The Insurance Coffee House with Nick Hoadley

Afleveringen

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  People & Culture Series EP04 - Insurance Coffee House: Building High-Performance Cultures, AI Enablement & People-Led Transformation -Tracy Letzerich, Chief People Officer (Hippo Insurance) 04.08.2026 32min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Tracy Letzerich, Chief People Officer at Hippo Insurance. With a career spanning consulting, technology, organisational design, and people leadership, Tracy shares how an unconventional path into HR has shaped her approach to building high-performing organisations. Tracy reflects on her early career in technology consulting, where she worked on large-scale business transformation programmes before becoming fascinated by a recurring question: why do some transformations succeed while others fail? That curiosity led her away from software implementation and towards organisational design, leadership, and the people side of change.The conversation explores Hippo's evolution from an insurtech startup into a profitable, publicly traded insurance company. Tracy explains how the business has maintained many of the characteristics of an early-stage technology company, including rapid decision-making, strong cross-functional collaboration, and a culture built around innovation, while developing the operational discipline required of a modern insurer.Nick and Tracy discuss the relationship between technology and culture, and how Hippo has created close partnerships between engineering, product, and insurance teams. Rather than technology operating separately from the business, Tracy explains how technical teams are involved in solving insurance challenges from the outset, creating a collaborative approach that has become a defining part of Hippo's culture.A significant part of the discussion focuses on workforce enablement through technology. Tracy shares how Hippo approached organisation-wide adoption by giving every employee access to AI tools, encouraging experimentation, measuring adoption, and creating opportunities for technical and non-technical teams to learn together. She explains why creating capacity is ultimately about giving people more time to focus on strategic, high-value work rather than repetitive manual tasks.The conversation also explores leadership, hiring, and organisational growth. Tracy shares her perspective on building high-performing teams, maintaining culture as organisations scale, and why behavioural interviewing, curiosity, and cultural alignment are just as important as technical expertise. She also explains why leaders should focus on helping employees spend more time doing work that energises them.Nick and Tracy close with practical advice for leaders navigating change. Tracy encourages organisations to embrace curiosity, move before every answer is known, and create environments where learning is expected rather than feared. She also shares advice for candidates and leaders alike: know what matters to you, ask thoughtful questions, and don't try to become someone you think others want you to be.Connect with Tracy Letzerich on LinkedIn to follow her work across people leadership, organisational design, leadership development, and technology-enabled transformation.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  People & Culture Series EP03 - Insurance Coffee House: Scaling HR, M&A Integration, Employee Ownership & Adaptability - Jennifer Martin, CHRO (Alliant Insurance Services) 07.07.2026 26min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Jennifer Martin, Chief Human Resources Officer at Alliant Insurance Services.Jennifer is approaching 22 years with Alliant, having joined the business in 2004 when it had around 400 employees and was primarily a California-based insurance broker. Today, the organisation has grown to more than 15,000 employees across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and Jennifer has grown alongside it, helping build an HR function capable of supporting that scale and complexity.Jennifer shares how her own career began outside insurance, from early ambitions to work in foreign affairs to discovering HR through her mother, starting out in agency recruitment, moving into HR business partnering, and eventually joining Alliant. She reflects on how her role evolved as the business expanded and how the HR function developed from what she describes as a “1.5 FTE show” into a mature organisation with specialist expertise across total rewards, talent acquisition, HR business partnering, HR technology, people analytics and more.The conversation explores Alliant’s growth model and the culture behind it. Jennifer explains how the combination of organic growth, selective acquisitions, employee ownership and long-term private equity backing has shaped the business. With employees owning 51% of the organisation, she discusses how ownership influences decision-making across all levels of the company and supports a more entrepreneurial culture.Nick and Jennifer then explore one of the areas Jennifer is most passionate about: M&A. Having worked across hundreds of acquisitions during her time with Alliant, Jennifer explains why HR should be involved as early as possible, from the initial stages of a potential transaction through due diligence, integration and the longer-term transition that follows.She shares why building trust quickly with sellers is so important, particularly when many are going through the process of selling a business for the first time. Jennifer also discusses the uncertainty employees can experience during an acquisition and why transparency, collaboration and early relationship-building can influence how people feel about the transition one, two or even three years later.The conversation also looks at cultural alignment in acquisitions. Jennifer explains why Alliant is selective about potential deals and why the business is not looking for sellers who simply want to cash out. Instead, it looks for leaders who want to stay, invest