Best Equisoft Insurance Innovation Reporter Podcasts (2024)

1
Unlocking the Potential of AI for Life Insurance Leaders with Richard Wiedenbeck 27:22

21d ago27:22

27:22

In this episode of Life Accelerated, host Anthony O’Donnell brings you an illuminating conversation with Richard Wiedenbeck, Chief AI Officer at Ameritas. With a wealth of experience in the life insurance and technology sectors, Richard has seamlessly transitioned from his role as CIO to his pioneering position as Chief AI Officer. This title alone…

1
Promoting Long, Healthy Lives Through Digital Transformation with Jean Olive, John Hancock 31:33

2M ago31:33

31:33

Host Anthony O'Donnell sits down with Jean Olive, CIO of John Hancock, to discuss the company's impressive journey towards digital transformation and its focus on enhancing customer experience. Jean shares her engineering background and diverse industry experience, discussing John Hancock’s mission to promote long, healthy lives through innovative …

1
Staying Customer Focused in Digital Transformation with Niki Manby, Mutual of Omaha 22:17

3M ago22:17

22:17

Host Anthony O'Donnell welcomes Niki Manby, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Mutual of Omaha to share the remarkable journey of the company’s digital transformation that has boosted the success of the company. Niki shares her extensive experience in financial services and fintech, showcasing how she's driving change and ensuring the company…

1
Connectivity Initiatives That Create Seamless Digital Integration with Dora Clements, Unum 26:45

4M ago26:45

26:45

Great leaders in digital innovation often start their journey in diverse fields. Dora Clements is an exceptional leader at Unum whose impressive journey from entertainment law to overseeing transformative initiatives at the 175-year-old company is a testament to the potential for multidisciplinary approaches in driving organizational change. Host A…

1
Simplifying Life Insurance Through Digital Transformation with Nick Rohan and Kevin Cummer, TruStage 25:50

5M ago25:50

25:50

Host Anthony O'Donnell welcomes back Kevin Cummer, Director of Life Products, and Nick Rohan, Director of Partner Management at TruStage Insurance to share the remarkable journey of TruStage’s digital transformation, which has not only redefined their brand but also set new benchmarks in the insurance industry. Kevin and Nick take us through the ev…

1
Enhancing Engagement with Personalized Insights and Database Experiences with Jessica Austin Barker, CXO at TIAA 27:16

6M ago27:16

27:16

Jessica Austin Barker, TIAA's Chief Digital and Client Experience Officer, sits down with host Anthony O’Donnell for this latest episode of Life Accelerated. Jessica’s acumen, honed through her tenure at Intuit and now as a leader at TIAA, is steering the financial institution toward new horizons of client engagement. Jessica brings a profound unde…

1
Cultivating High-Performing Teams Through People-Centric Strategies with Mike Mead, CIO at CNO Financial Group 22:09

7M ago22:09

22:09

Host Anthony O’Donnell is joined by Mike Mead, the Chief Information Officer of CNO Financial Group, in this episode of Life Accelerated. With over 25 years of experience in the insurance and technology industry, Mike has been instrumental in digital transformation initiatives, enabling CNO to adapt and thrive in the rapidly evolving landscape of l…

1
Practical Insights and Strategies from 5 Life Insurance Technology Leaders 14:29

8M ago14:29

14:29

In this episode of Life Accelerated, host Anthony O’Donnell revisits some conversations from the past year all about practical approaches to digital transformation. He highlights ideas and insights from five visionaries in the life insurance industry — Santhosh Keshavan of Voya, Jeff Donaldson at Mutual of America, Deb Waters at Aegon, Ryan Downing…

1
A Practical Approach to Digital Transformation with Jennifer King, VP of Customer Experience at Boston Mutual 24:35

9M ago24:35

24:35

Since the late 1800s, Boston Mutual Life Insurance has transitioned from a service-focused to a customer-care-driven team, emphasizing the importance of balancing technology and human touch in the digital transformation journey. Jennifer King, Vice President of Customer Experience at Boston Mutual, is at the helm of Boston Mutual's digital transfor…

