A “CIO insights” panel at InsurtechLIVE will feature experts from QBE, Hollard and Envest.

Entsia founder and CEO Alistair McElligott will moderate the panel, comprising Hollard CIO Graeme Wilson, Envest CIO Sahil Tulsiani, and QBE chief data and analytics officer Sonya Crosby.

They will explain how they make key technology decisions, including when to build in-house or buy a solution from an insurtech.

“When we started 13 years ago, there was no Insurtech Australia, and we were just operating in a vacuum trying to get in front of these decision-makers,” Mr McElligott told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“So I thought it was a fantastic panel idea. We’ve got three really senior people from three well-known brands.

“As an insurtech ourselves, getting in front of the CIOs of the insurers is just so difficult. Trying to understand what they want and how they think and how their decision-making goes – it’s a bit of a black art.”

Mr McElligott says the number of CIOs in Australia is limited, and they inevitably move between insurers, which can lead to fresh opportunities.

“Building up that awareness through the right channels is really important so that when in six months or two years’ time they come to that particular problem ... it’s a much more meaningful conversation,” he said.

Insurance distribution and administration platform Entsia is poised for growth after expanding its leadership team last year and says it offers a modern tech experience that can operate on both legacy and new systems.

“We’ve got big companies very happily on our platform. We provide a complementary niche in the policy distribution space and we’re seeing a lot of traction in the market. We do this one thing incredibly well, within policy distribution,” Mr McElligott said.

The sold-out InsurtechLIVE takes place at Doltone House in Sydney tomorrow.