and continue growing with the organisation. She reflects on the lessons learned across hundreds of transactions and why every acquisition still brings different challenges.Nick and Jennifer also discuss the role of technology in a growing HR organisation. Jennifer shares how Alliant has introduced a range of tools over recent years to improve efficiency, reduce administrative work and give employees more time to focus on higher-value activity. She explains how the business approaches emerging technology through clear governance, training, cross-functional working groups and department-led experimentation.The episode closes with Jennifer’s advice for leaders and HR professionals. She explains why curiosity matters when joining a new organisation, why HR leaders should build trust early during M&A, and why adaptability has been one of the most important lessons of her career. After more than two decades of growth and change, her view is clear: change is constant, and the ability to adjust your outlook, processes and ways of working is essential.Connect with Jennifer Martin on LinkedIn to follow her work across people leadership, HR, M&A and organisational growth.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  People & Culture Series EP02 - Insurance Coffee House: Building the Enterprise Recruiting Model of the Future for Today’s Talent Market, With Anne Arnold, Director of Talent Acquisition at Farmers Insurance® 23.06.2026 22min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Anne Arnold, Director of Talent Acquisition at Farmers Insurance®. With a career that began in the entertainment industry before moving into agency recruiting and eventually in-house talent acquisition, Anne shares how an unexpected career move led her into a profession she has now spent more than two decades building.Anne reflects on her transition from agency recruiting into corporate talent acquisition, first helping build the function from scratch at a real estate investment trust and later joining Farmers Insurance, where she has spent the last ten years. From establishing the executive recruiting capability to leading enterprise-wide talent acquisition, she shares how her role evolved and what has kept her excited about the opportunities within the insurance industry.Nick and Anne discuss the scale and complexity of hiring across a national organisation. Despite having a lean team, Farmers hires between 4,000 and 5,000 people annually, and Anne explains the processes, discipline, and technology that allow the team to manage more than 150,000 applications each year. She discusses how technology has helped improve efficiency and candidate engagement while reinforcing her belief that recruitment remains fundamentally a human business.The conversation explores how technology is being used behind the scenes to support recruiters, automate administrative tasks, and surface highly qualified candidates more quickly. Anne explains why understanding the problem you're trying to solve matters more than adopting technology for its own sake, and why recruiters should focus on using new tools to create more time for conversations, relationships, and better candidate experiences.Nick and Anne also discuss leadership, authenticity, and building strong partnerships. Anne shares her views on hiring leaders, working with external search firms, and the importance of listening, transparency, and creating environments where people feel comfortable sharing ideas and learning from mistakes. She reflects on the lessons she has learned as a leader and why trusting your own experience and using your voice are essential to professional growth.Connect with Anne Arnold on LinkedIn to follow her work in talent acquisition, leadership, and people development.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  People & Culture Series EP01 - Insurance Coffee House: Talent Development, HR Leadership, Culture & Hiring for Potential - Nicola Nairn, Group Head of HR (Lancashire Insurance Group) 05.05.2026 24min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Nicola Nairn, Group Head of HR at Lancashire Insurance Group, a global specialty insurance and reinsurance business operating across London, Bermuda, the US, and Australia.Nicola shares her career journey into HR, starting on the trading floor at Morgan Stanley before moving into asset management and eventually transitioning into human resources. She reflects on how an unplanned move into HR led to a long-term career in reward and, later, broader HR leadership, bringing a strong commercial lens to people strategy.The conversation explores how Lancashire has grown from around 300 to 450 employees in recent years, and how the focus has now shifted from expansion to optimising the structure, effectiveness, and development of the organisation. Nicola explains how this creates opportunities to focus more deeply on talent, mobility, and long-term capability building across the business.Nick and Nicola discuss practical approaches to talent development, including identifying high-potential and high-performing individuals, building internal mobility, and combining external training with internal initiatives such as mentoring and knowledge-sharing programmes. Nicola outlines how creating visibility across the business helps employees better understand opportunities beyond their immediate roles.The episode also looks closely at culture. Nicola shares how Lancashire maintains a consistent culture across geographies while allowing for local differences, and explains why common sense and common decency are the foundations of the organisation’s approach to hiring and leadership. She emphasises the importance of hiring for both capability and character, and treating recruitment as a two-way process.They also discuss hiring practices, working with search partners, and the gradual introduction of technology such as applicant tracking systems to improve hiring processes and data visibility. Nicola highlights the importance of investing time upfront with recruitment partners to ensure alignment on role requirements and culture.The conversation closes with practical advice for candidates and HR professionals, including the importance of authenticity in interviews, taking the time to understand motivations, and recognising that career paths do not need to be linear. Nicola also shares a simple but consistent lesson from her career: spend more time listening than talking, and stay open-minded.This episode offers a grounded view of how people and culture strategy is evolving within insurance, and how organisations can build strong teams by focusing on development, clarity, and cultural alignment.Connect with Nicola Nairn on LinkedIn to follow her work across HR leadership, talent development, and organisational culture.