This edition features a handful of The Top 10 InsurTech Influencers to watch in 2023 that are leading us into a better future

1. VOL 02 I ISSUE 05 I 2023
Zarkowsky
In the Depths of Technological Risk
Andrew
Zarkowsky
Andrew
Top10
InsurTech
Influencers
to watch in
2023
Andrew Zarkowsky
Technology Industry Practice
Lead at The Hartford

3. How can
Insurersuse
Insurtech
Opportunities

4. The Age of Innovations
he state of the insurance industry has come under deep
Tscrutiny, particularly as the pandemic revealed new risks
and weaknesses against a backdrop of market volatility. The
future of the industry depends upon modern insurance leaders
who have the visionary traits to disrupt and innovate within their
organizations.
Sometimes leadership sneaks up on us. It starts out with our
volunteering on a committee or speaking up at a meeting.
Someone may nudge us at first, giving us encouragement. Or
perhaps we raise our voice out of frustration or in defiance,
challenging conventions, shattering the established way of doing
things.
The insurance industry has unique challenges and opportunities.
Navigating these well is the key to success in the insurance world.
Your team needs great leadership to help them manage these
challenges and opportunities. One important aspect of being a
good leader is to nurture your team. As their leader, your team
looks to you for guidance, strength, motivation, and support.
You essentially take on the parent role for your team, and it is your
responsibility to make sure that your team is healthy and happy. A
good leader recognizes what makes each team member great. By
realizing each member’s strengths, leaders can better organize
their team and projects based on each person’s ability.
Innovation is essential to the survival of your insurance business. If
EDITOR’S NOTE

5. your company doesn’t innovate well, your business will plateau. What’s more, competitors who are
innovating will pass you by. Innovation starts at the team level. The more you empower your team to
innovate, the more innovative you will become as a company. Fortunately, innovation can be cultivated.
Keeping the company’s overall mission in mind is an essential skill of a good leader. Without this vision,
teams can quickly lose their direction and get off course. Seeing the big picture and implementing it into
projects helps your team stay in alignment with company goals.
Embracing the journey of the leaders who are enabling novelties in the modern insurance industry with a
unique approach while showcasing significant traits, CIOLook features the “Top 10 InsurTech Influencers
to watch in 2023,” who are enabling betterments in the niche.
Flip through the pages and comprehend the leadership traits that are enabling new advancements in
today’s insurance industry.
Have a Delightful Read!
Abhishek Joshi
Abhishek Joshi

6. C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y
08
Zarkowsky
In the Depths of Technological Risk
Andrew
Zarkowsky
Andrew

7. 24
14
Jeremy Leach
A Dynamic Leader with Resolute Qualities Traits that Signify Excellence and Aptness
William Wagner
Lars Gehrmann
Group Chief Digital Officer Head of QIC Digital
Venture Partners
18 20 22
Technologies, revolutions,
and crisis
Michael van der Straaten CEO of Antares
Global Holdings Limited and CEO of Antares Re
Mr. Ahmed Zebeib
Deputy Chief Executive Officer,
QLM Qatar Life & Medical Insurance

