive unmet needs which provide the prospect of a bright and vibrant future. 

Over the last 25 years, Rick has been at the forefront of the digital revolution. He has guided growth and innovation strategies and programs at companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, American Express, D&B, Fox Home Entertainment, Kinko’s (now part of FedEx), University of Michigan, Yahoo! and Walmart. Rick’s CustomerFirst team brings together world-class business strategists, advisors, technologists, designers, data specialists, and software wizards to make digital transformation sustainable throughout the organization.

In this episode, Mick and Rick also share perspectives on:

• Taking a customer-led approach to industry reinvention.
• The asset management-led insurer model, and how it’s disrupting the industry.
• The collision of mega trends and how customer-led transformation can accelerate innovation, drive energy for progress, and elevate the next generation of capabilities.
• Building business resilience and integrating risk management, using examples from Marsh McLennan’s Sentrisk offering.
• Developing solutions for unmet consumer needs, building financial wellness and smart home technology offerings, and leveraging the power of data and analytics.
• Key themes and insurance opportunities from our publication "Growth, Relevance, Resilience For Insurers."

Stay tuned for our next episode, which continues Mick’s and Rick’s conversation. Rick shares examples from his collaborations with Geoffrey Moore on the four-zone organizational playbook and from Rick’s experience working at Microsoft — where he advised the CEO and senior executives on growth initiatives at the intersection of cloud computing, sophisticated analytics, and business model innovation.

This episode is part of Reinventing Insurance, a series that explores best practices for taking a CustomerFirst approach to innovation within Insurance. Throughout this series, host Paul Ricard discusses lessons, challenges, and new ways of working with guests who will share their first-hand experiences.

In this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Arjan Toor, CEO Health at Prudential, joins our host Paul Ricard to discuss industry trends and how the health insurance landscape in Asia Pacific is evolving. Paul and Arjan discuss new growth opportunities, building deeper and more meaningful relationships with customers, and what’s ahead for the future.

Learn more about the program and our Insights here: www.oliverwyman/reinventinginsurance 

In this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Dave Wechsler, principal at OMERS Ventures joins our host Paul Ricard to discuss the latest developments in insurtech, venture capital plays, and what makes an attractive insurance investment. Dave also hosts a podcast, Insurtech Rap, offering a networking community to engage on insurtech, venture capital deal making, and to hear from insurance industry leaders.

As leaders face this new year, they need to be sharper than ever on where they truly differentiate. We believe the future is now. The trends of the last decade are continuing to accelerate, with a convergence on fully customer-centric experiences, fully digital operating models and incorporating generative artificial intelligence (AI) as a co-pilot within your workforce.

In this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Mick Moloney, global head of insurance, asset management, and actuarial at Oliver Wyman joins our host Paul Ricard to discuss current industry trends, and opportunities for insurance CEOs to adopt an offensive stance and win in 2024. Learn more: www.oliverwyman/reinventinginsurance      

What’s next in tech for insurance and how will the age of acceleration impact 2024? In this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Sean Ringsted, the Chief Digital Business Officer of Chubb, joins Oliver Wyman's Paul Ricard to share his perspectives on the future digital trends that will shape the insurance industry.

Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company and the largest commercial insurer in the US. Sean discusses what’s top-of-mind for leaders, including Gen AI, embedded insurance, predict and prevent, global market trends, and how insurers can build effective partnerships. Learn more: www.oliverwyman/reinventinginsurance