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  Boardroom Series EP07 - Insurance Coffee House: Board Portfolio Careers, Technology Transformation, Cyber Risk & CSR - Beth Boucher, Independent Director (Hiscox) 07.04.2026 36min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Beth Boucher, an experienced independent director with a portfolio spanning Hiscox, Coforge, and Specialty Insurance. Beth brings over 30 years of experience across technology, insurance, and business transformation, with a career built around using technology to drive operational change and growth.Beth shares how she transitioned from a full-time executive career into a portfolio of board roles, advisory work, and fractional CIO positions. She explains why that shift happened after COVID, how she approached building a board career intentionally, and what she learned early on about the difference between operating roles and governance.The conversation explores how to secure a first board role, including the importance of signalling your transition clearly to your network and recruiters, repositioning your profile, and being deliberate about the type of roles you pursue. Beth also shares her experience of board certification, why she chose to do it before securing her first role, and how it helped her understand the responsibilities and expectations of a non-executive director.Nick and Beth discuss the realities of board work, including onboarding into complex organisations, managing large volumes of board material, and building an understanding of areas outside your core expertise. Beth explains how directors can stay effective by committing to continuous learning, understanding their blind spots, and using the resources available within the board and management team.The episode also explores board dynamics and culture, with Beth emphasising the importance of fit, trust, and open challenge in the boardroom. She highlights why board appointments are always a two-way decision, and how interpersonal dynamics can be just as important as technical expertise.Beyond governance, the conversation looks at corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the role boards play in shaping meaningful impact. Beth shares examples of initiatives focused on education, community access, and environmental programmes, and explains how these efforts support employee engagement, brand reputation, and long-term value creation.The discussion closes with a practical look at cyber risk and technology oversight. Beth outlines the key questions boards should be asking around cybersecurity, including risk appetite, asset protection, resilience planning, and incident response. She also highlights the growing importance of AI and why all board members need a baseline understanding of both cyber and emerging technologies.This episode provides a clear view of how modern board careers are built, how governance expectations are evolving, and what boards need to focus on as technology and risk continue to change.Connect with Beth Boucher on LinkedIn to follow her work across insurance, technology, governance, and board leadership.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  Boardroom Series EP06 - Insurance Coffee House: Career Risk, Leadership Transitions, AIG Transformation & CEO Perspective - Elaine Rocha, Former CIO (AIG) & CEO (Madison Square Boys & Girls Club) 24.03.2026 45min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Elaine Rocha, former Chief Investment Officer at AIG and current CEO of the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club of New York City. Elaine brings a career that spans law, insurance, investments, and executive leadership, shaped by a series of deliberate career moves and transitions across the industry.Elaine shares how she first entered the insurance industry through private legal practice, working on complex insurance coverage matters in the London market. She reflects on the early years of her career, where she developed deep technical expertise by working through large-scale claims, litigation, and policy structures, and how that foundation shaped her approach to problem-solving and learning.The conversation explores her move into AIG in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Elaine discusses the decision to leave private practice, the risks involved in joining a company undergoing significant change, and how she approached building credibility in a new environment. She explains how she navigated a large and complex organisation by focusing on learning quickly, asking questions, and developing strong relationships across the business.Nick and Elaine discuss how her role evolved within AIG, moving from legal into broader leadership responsibilities. Elaine reflects on the importance of saying yes to new opportunities, even when they sit outside your core expertise. This included stepping into roles such as Chief of Staff, moving into the investments division, and eventually becoming Chief Investment Officer, overseeing complex operations, transformation programmes, and large-scale strategic initiatives.The discussion highlights the breadth of experience required to operate at senior executive level within a global organisation. Elaine describes how working across insurance, investments, operations, and