8. CONTENT
Senior Editor Alan Swann
Executive Editors Abhishek Joshi
DESIGN
Visualizer Dave Bates
Art & Design Director Revati B.
Associate Designer Ankita P.
SALES
VP Operations Sihanee M., Rounyar A.
Senior Sales Manager Prathamesh Tate
Sales Executives Rohit, John
TECHNICAL
Technical Head Prachi Mokashi
Technical Consultant Victor Collins
February, 2023
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9. Brief
Company Name
Patricia Antunez
Transformation
Director
William Wagner
Vice President
Marketing
Bruce Lucas
Founder and CEO
Michael van
der Straaten
CEO
Bruce drives the vision and innovation behind Slide's
technology.
Over five years, Paricia built a highly successful marketing
function from the ground up, engaging remote teams in over 20
countries
William has an amazing journey with a variety of incredible
opportunities to make a difference.
Michael is among the first in the industry to achieve Chartered
Financial Planner status, and was subsequently awarded
Fellowship of the Personal Finance Society.
Andrew Zarkowsky
Technology Industry
Practice Leader
Andrew Zarkowsky is the Global Technology Industry Practice
Lead at The Hartford, with a focus on underwriting execution
inclusive of growth, profit and product innovation for the
Technology industry.
Slide
slideinsurance.com
NRC Health
patientwisdom.com
Qatar Insurance Group
qic-group.com
Amir Kabir
Partner
Amir leads Fintech and Insurtech investing at AV8 and has
been one of the earliest investors in the Insurtech space.
AV8 Ventures
av8.vc
Qatar Insurance Group
qic-group.com
Mr. Ahmed has extensive leading roles with a demonstrated
history of guiding and delivering in the business industry.
Patra Corporation
patracorp.com
Jeremy Leach
Founder and Executive
Director
Jeremy is recognised as a global expert in mobile financial
services with a particular expertise in microinsurance and
digital insurance.
Inclusivity Solutions
inclusivitysolutions.com
WTW
wtwco.com
Qatar Insurance Group
qic-group.com
Lars is an entrepreneur to the bone working on scalable digital
business models & innovation.
Lars Gehrmann,
Group Chief Digital
Officer
Nonso Opurum
CEO
Nonso is a social entrepreneur with an obsession with excellent
ways to bridge the gap in poor healthcare and financing in
Africa.
Featured Person
Mr. Ahmed Zebeib
Chief Executive
Officer
SOSO CARE
sosocare.com

10. Zarkowsky
In the Depths of Technological Risk
Andrew
As I’ve grown in my career, I've
also had to grow in the horizon in
which I see. Making sure that I’m
staying ahead of what's coming
out in the future.”
“
“
C O V E R S T O R Y
Andrew
Zarkowsky

11. Andrew Zarkowsky
Technology Industry Practice
Lead at The Hartford

12. daring man might say, ‘What is life without a
Alittle bit of risk?’ A cautious man would call the
attitude foolhardy and tempting fate. Neither of
them would be right. The truth is that risks are always
present in whatever you do and whichever venture you
choose. Life is never without risk; you can only reduce it
or mitigate it. The best way to do that would be to get a
better understanding of the problem and the risks
involved.
A big proponent of this methodology – of
understanding in depth to reduce or mitigate risk – is
Andrew Zarkowsky. A two-decade veteran of the
insurance industry, Andrew is the Technology Industry
Practice Lead at The Hartford.
He is an expert in what it takes to underwrite
technology companies and possesses vast know-how of
the role insurance plays in helping technology
companies grow. His focus is on underwriting execution
inclusive of growth, profit, and product innovation for
the technology industry.
The Hartford is a more than two-century-old insurance
organization that is widely recognized for its customer
service excellence, sustainability practices, trust, and
integrity.
Andrew shares the strategies to mitigate risks so customers
of The Hartford can achieve more.
From Underwriter to Leader
Andrew was a business and finance major at Boston
University. Upon graduation, he went to work in
property and casualty insurance. He worked as an
underwriter within the technology industry for three
years at a different company before moving to The
Hartford.
Andrew’s journey at The Hartford began as a property
casualty underwriter in the technology practice. It’s
evolved to his current role where he’s managing the
entire technology industry practice for the company.
His career journey with The Hartford has taken him
from Boston to Chicago and from underwriter to
industry leader. During this time, Andrew also
completed his MBA degree at DePaul University.
Andrew’s role is to stay ahead of the technology
industry, which is a challenge because it’s a dynamic
industry that changes quickly.
“I try to ensure that what we have is a deep understanding
of what is a very broad industry that is converging with a lot
of other industries,” says Andrew. “As I've grown in my
career, I've also had to grow my strategic horizon, making
sure that I'm staying ahead of what's coming in the future.”
Unlocking Growth with In-depth Knowledge
Compared to the constantly evolving technology
industry, the insurance industry can be viewed as
steadier and not prone to experiencing much change.
As a result, the intermingling of contrasting industries
has pressed the insurance industry to keep up.
“Our focus is to keep our knowledge and expertise up to
date and even ahead of the technology industry,” says
Andrew. “We make sure that we have the appropriate
coverages that our clients are going to need, and anticipate
what their needs are going to be over the next three to five
years.”
We want to see a world
where there are fewer
losses and fewer injuries.
That’s what The Hartford is
about, to allow for greater
achievement.
“
“
“
“