1
Fostering Human-Centric Innovation Through Data Transformation with Paula Bartgis, Chief Information Officer, Sun Life U.S. 33:32

10M ago33:32

33:32

After 150 years in the business, Sun Life U.S. has developed a keen digital strategy that integrates technology and business operations while boosting client engagement and revitalizing its approach to healthcare connectivity, benefits management, and client satisfaction. Paula Bartgis, Chief Information Officer at Sun Life U.S., is leading the com…

1
Strengthen Customer Engagement through Digital Transformation with Susan P. Roberts, Head of Strategy and Transformation at John Hancock 25:42

11M ago25:42

25:42

John Hancock holds a distinguished position in the wealth and asset management space and offers a range of life insurance products exclusively through intermediaries. With over 160 years of experience, John Hancock is committed to delivering products that are easy to buy and enjoyable to own. Susan P. Roberts, the Head of Strategy and Transformatio…

1
Innovating Insurance to Empower Families with Fred Tavan, SVP and Chief Pricing Officer of Legal & General America 27:32

12M ago27:32

27:32

Legal & General America is one of the nation's strongest life insurers, ranked number two for term life insurance providers in the US. Their sole focus is to safeguard families' financial well-being — and it has been for more than 70 years. Fred Tavan, SVP and Chief Pricing Officer at Legal & General America joined the Life Accelerated podcast to s…

1
Revolutionizing the Life Insurance Sales Experience with Hector Martinez, Head of Life Insurance at Equitable 28:16

1y ago28:16

28:16

Equitable is a financial service company with a legacy of helping people look forward with courage, strength, and wisdom. This company has established itself as a leading provider of financial advice, protection, and retirement strategies, with 2.8 million clients nationwide. Hector Martinez, Head of Life Insurance at Equitable, joined the Life Acc…

1
The Evolution of Principal Financial Group's Digital Transformation Strategy with Ryan Downing, VP and CIO of Enterprise Business Solutions 28:40

1y ago28:40

28:40

Principal Financial Group is an American global financial investment management and insurance company who helps people create the kinds of lives they dream about, empowered by financial security and stability. But how do they approach their mission through a digital perspective? Ryan Downing, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Enterpri…

1
Leveraging Enterprise Data and AI for Customer-Centric Solutions with Jeff Donaldson, Mutual of America Financial Group 27:04

1y ago27:04

27:04

Jeff Donaldson, SEVP and Chief Digital Officer of Mutual of America Financial Group, is responsible for leading the company's digital strategy and initiatives, he played a crucial role in driving technological innovation and enhancing customer experiences within the organization. He shares the strategic decisions and initiatives undertaken by the c…

1
Building a Technology-Enabled Foundation with Jeff Hughes, Chief Technology Officer at Brighthouse Financial 29:44

1+ y ago29:44

29:44

Special guest, Jeff Hughes, the Chief Technology Officer of Brighthouse Financial, takes us on a journey through the past five years of his professional life, where he played a pivotal role in successfully transitioning Brighthouse Financial to a new foundation. With over 200 transition services agreements and 100 programs and initiatives to naviga…

1
Automation, Digitization and Data with Deb Waters, Chief Technology Officer at Aegon 26:52

1+ y ago26:52

26:52

Step into the world of innovation and visionary leadership within the life insurance space. Meet Deb Waters, a true technologist and trailblazing force behind the digital transformation of Aegon N.V.. As Chief Technology Officer and esteemed member of the Management Board, Waters thinks of digital transformation as an end-to-end process, beginning …

1
Creating Unforgettable Policyholder Experiences with Matt Berman, President of Foresters Financial 30:15

1+ y ago30:15

30:15

Matt Berman, a dynamic leader in the life insurance industry, brings over 16 years of experience to the table. Having held senior roles in product distribution and customer experience, Matt now serves as the President for both the US and Canadian markets at Foresters, a financial services company focusing on life insurance and investments. With a p…