finance gave her a unique perspective across the value chain, including asset liability management, technology transformation, outsourcing strategies, and regulatory engagement.The conversation then turns to her transition into her current role as CEO of the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club. Elaine shares how her experience at AIG prepared her to lead an organisation undergoing transformation, and how many of the same leadership principles apply in a nonprofit environment. This includes building alignment across teams, introducing new operating models, leveraging technology, and working closely with an engaged board.Nick and Elaine also explore the relationship between executive leadership and the board. Elaine reflects on what she has learned from both sides of the boardroom, including how to ask better questions as a director and how to manage board relationships effectively as a CEO. She emphasises the importance of preparation, curiosity, and using past experience to guide better decision-making.The episode closes with practical advice for executives considering their next move. Elaine encourages leaders to take calculated risks, remain open to new opportunities, and continue building their skill set over time. She also highlights the importance of networking, staying informed on industry developments, and being intentional about long-term career direction.If you’d like to follow Elaine’s work across insurance, leadership, and her current role at the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club, connect with Elaine Rocha here on LinkedIn.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  Boardroom Series EP05 - Insurance Coffee House: Insurance Boards, Crisis Governance, Board Professionalisation & Reputation - Dr Susan Fleming, Independent Director (RLI Corp) 10.03.2026 43min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Dr Susan Fleming, an experienced independent director with more than 25 years across insurance, asset management, and financial services. Susan currently serves on the boards of RLI Corp and Virtus Investment Partners, and has previously held director roles at Endurance Specialty, PXRE Group, Quanta Capital, and others.Susan shares how she first entered financial services, starting at SNL Securities before moving into Morgan Stanley’s M&A group focused on financial institutions. That early exposure led her into insurance private equity at Insurance Partners, later Capital Z Partners, where she spent years working on complex and often distressed insurance transactions. She reflects on the pace and intensity of that period, the analytical grounding it gave her, and how it led to her first public board seat at just 29 years old.The conversation explores what it was like entering the boardroom at a young age, why private equity-backed board roles differ from independent directorships, and how board work has changed over the past two decades. Susan describes a clear shift toward greater professionalisation, higher expectations of directors, more scrutiny from shareholders and regulators, and a noticeable rise in overall board quality and rigour.Nick and Susan also discuss crisis governance in detail. Susan reflects on her experience joining Quanta Capital during a difficult period, helping oversee a runoff and sale process, and what that taught her about board teamwork, communication, and staying focused on the core objective of delivering value for shareholders. She also shares the lessons from Endurance Specialty, where the board supported a sale that created a strong outcome for shareholders, employees, and customers, even though selling the company had not originally been the plan.The conversation then broadens into Susan’s wider career beyond the boardroom. She explains why she chose to leave private equity, pursue a PhD in management, and move into academia at Cornell University. There, she taught entrepreneurship, women in leadership, negotiations, and entrepreneurial finance, while also helping develop curriculum and contributing to the Bank of America Institute for Women’s Entrepreneurship. Susan reflects on how academic work, startup thinking, and board experience strengthened each other, particularly around innovation, experimentation, and helping larger organisations stay open to new ideas.Nick and Susan close with practical advice for executives seeking their first board role. Susan emphasises the importance of networking, having a clear board bio, preparing properly before joining a board, and making sure any opportunity aligns with both your expertise and your reputation. She is clear that challenging situations can be worthwhile if you can genuinely contribute, but that any question mark around integrity is a reason to walk away. Above all, she argues that directors should come prepared, check their ego, listen carefully, and earn trust through integrity, judgment, and thoughtful contribution.Connect with Dr Susan Fleming on LinkedIn to follow her work across insurance, governance, entrepreneurship, and board leadership.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  Boardroom Series EP04 - Insurance Coffee House: Board Portfolio Building, Tech Leadership, Reinsurance Governance & AI Readiness - Val Rahmani, Board Director (LSEG, RenaissanceRe, Entrust) 24.02.2026 42min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Val Rahmani, a leading board director across insurance and financial markets, currently serving on the boards of London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), RenaissanceRe, and Entrust. Val shares how a 28-year career at IBM, followed by startup CEO experience, shaped her approach to leadership, strategy, and governance.Val reflects on her early career, starting as a chemistry PhD student who wanted to move into sales, and how IBM redirected her into systems engineering so she could learn the product before selling it. She describes the pivotal moment when she was selected to work in the CEO’s office and how that fast-tracked her exposure to top-level