13. To that end, the company spends a lot of time
understanding the needs of the industry. What is the
need today, and what will be the need down the line in
the future? “That’s the real crux to the whole goal,” adds
Andrew. They study the industry and the economy
overall, which is why The Hartford focuses on industry
specialization. While Andrew leads the technology
industry practice, the company also specializes in life
sciences, real estate, manufacturing, healthcare,
financial services, and a host of other industry verticals.
This methodology allows the insurance organization to
identify new growth opportunities in the market. “Once
you understand the industry and you understand the need
and the problem, then you can start lining up the risks,”
explains Andrew. “We can then figure out ways to work
closely with our trading partners, brokers, and agents so we
can help mitigate, eliminate or transfer those risks.”
Using AI to Reduce Loss
The objective is always to understand and predict loss,
but while knowing a loss is coming is great, how do you
prevent it, or how do you mitigate it when it does
happen?
The change Andrew would like to see in the industry
would be a pivot towards risk mitigation or risk

14. elimination. He wants to help clients understand risk so
they can mitigate it themselves.
While insurance companies would always be present
for the risk transfer, Andrew thinks that with
advancements in technology and data, it’s possible to
help clients reduce and mitigate risk. Ultimately, he’d
hope for that to lead to less loss in the overall economy.
“We want to see a world where there are fewer losses and
fewer injuries,” says Andrew. “We're trying to get to a point
where we're able to help mitigate and eliminate the risk
that's going to lead to fewer losses and greater achievement
because that's what ultimately is going to help our economy
and the world overall.”
The Spectrum of a Risky Future
Andrew knows they still have a long way to go. When
he thinks about the future economy, he wonders, what
will be the risks? How to accept those risks?
How to reduce or mitigate them? For this, he studies
the industries in depth and tries to get ahead of the
trends. The question is not only addressing the risks of
today but really the risks of tomorrow through risk
transfer as well as risk mitigation.
“We’ve been spending a lot of time getting deeper and
deeper into specializations and thinking about risk on a
spectrum basis,” explains Andrew. “The reality is that most
risk comes on a spectrum that’s between low and high and
everywhere in the middle. We also need to think more
about how we can be ready to handle the lower risk in a
faster, easier fashion while being more open to handling the
tougher risks for our clients.”
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG)
operates through its subsidiaries, including the
underwriting company Hartford Fire insurance Company,
under the brand name, The Hartford®, and is
headquartered in Hartford, CT. For additional details,
please read The Hartford’s legal notice at.
www.thehartford.com
We’ve been spending a lot of time
getting deeper and deeper into
specializations and thinking about risk
on a spectrum basis.
“
“
“
“

