This month’s Insurance News Beyond the Buzzwords seminar will begin with an expert debate on whether it is better for insurers to build their own technology or buy from specialist insurtechs.  

The “build or buy” question will be examined by Kanopi CEO Nigel Fellowes-Freeman and Marsh head of digital trading for the Pacific region Mark de Hosson.

“This is such a critical conversation for insurers right now,” Mr Fellowes-Freeman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

He says the key question is not just whether to build or buy, but “how do we assemble the right ecosystem to stay agile?” He says successful insurance businesses are those focusing their resources on differentiation – not reinventing core technology.  

“The reality is that the pace of change in customer expectations, distribution models and compliance pressures means building proprietary systems is often too slow, too costly and too rigid.

“Increasingly, we’re seeing insurers prefer composable technology, buying modular, API-first solutions like Kanopi to accelerate speed to market, reduce risk and stay competitive.”

Insurance News has partnered with Insurtech Australia to host the full-day event in Sydney on July 30.

After the debate, Steadfast CTO David Gillespie will explore broker-insurer interactions, and the Insurance Council of Australia’s counter-fraud CEO Andrew Gill will discuss emerging threats from digital and AI.

Other sessions will examine compliance, claims and catastrophe modelling, and the event concludes with strategic insights from a carefully selected tech leaders panel.

“This event aims to cut through the jargon and buzzwords to provide practical learnings and analysis, direct from the experts in their field,” Insurance News MD Andrew Silcox said. “Whether you’re leading innovation, implementing tools on the ground or simply looking for ways to improve how your team works, the day will offer actionable insight, relevant connections and fresh ideas.”  

The seminar is supported by event partner Insurtech Australia, gold partner Instanda, event sponsor Allianz and marketplace sponsor Raindrop.

Seminar attendees are eligible for six NIBA CPD points and seven ANZIIF CIP points.

Early bird tickets, live stream tickets and further information are available here.