decision-making. Val shares practical lessons from that period, including how to think clearly under pressure, how to listen to specialists on the ground, and why taking opportunities quickly can change the trajectory of a career.The conversation then moves into Val’s transition from big tech to startup leadership. She explains what changes when you move from a large organisation with abundant resources to a startup where every decision is constrained by funding, headcount, and time. Val discusses the realities of raising capital while running the business, why she enjoyed fundraising, and how sales skills translate into leadership by focusing on understanding what people actually need.Nick and Val then explore her board journey and how her first board roles helped her shift from hands-on executive work into governance. Val explains why private company boards can be a strong entry point for executives looking to build board experience, including the higher involvement, the pace, and the learning curve without the full weight of public company regulation. She shares how her first public board appointment at Aberdeen Asset Management came about through a recruiter, and why culture fit matters as much as capability when board appointments are long-term commitments.Val also breaks down what LSEG actually does beyond the exchange, including clearing and its evolution into a data and analytics business, particularly following the acquisition of Refinitiv. She shares how she approached joining RenaissanceRe without an insurance background, and how structured induction, one-to-one time with executives, and asking direct questions helped her get up to speed. Val and Nick discuss the people-centric nature of the insurance market, the importance of understanding industry relationships in reinsurance, and what it takes to become useful before offering strategic input.The episode closes with practical guidance for building a board portfolio. Val explains why her board roles have largely come through recruiters, why those relationships need to be long-term rather than transactional, and how recruiters can match for culture when they know the person behind the CV. She shares what she believes makes an outstanding board director: listening, being selective about where you contribute, respecting time in the boardroom, and doing the work outside the meeting so the questions you bring are truly value-add. Val also outlines how she stays current, including structured reading habits and monitoring market signals, and why every board member needs at least a working awareness of AI and its implications.Connect with Val Rahmani on LinkedIn to follow her work across technology, governance, and board leadership.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S6 EP07: Leadership, Value Proposition & Growth in Insurance - Nick Wealthall, Yellow Door Training 17.02.2026 48min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley, CEO of Insurance Search, welcomes back leadership consultant Nick Wealthall of Yellow Door Training.Following strong feedback from his previous appearance, Nick returns to go deeper into a topic that resonates across the insurance market: leadership and value proposition.From brokers and underwriters to CEOs and HR leaders, this conversation explores how insurance professionals can better understand the value they create, communicate it effectively, and use it to drive growth, performance, and talent attraction.Connect with Nick Wealthall on LinkedIn to learn more about Yellow Door Training and his work helping insurance leaders clarify their value, lead with impact, and build stronger teams.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  Boardroom Series EP03 - Insurance Coffee House: Balance Sheet Thinking, Capital Allocation, Governance & Junior Senator Boardroom Impact - Brian Posner, Investor & Board Director (Arch Capital) 10.02.2026 49min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Brian Posner, a seasoned investor, operator, and board director with deep experience across insurance, financial services, and public company governance, including 15 years at Arch Capital.Brian shares how his career evolved in unexpected ways, from thinking he would become a doctor to building a foundation in finance, investing, and leadership. He reflects on his formative years at Fidelity, including working directly with Peter Lynch, and explains why understanding insurance starts with the balance sheet, then cash flow, and only then the income statement. He unpacks what great insurance investing looks like in practice, from spotting hidden leverage to focusing on tangible book value growth over headline earnings.The conversation then moves from investing to governance. Brian explains how his first board appointment at Sotheby’s came about as a governance solution during a crisis, what he learned from that high-stakes experience, and why he took Henry Kravis’ junior senator advice seriously: listen, pick your moments, and build influence before trying to drive outcomes. Brian outlines how he approaches joining any board like an investor, absorbing context, understanding risks, and finding the best way to add value without coming in “guns blazing.”Nick and Brian discuss what separates effective boards from ineffective ones. Brian describes the secret sauce as directors who understand the business of the business, ask great questions, look around corners, and bring deep respect into deliberation. He argues the best boards treat governance as a perpetual conversation, not four or five isolated meetings per year, and explains how chairs and committee chairs can create alignment by facilitating information flow, preparing both management and directors for the real discussion, and avoiding unnecessary surprises.Looking forward, Brian shares what boards should be paying closer attention to, including geopolitical risk, rule of law, and the sanctity of contracts, particularly critical in insurance. He also offers his view on the next generation of board leaders: breadth matters, reading and learning matter, empowerment matters, and in a fast-moving world, knowing when to slow down can be a strategic advantage. He closes with practical advice on winning that first board role by building relationships, being targeted, and using a less is more approach, often by asking the one question that reframes the decision.Connect with Brian Posner on LinkedIn to follow his work.