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16. JeremyLEACH
JeremyLEACH
A Dynamic Leader with Resolute Qualities
riginally trained as an accountant in the UK
Ofocusing on the offshore finance sector, Jeremy
Leach went back to school to do a Master’s in
International Development. This enabled a shift to a
focus on emerging markets with stints at DFID (now
UKAid) and a think tank FinMark Trust before drilling
down on the insurance sector, which is the financial
services vertical he felt was the furthest from the
tipping point of the profitable scale.
After leadership roles at Hollard, an international
insurer, and BFA Global, a management consulting firm,
Jeremy founded Inclusivity Solutions with the aim to
take the lessons learnt to drive scale in emerging
markets. While bruised from fundraising challenges,
starting up a company against dominant brands and
challenging conservative thinking—under Jeremy’s
leadership as the Founder & Executive Direc-
tor—Inclusivity Solutions reached over 1,4m clients across
6 countries.
Inclusivity Solutions was born out of the need to
transform access to insurance in emerging markets
where penetration is typically between 2-5% of the
adult population.
Jeremy shares, “We do this through providing a world-
class platform supported by expert skills to delight our
partners. This reflects in our ‘north star’ where
Inclusivity Solutions exists to build a sustainable global
business by providing appropriate, affordable, and
accessible financial solutions to enable the underserved
and vulnerable to manage their risk and well-being and
which delight customers and stakeholders, thereby
providing responsible returns to shareholders.”
In an interview with CIOLook, Jeremy shares
valuable facts highlighting his professional
tenure and his journey in the dynamic InsurTech
niche.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted the InsurTech
niche through your expertise in the market.
I cannot think of a better way to answer this than to let
one of our valued partners answer this on our behalf:
“I had heard about Inclusivity Solutions but had never
worked together till I joined my current organization. They
are omnipresent in all the touch points of my business, a
fact that I attribute to their high-caliber workforce.
They are agile, sensitive, and responsive and have been
extremely helpful not only in technology but other aspects
of the business. Inclusivity’s 360-degree view of the
business is fantastic. Choosing them as a partner is one of
the decisions, I will pride myself on, for a very longtime.”
Dennis Victor Wafula, Head, Insurance, and Invest-
ments/Airtel Money/Airtel Africa
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
Our team is driven by a desire to transform access to
insurance, which is typically poorly trusted and under-
stood, so a passion for impact is critical for us. Equally,
impact within the team is hugely important and we are
an incredibly diverse team representing 11 nationali-
ties and ensure that we support each other profession-
ally and personally.
Ÿ Since Covid 19, we have also gone completely
remote, which the team has delighted in, whilst
ensuring we regularly reconnect online or in person.
Ÿ In terms of our values, they encompass the follow-
ing:
www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
14

17. Our team is
driven by a
desire to trans-
form access to
insurance, which
is typically
poorly trusted
and under-
stood, so a
passion for
impact is critical
for us.
Jeremy Leach
Founder and
Executive Director
Inclusivity Solutions
www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
15

18. Ÿ We are a global company that believes in consumer-
focused, locally rooted solutions that are socially
impactful and financially sustainable.
Ÿ We operate with integrity and professionalism. We
think deeply, act quickly, work efficiently, and deliver
high quality in all we do.
Ÿ We listen to and respect each other, delighting in
our unique backgrounds and supporting each other
professionally and personally.
Ÿ We take smart risks, innovate, and remain agile to
evolve our company and the industry over the long
term.
Ÿ We seek out partners who share and support our
values. We support their growth, solve their
challenges and deliver on their aspirations.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in
almost every sector. How are you leveraging techno-
logical advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
Technology underpins all we do. We are particularly
delighted to have launched the Public API to our
platform, ASPin, which means any partner has easy
access to our end-to-end digital insurance platform and
can spin up products with ease.
ASPin supports full omnichannel policy acquisition
from basic SMS to WhatsApp chatbots, partner’s apps,
as well as call centres and agents right through to
paying the claims directly into the account.
Our data warehouse enables partners to leverage
machine learning and AI to support segmentation and
risk modelling leveraging best practice. Beyond
technology, we also support our partners with data
analytics, product development and pricing, amongst
other capabilities.
What, according to you, could be the next significant
change in the InsurTech sector? How is your company
preparing to be a part of that change?
We are now in the hype of embedded insurance 2.0
where technology simplifies customers getting access
to insurance at the time, they most need it. We have
built the capabilities to do this and to delight our
partners and end customers.
We expect this to continue to be a focus of the sector,
but more importantly, we expect players will need to
ensure that customers are better informed and
engaged with the insurance offerings; otherwise, we
expect a regulatory backlash if regulators find
customers do not understand the products, do not
know they have them or feel they are being mis-sold.
Over the decades, we have seen this play out and are
invested in ensuring clients positively engage with
insurance.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run,
and what are your future goals for Inclusivity Solu-
tions?
We see Inclusivity Solutions continuing to innovate and
to continue disrupting insurance in emerging markets
across continents with the potential to do the same in
developed countries when we are ready.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into the InsurTech sector?
One of our toughest lessons is that, whilst we were
built for scale from the start, one needs to be willing to
experiment with small players until one gets the model
right, even if the economics does not appear right. In
that way, Eric Ries’ Lean Start-Up has it right - experi-
ment rapidly until one gets the model right and then is
positioned to scale.
www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
16

20. s the digital economy continues to mature and
Acustomersgrowmoretechdependent,“digital”is
no longer just the trendy front of a corporation.
The move towards digitizing existing industries will only
continue to grow. The insurance industry is no different,
that’s why long-established companies like QIC are
recognizingtheneedfortalentthatcancomeinanddrive
digitaltransformationandinnovation.That’stheprimary
role of a Chief Digital Officer (CDO), it’s to combine a
digital mindset with existing insurance capabilities that
speed up digital transformation. By bringing in teams
equipped with skill sets that can innovate towards new
digital business models, companies can shift
organizational structures, capture new markets and
provide better services to their clients and partners
whilemaximizingefficiencygains.
In recent years, the Middle East and North Africa
(MENA) region has seen major shifts towards digital
insurance by both insurance incumbents and insurtechs,
however, compared to other global insurance
ecosystems,theregionisplayingcatchup.Although,QIC
has been working on digital propositions for the last 10
years, has piloted several product innovations and has
one of the highest shares of digital insurance sales in the
region, QIC wanted to take the leap into becoming the
leading digital insurance company in the region. QIC’s
very own QIC Digital Venture Partners (QIC/DVP) is
helping to accelerate the ecosystem by building
insurtech related ventures, investing in early stage
insurtechs and partnering with leading companies that
will enter the region. While contributing thought
leadership and playing an active part in the MENA
InsurtechAssociation.
In April 2022, QIC, QIC DVP, Google Cloud and Deloitte
Digital, together with other partners organized the first
MENA Insurtech startup challenge. Inviting startups
globally to pitch and compete for the title of best
business models and technology. Following active
mentoring by internal and external mentors and
partners like Prifina, Plug&Play, Qatar Financial Center,
Qatar Life & Medical Insurance Company, over 140
participating startups went through several selection
rounds until the top 10 were selected. All were given the
opportunitytopresentattheMENAInsurtechSummitin
Doha earlier this year. Yielding co-building and
investment opportunities for the startups. Additionally,
we are proud to have arranged for four of the top ten
startups to present their innovations at Insurtech
Connect (ITC) 2022, the world’s largest insurtech event
thattookplaceinLasVegas,USAinSeptember2022.
Capitalizing on the success of the first challenge and
seeing the positive outcome for the MENA insurtech
ecosystem, we are now working with partners including
the MENA Insurtech Association on the 2023 cycle of
the challenge for seed-stage companies that are either
currently in the region or aim to build here. The winners
of the regional competitions will be present at our next
insurtech summit in 2023, providing them with an
opportunity for exposure to international insurtech
conferences, where QIC occupies a place as a go-to
digitalinsurancepartnerandthoughtleader.
Lars Gehrmann
About the leader
Lars Gehrmann is the Chief Digital Officer at Qatar Insurance
Group (QIC). His role focuses on leading QIC Digital Venture
Partners (DVP), a unit that aims to reshape the digital
insurance landscape by building new digital ventures,
leveraging exis ng assets, partnering with Big Tech and
corporates, and strategically inves ng in high poten al early-
stage startups while transforming the way QIC operates
digitally. Lars is a board member of Anoud Technologies, a
wholly owned IT services subsidiary of QIC Group. He has
twenty years of extensive experience in building and
managing digital companies in insurance, financing, leasing,
automo ve and educa on. He has a passion for new digital
business models, pla orms and ecosystem, and is the
strategicadvisortoseveraldigitalstartups.
www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
18

21. Lars Gehrmann
Group Chief Digital Officer
Head of QIC Digital
Venture Partners
www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
19

22. Michael van der Straaten
CEO of Antares Global Holdings Limited
and CEO of Antares Re
www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
20