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  Boardroom Series EP02 - Insurance Coffee House: Insurtech Boards, MGAs, Emerging Risk & AI Governance - Susan Holliday, Board Director, Hippo Insurance 27.01.2026 55min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Susan Holliday, a global insurance and reinsurance executive and experienced board director, including her recent appointment to the board of Hippo Insurance.Susan shares how the Hippo opportunity came about, why the stage of the business matters for board impact, and what her committee roles involve, including Audit, Risk and Compliance and Compensation. She also reflects on where insurtech sits today, why the ecosystem matters, and why not every technology-led player should become a full-stack carrier.The conversation explores Susan’s career path into insurance, starting in the Lloyd’s market, moving into counterparty credit and global insurer analysis, and later into equity research and senior roles at Swiss Re, including Head of Investor Relations through the Global Financial Crisis. Susan describes what it was like operating in a fast-moving environment, working closely with leadership, and the importance of clear communication when the fine print matters.Nick and Susan then discuss board work in practice: how to build a board portfolio, how to define a clear value proposition, how directors stay current, and how boards should approach emerging risks. Susan shares a practical framework for AI governance, including risk appetite, controls, pilot design, cross-functional execution, and regulator engagement.Connect with Susan Holliday on LinkedIn to follow her work across board governance, risk, and technology-led insurance.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  Boardroom Series EP01: The AIG Turnaround, Crisis Leadership & Board Oversight - David Herzog, Former CFO, AIG 13.01.2026 58min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House Boardroom Series, Nick Hoadley is joined by David Herzog, former CFO of American International Group (AIG) and one of the most experienced finance and governance leaders in global insurance. David served as CFO of AIG from 2008 to 2016, stepping into the role in the immediate aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis and helping lead the company through one of the most complex turnarounds in modern financial services. In this conversation, David reflects on the years leading up to the CFO appointment, including rebuilding AIG’s financial infrastructure as Group Controller, and the intensity of navigating markets that rapidly moved from strained, to expensive, to effectively closed. He shares what it was like inside AIG as liquidity evaporated, why coordination with the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury was pivotal, and how the organisation focused on stabilising the business, stopping the “bleeding,” and ultimately repaying government support. The discussion also explores David’s transition from executive leadership into board governance. He talks through early lessons from his first directorship, how he approaches chairing audit and oversight roles, and what aspiring directors should understand about the line between being an overseer and a doer. David also shares why the opportunity to chair Aegon appealed to him, and what he looks for in organisations on a journey of strategic change. Connect with David Herzog on LinkedIn.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S6 EP06: Data, Consumer Protection & Growth in Life Insurance - Amanda Yoho, President, Proformex 02.12.2025 25min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley sits down with Amanda Yoho, President of Proformex, the life insurance and annuity technology platform based in Cleveland, Ohio.Amanda joined Proformex in January 2020 to build the company’s data and analytics capability, before stepping into the President role in November 2024. With a background that spans startups and global corporates, including several years at IBM following an acquisition, she brings deep experience across data science, technology, and problem-solving in complex environments.In this conversation, Amanda shares how Proformex helps agents, advisors, and distributors gain a unified view across their life and annuity books of business. She discusses the long-term challenges of monitoring products that may span 30-50 years, the importance of consumer protection, and why access to accurate, centralised data is critical for preventing unintended lapses.Amanda explains how proactive alerts, data quality checks, and system integrations support advisors in delivering better service, reducing risk, and identifying new engagement opportunities. She also highlights how hiring and interviewing are evolving in the age of AI, why curiosity is essential in a startup environment, and how finding the right culture fit is just as important as technical capability.Connect with Amanda Yoho on LinkedIn to learn more about Proformex.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S6 EP05: People, Culture & High Performance at MS Reinsurance - Antonia Hold CHRO at MS Reinsurance 25.11.2025 28min

  On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley sits down with Antonia Hold, CHRO at MS Reinsurance who joined in April 2021. Based in Zurich, Antonia leads the company’s global people strategy, with a focus on hiring the right talent, supporting their growth, and creating an environment where people want to stay and do their best work. She brings a practical, people-centred approach to leadership, fostering collaboration, encouraging learning, and helping teams grow through trust and shared goals. Antonia works closely with business leaders to ensure HR is aligned with MS Re’s direction and values. Her career spans more than 20 years across four continents, with senior HR roles at Jones Lang LaSalle, Prudential plc, and Zurich Insurance Group. She has led teams and projects across EMEA, Africa, and APAC, gaining broad experience in shaping HR strategies in diverse environments, and holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Bern.Connect with Antonia Hold on LinkedIn to learn more about MS Reinsurance.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S6 EP04: How to Be the Go-To Insurance Person in Your Niche With Nick Wealthall, Founder of Yellow Door 04.11.2025 42min

  On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Nick Wealthall, Founder of Yellow Door, a leadership and commercial growth consultancy helping insurance organisations and their people unlock performance through better communication, decision-making and mindset.Speaking from London, Nick shares his fascinating career journey from wealth management to professional poker, to comedy writing on shows like Have I Got News For You, before founding Yellow Door to coach senior executives across major insurance firms. With a background spanning finance, broadcasting, and entrepreneurship, Nick brings a unique perspective on how professionals can think and act more like business owners, whether they’re brokers, underwriters, or corporate leaders.He explains how lessons from the poker table translate directly to leadership and underwriting: making confident decisions with incomplete information, assessing risk and reward, and maintaining composure under pressure. Drawing parallels between poker, business and insurance, Nick highlights why the most effective leaders are those who embrace uncertainty, make active choices, and refine their process rather than fixating on short-term outcomes.Nick also discusses how brokers and carriers can drive commercial growth and differentiation in increasingly commoditised markets, by deepening client understanding, taking an “outside-in” perspective, and focusing on delivering long-term value rather than transactional wins. He shares practical insights on building trust-based client relationships, fostering entrepreneurial thinking inside large organisations, and leading with intention and self-awareness.In the Espresso Round, Nick reflects on his journey from performer to coach, offering lessons on humility, resilience and curiosity. He encourages insurance professionals to take ownership of their impact, ask “how can I help more?”, and build businesses that grow through genuine human connection.Connect with Nick Wealthall on LinkedIn and learn more about Yellow Door.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S6 EP03: Parametric Insurance Made Simple: The Easy Add-On That Strengthens Every Policy With Samuel Broomer, President of NormanMax 28.10.2025 30min

  On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Samuel Broomer, President of NormanMax Insurance Solutions, a rapidly growing MGA and Lloyd’s syndicate pioneering climate-focused parametric insurance solutions.Speaking from Connecticut, Sam shares his career journey from reinsurance accounting at HSB Group to leadership roles at AIG, FM Global, and W.R. Berkley, before taking on his current role at NormanMax. With experience spanning finance, underwriting, innovation, and strategy, Sam offers a unique, end-to-end perspective on how insurance organisations can evolve to meet today’s climate and technology challenges.He explains how NormanMax provides parametric protection against natural catastrophes such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and severe storms, delivering certainty of payment, speed, and liquidity when policyholders need it most. Sam highlights the importance of third-party data or “oracle” verification for triggering payouts, eliminating lengthy loss-adjustment processes and building greater trust between insurers and customers.Sam also discusses why parametric insurance is becoming mainstream: a feature embedded within traditional policies that enhances the customer experience, helps close the protection gap, and restores confidence in the insurance value chain. He shares NormanMax’s vision to make these products simple, accessible, and globally scalable through its Lloyd’s Syndicate 3939 platform, serving clients from North America to the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.In the Espresso Round, Sam talks about building culture within what he calls a “multi-hundred-million-dollar startup,” offering insights on humility, curiosity, and the value of learning across disciplines. He also shares advice for insurance leaders on hiring with intention, building direct partnerships with talent, and staying open-minded to new perspectives in a rapidly changing market.Connect with Samuel Broomer on LinkedIn and learn more about NormanMax Insurance Solutions.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S6 EP02: Wildfire Telematics with Elyse Myrans, CEO & Co-Founder of Tenax ai 23.09.2025 24min

  On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Elyse Myrans, CEO & Co-Founder of Tenax ai, a climate-tech startup using computer vision and AI to protect homes and their insurability, from extreme weather.Speaking from Los Angeles, Elyse shares how Tenax ai delivers property-level risk assessments for wildfire, flood and wind in 20–30 minutes via a smartphone or drone, then ingests the imagery through proprietary models to detect hundreds of features (roof class, vegetation proximity, vent mesh, window type and more). She explains why forward-looking, parcel-level data outperforms regional, backward-looking models, and how Tenax ai’s outputs plug directly into carrier underwriting workflows (they provide the features and confidence, insurers keep their own pricing).Elyse also highlights the homeowner experience: tailored mitigation plans with prioritised actions and referrals to local vendors, removing “speed bumps to action” so customers can reduce risk, lower premiums over time, and even move properties back inside the band of insurability. She draws a useful analogy to telematics in auto insurance: dynamic, behavior/feature-based data enabling more accurate pricing and better outcomes for both carriers and policyholders.In the Espresso Round, Elyse discusses building a tech-insurance hybrid team, why empathy and trust are non-negotiables in startup culture, and offers candid advice for insurance leaders considering the shift to insurtech: get comfortable with the unknown, stay nimble, and keep your eye on what matters as conditions change.Connect with Elyse Myrans on LinkedIn and learn more about Tenax ai.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S6 EP01: Leading Bermuda’s Long-Term & Reinsurance Sector - Suzanne Williams-Charles, CEO, BILTIR 12.08.2025 31min