23. n March 2020 Antares went from an office-based
IorganisationwithmanagedITincentralisedlocations
torunningoverthreehundredremoteofficesaround
the globe overnight. Although not seamless, the
transition to an environment where business was done
via virtual meetings, online synchronous collaboration
and messaging replacing email, was quickly adopted
alongside millions of other companies. The companies
that provided the technologies that supported this
global change poured money into development of the
toolsthathelpusrunourbusinesstoday.
The lessons learnt from that accelerated use of
technology are now being applied throughout
organisations and form the basis of our digital strategy.
Our strategy aims to deliver operational excellence and
theadoptionofinnovation,boththroughinternalchange
and working with partners to extend our own
capabilities. This global revolution focusing on
operational excellence is driving the transformation of
our internal processes using automation, artificial
intelligenceanddatamanagementtechnology.
The pace of innovation in our market such as real time
flexibleproductsorAIdrivenclaimsassessment,present
additional opportunities if we can adopt and integrate
them into our business efficiently. There is obvious value
in using AI to make a claims assessment quickly and
accurately, but the full value comes from automatically
processingthedatafromtheassessment,carryingoutall
the fraud checks and making payments for the claim as
well as feeding and enhancing our risk and pricing
models. This also results in changing the roles of our
people to provide management and oversight of these
processesanditisthischangewhichmustbemanagedto
trulyrealisethevalueofdigitaltransformation.
The ability of our IT functions to quickly integrate new
innovations into our IT landscape has several challenges
and solutions, both technological and people. By
adopting a composite approach to solutions, we can
make the most valuable components of our systems
modularso they can bereused, aswell as investing in API
technology to support new services. The customer
engagement model is changing, and these technologies
will enable new digital products such as claims portals
andchatbotsthatcanhookintothesemodules.
ThepaceofchangeandopeningofITservicesalsobrings
increased cyber risk and this will remain high on the CIO
andBoard’sagendafortheforeseeablefuture.
The pandemic also brought about a change in the IT
workforce with many experienced IT professionals
leaving the workforce at a time when demand is surging.
This shortage of skilled IT resources is unlikely to be
resolved in the short to medium term so we must look to
attract, retain and train our IT teams to support the
transformation of our business and we see this as an
ongoingchallenge.
Ultimately, successful digital transformation is a
combination of people, process and technology and we
believe this can only be achieved by using a combination
of our own people and partnerships with other
companies to benefit from their specialist expertise and
systems.
Technologies, revolutions, and crisis
Ÿ The digital office has been adopted at an unprecedented rate due to Covid, we’re seeing ten years of evolu on in
workplace technology over the last three years.
Ÿ New ways of working digitally with automa on, AI and data management is now driving opera onal excellence.
Ÿ The ability to adopt new innova ons, o en working with partners, into an ever-changing IT landscape demands a new
approach to digital transforma on.
Ÿ he pace of change across all industries combined with the drain of experienced IT professionals leaving the workforce
throughout Covid makes a rac ng and retaining talent a significant challenge.
Core Points
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24. www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
22