  On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Suzanne Williams-Charles, CEO of the Bermuda International Long-Term Insurers and Reinsurers (BILTIR), the industry body representing Bermuda’s globally significant life and annuity sector.Speaking from Hamilton, Bermuda, Suzanne shares her journey to leading an association that champions the interests of long-term insurers and reinsurers on the island. She talks about BILTIR’s role in advocacy, education, and community engagement, and how the organisation works closely with government, regulators, and members to ensure Bermuda remains a world-class insurance and reinsurance hub.Suzanne discusses the unique position Bermuda holds in the global risk landscape - particularly in life and annuity reinsurance and the importance of balancing innovation with robust regulatory frameworks. She highlights BILTIR’s initiatives to attract and develop local talent, foster industry collaboration, and address emerging challenges, from changing demographics to evolving solvency requirements.In the Espresso Round, Suzanne shares valuable insights for insurance professionals considering an international career move, and why Bermuda offers a rare combination of professional opportunity, close-knit community, and global impact.Connect with Suzanne Williams-Charles on LinkedIn and learn more about BILTIR.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S4 EP78: The Man Behind LO$$ Ratio - Curtis Goldsborough, President at NIIS & Creator of “LO$$ RATIO” 01.07.2025 38min

  On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Curtis Goldsborough, President of National Insurance Inspection Services and the creative mind behind the popular LinkedIn persona LO$$ RATIO.Curtis shares his unconventional journey into insurance, from agency owner in rural Michigan to leading a nationwide inspection company and becoming a viral content creator in the industry. He talks about his transition from traditional field inspections to a tech-driven self-inspection platform and how this innovation is reshaping property underwriting across personal lines.Curtis breaks down how National Insurance Inspection Services delivers greater data accuracy and underwriting insights through nearly one million policyholder-completed inspections, helping carriers improve risk assessment, pricing precision, and loss ratios.He also dives into the origins of LO$$ RATIO, his alter ego and content platform that blends education and humor to highlight major industry challenges, from predictive prevention and self-inspection adoption to social inflation and attracting new talent into insurance.In the Espresso Round, Curtis offers powerful advice for insurance executives and rising professionals on building authentic personal brands on LinkedIn, why creativity is a differentiator, and how content done right—can drive real industry change.Connect with Curtis Goldsborough on LinkedIn and explore National Insurance Inspection Services to learn more about their underwriting solutions.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.
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  S4 EP77: Taking Your Agency Independent - Dan Lewis, Head of Network, Brightway Insurance 24.06.2025 25min

  On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Dan Lewis, Head of Network at Brightway Insurance, one of the fastest-growing personal lines agency networks in the U.S.Dan shares his two-decade journey across financial services and exclusive agency leadership at Farmers Insurance, where he led strategic distribution across multiple U.S. territories. He explains why he made the leap to Brightway, driven by a belief in the future of the independent agency channel and a desire to empower entrepreneurs at scale.At Brightway, Dan is helping to reshape agency ownership by combining franchise support, centralized service, and proprietary technology to enable owners to grow faster than ever before. He highlights how Brightway offers five core pillars: a trusted brand, robust carrier access, full-service customer support, advanced tech through its Fusion platform, and a vibrant agent community.He also shares the company’s focus on scaling through real estate and lender referral networks, and how Brightway’s unique in-house recruiting and producer training programs help new franchisees build high-performing teams from day one.For insurance professionals ready to explore ownership or transition from captive to independent, Dan offers actionable advice on mindset, hiring, and how to assess your fit with Brightway’s scalable, support-driven model.Connect with Dan Lewis on LinkedIn or visit Brightway Insurance to learn more.The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.We are a global Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses to attract and retain the very best insurance talent.Find out more about showcasing your employer brand as a guest on the Insurance Coffee House Podcast or sign up to our News and Insights.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.Insurance Executive Search Consultants in USA, London and Bermuda.Copyright Insurance Search 2025 - All Rights Reserved.