25. B
ackground: QLM Life and
Medical Insurance is
considered as the largest
health insurance company in Qatar
and the only specialised company
that leads the health insurance
sector through its advanced
services and flexible insurance
programs that suit all segments of
society in Qatar.
We live in a world that has become
highly dependent on information
technology in management,
especially with managing a large
volume of data as is the case in
health insurance. Therefore, our
vision in this field was to develop a
system capable of absorbing any
volume of data and managing it
effectively in the most efficient way
possible. This will in turn positively
reflect on the speed of responding
to the requirements of our
customers and the requirements of
medical service providers at the
same time.
The advancement of technology
benefit both insured members and
insurance companies, QLM is no
exception. QLM is constantly
innovating and growing, we
capitalized on the extensive data,
experience, and technology
advancement to build an
outstanding insurtech to guarantee
excellence in our services, and at the
same time gives us a real time
feedback on operations. The
development of our solutions was
highly sophisticated as it involved
many parties internally as well as
externally. We've invested in
developing a highly sophisticated
solution involving both internal and
external parties.
We managed to build a system
through an interactive electronic
platform that automatically
approves without the need for
human intervention except in rare
cases, which shortens the time for
issuing approval to a record time
where the patient experiences a
seamless process. This electronic
platform helps health centers
communicate, get the right
information, and make the whole
transaction an easy journey for both
parties. All this is in the interest of
the client/patient who will feel that
they are receiving prompt and a high
standard service.
Today, our systems are all online and
fully integrated with healthcare
providers inside as well as outside
Qatar, the provider can at a fingertip
verify eligibility, obtain approval,
and submit a claim all online without
the need for any direct interaction
with our team. The secret behind
this is the claims auto-
approval/auto-adjudication, our
systems are equipped with all
medical international coding that
are mapped together in the back
end of the system. Therefore, any
CXO
Mr. Ahmed Zebeib
Deputy Chief Executive Officer,
QLM Qatar Life & Medical Insurance
coding the provider is using is
mapped and auto adjudicated in the
back end and the decision is
communicated to the provider by
the system.
The crown jewel of our IT platform
is the Artificial intelligence (AI) that
we have developed. Underwriting in
health insurance is always seen as
risky and needs extra attention, our
AI module analyzes the data
provided by the client and at same
time analyzes the existing QLM data
measuring behavior, trend,
frequency, etc. Thus, suggesting an
appropriate premium with
prediction of loss ratio based on the
suggested premium. Our AI is
constantly monitoring behavior of
providers in real time and alerting
our team of any abnormal behavior
that is taking place, it is monitoring
the auto-adjudication module and
correcting any errors that may exist
during the process.
We are constantly evolving and
growing as the leading Medical and
Life insurer in Qatar, as we rely
heavily on tech, we will continue
investing where appropriate to
maximize the satisfaction of all our
partners. In QLM we believe that
insurtech is the present and future.
We will continue playing our role
and assessing the markets
worldwide while simultaneously be
at the forefront when it comes to
tech and for others to follow.
Mr. Ahmed Zebeib
Deputy Chief Executive Officer,
QLM Qatar Life & Medical Insurance
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23

26. William
William
William
Wagner
Traits that Signify
Excellence and Aptness
unning a business requires a constant flow of
Rinformation within and outside the organization.
Effective communication connects leadership
with employees, enabling everyone to support core
company values and work towards organizational goals.
Successful communication will help reduce email
burdens, enhance employee commitment, boost
employee productivity, and facilitate interdepartmental
relationships. It also reduces employee turnover,
improves customer satisfaction and retention, and
contributes to a strong company culture.
Effective leaders think analytically about their
businesses and those they oversee. They invest the
time and effort to clearly understand any outstanding
weaknesses, threats, strengths, and opportunities.
This helps them identify how to support the team and
help them overcome problems. Great leaders know
when to pivot, constantly evaluating their own input to
see how it aligns with organizational policy and
objectives. Standing out with these exceptional
attributes is William Wagner, Vice President of
Marketing at Patra Corporation.
Under Wagner’s proficient leadership, Patra is a leading
provider of technology-enabled services to the
insurance industry, serving Retail Agencies, MGAs,
Wholesale, and Carrier companies.
In an interview with CIOLook, Wagner shares valuable
facts that highlight significant facts that highlight his
professional tenure and his journey so far as a
proficient leader in the niche.
Below are the excerpts from the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business
leader until your current position at your company.
What challenges have you had to overcome to reach
where you are today?
My professional career journey has been dynamic and
across many industry verticals. I was fortunate to start
my career as a product manager in the financial services
and investment vertical, whereby my projects focused
on understanding end-users’ needs. Why would they
use our product, how would they use it, and what
workflows and behaviours could I influence by
designing for optimal end-user satisfaction?
This training made me appreciate the end user and the
intense work needed to uncover customers' hidden
needs. That led me down the transition path from
Product Management toProduct Marketing, bridging
the gap between what is designed and built and how
the product is positioned to the external market, and
eventually transitioning to traditional Marketing where
I am today. At Patra, I aim to communicate our
company's value to the insurance industry and how
partnering with Patra enables growth, drives
innovation and digitization, and ensures insurance
organizations are future ready.
Tell us something more about your company and its
mission and vision.
With a global team of insurance processing experts, we
work closely with our clients to leverage technology
and human capital to optimize how insurance policies
are sold, managed, and supported.
Our vision is to bring economies of scale to our service
offerings by driving innovation within every insurance
www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
24

27. Our vision is to bring
economies of scale to our
service offerings by driving
innovation within every
insurance organization so
they can focus on their
unique brand experience,
their customer
satisfaction, and corporate
profitability.”
organization so they can focus on their unique brand
experience, customer satisfaction, and corporate
profitability.
For the last 17 years, Patra has focused on hiring the
best employees from across the US, Canada,
Philippines, and India, creating a dynamic, work-from-
home environment, and providing training, guidance,
and mentorship to deliver world-class services.
Patra was founded on the fundamental principle of "Do
The Right Thing;" we do the right thing for our clients
and their insureds, our employees and their families,
and the communities where we live and work. Honesty,
Integrity, and Respect are the three pillars of Patra.
Enlighten us on the impact you have made through
your expertise in the market.
I believe that marketing aims to create a narrative that
clearly outlines the benefits of working with Patra
regarding pain points that insurance organizations feel
across different areas of their business.
I intend to showcase how small changes can have an
“
William Wagner,
Vice President of
Marke ng
Patra Corpora on
www.ciolook.com | February 2023 |
25

28. incremental impact on how revenue is derived, how
employee satisfaction can be enhanced, and how
organizations can leverage our technology insights
rather than try to figure out what to do on their own. As
a marketer, if I can make the buying decision easy to
understand the benefits, then we can bring efficiencies
to the insurance ecosystem.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
Our culture and values start at the top with our CEO,
John Simpson. John's vision for how Patra has grown is
grounded in our core values of Honesty, Integrity, and
Respect. By applying those values to how we engage
each other, our vendors, and our interactions with our
clients and prospects.
Over 15 years of being a remote-based company
require an extraordinary commitment to being aware
of your employees, ensuring they have the tools and
skills to accomplish their goals, and always keeping a
pulse on their performance. From our Executive
Leaders to individual contributors, open dialogue,
freedom of expression, and a focus on DE&I ensure
everyone is welcomed and heard.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
Technology investments and innovation are the nuclei
of who Patra is. Early on, we believed technology is
useful when combined with human capital. As such, we
have invested millions of R&D in addition to growing
our Engineering and Product Management teams to
bring innovation and digitization to areas of the
insurance policy lifecycle where our customers felt the
most pain or inefficiencies.
We believe that developing technology without
precisely aligning with market needs is foolish. It's a
hammer looking for a nail. Instead, we work closely
with our 230 customers across over 700 offices to
understand trends and common pain points and build
solutions to address those pressing needs. This isn't to
say we don't look toward market trends to drive our
product roadmap, but we look at multiple forces when
deciding how best to bring innovation to the market.
What change would you like to bring to the Insurance
industry if given a chance?
I'd like to see the broader insurance industry embrace
the notion that partnering with a service provider is a
net gain for their business and, ultimately, their
customers. Partnering with a company to help,
automate, and work 24/7 so that your staff can have a
quality of life and you can focus on growing your
business is healthy.
Consumers' expectations have only increased, and
nurturing customer relationships is becoming even
more critical so one doesn't become a commodity. To
embrace that mentality, organizations need to think,
"Where can my resources be deployed in the most efficient
manner possible" and that often means outsourcing
areas of the business to a service provider.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run,
and what are your future goals for your company?
The insurance market is going through an evolution
that has just begun. Decades-old processes and
business structures are being challenged by aggressive
consumer demands on customer experience and speed
to resolution/response.
Because this evolution is in its early years, I want to
help drive innovation and transformation in the
industry. As part of that, help Patra grows domestically
and possibly expand its footprint. Patra is well poised to
continue our year-over-year growth as long as we focus
on doing what is right for our customers and bringing
innovation to the market where customers and
prospects need it the most.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into the insurance sector?
Having a clear understanding and empathy for your
prospects is essential. In the insurance industry, we
provide a piece of mind, ensuring assets that people
covet most – their homes, cars, and businesses–items
with a deep emotional connection.
Recognizing the importance of what insurance is will
help entrepreneurs understand that our business is
mission critical; it isn't a nice to have or add-on; it is 'the'
item that ensures business viability and, ultimately,
success.
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30. ciolook.com

32. www.ciolook.com