1
How to Ingest, Transform, and Feed Data with Voya’s Santhosh Keshavan 27:43

1+ y ago27:43

27:43

Voya Financial, Inc. is a leading health, wealth, and investment company that helps Americans become well planned, well invested and well protected. But how do they do this from a digital perspective? Santhosh Keshavan, EVP and CIO at Voya, explains how they excel in the life insurance industry with their digital transformation efforts. He reveals …

1
MetLife’s secrets to success with Bill Pappas 24:27

1+ y ago24:27

24:27

MetLife’s secret to success? Looking outside of the industry. MetLife is an insurance company dedicated to providing working-class Americans with financial protection and has helped generations of customers protect their property, finances, family and future. They are an insurance company that not only focuses on selling insurance, but they push pe…

1
Unlocking faster and more simplified life insurance: Legal & General America’s transformation journey with Raju Seetheraman 27:28

1+ y ago27:28

27:28

Legal & General, U.K.’s number one life insurance provider, has been able to protect families for over 180 years—and is now bringing its digital transformation expertise to the US. Raju Seetharaman, SVP, IT and Transformation of the life insurance division of Legal & General America, reveals how they are navigating through regulations, customer exp…

1
Improving the agent experience through digital transformation with Sammons Financial Group 17:21

2y ago17:21

17:21

Would you classify your company as one that experienced growth but now is in a dry spot and has plateaued? If so, Kelly Coomer, CIO of Sammons Financial Group, has an answer for you. Developing and evolving the business into a product mindset. Kelly is on the hunt to obtain technology to improve customer experience, keep employees satisfied, and hi…

1
[REPLAY] How customers fuel technology transformation at Ameritas 21:01

2y ago21:01

21:01

In this replay episode, listen in to learn... How does a 150-year-old organization go from being “data rich, information poor, and analytically ignorant”, to leading the technology transformation in the life insurance industry? This is Ameritas’ story–and Richard Wiedenbeck is currently leading the innovation charge for this century-and-a-half-old …

1
How Western & Southern Adapted Digital Transformation to Meet Customer Expectations 19:18

2y ago19:18

19:18

How did the global pandemic accelerate digital transformation in your organization? At Western & Southern, they’ve adapted slowly to meet customer expectations. And SVP & CIO Jim Fitzgerald says that’s actually the best decision they’ve made. Fitzgerald joins the Life Accelerated podcast to reveal the ways in which the company acquired new players,…

1
[REPLAY] A 175-year-old data science innovation conversation with Penn Mutual 29:21

2y ago29:21

29:21

In this replay episode, listen in to hear: Penn Mutual is an almost 2-century-old business—and they have the innovation and modernization to back up their longstanding success. But it doesn’t come without learning curves and experimentation. Enter Greg Driscoll, the COO of Life and Annuities. From moving to cloud services to implementing new applic…

1
Legal & General Reveals Their U.S. and U.K. Market Differences & Strategy 21:04

2y ago21:04

21:04

Legal & General is the U.K.’s top life insurer in several categories. As they embark on the U.S. market, they have big ambitions. In this episode of Life Accelerated, Legal & General’s Chief Technology and Data Officer of the Retail Division Morgan Spillane reveals their globalization strategy and how technology plays a role. He also discusses the …

1
Life Insurance Is flooded with data: Celent’s Keith Raymond knows how to leverage it 27:56

2y ago27:56

27:56

We collected more information and data on the world in the last five years than the previous history of the universe. And the life insurance industry is finally coming around to data science. Thanks in part to the pandemic and digital transformation. But what should your organization be doing with all this information at your disposal? What are you…

1
Putting “Life” Back in Life Insurance: How John Hancock has incentivized their customers to live longer, healthier, better lives 26:10

2y ago26:10

26:10

Where did the life insurance industry go wrong? To the average consumer, it’s perceived as more about death – than life. John Hancock is on a mission to put the “life” back in life insurance. Sporting key partnerships with Apple and other tech companies, they’re helping customers live longer, healthier, better lives. VP, Head of Behavioral Insuranc…

1
The future of InsurTech with one of the industry’s first venture capitalists 28:57

2y ago28:57

28:57

Insurtech is no nascent industry. After ten years investing in the most innovative companies, Joel Albarella is optimistic about the present and future of life insurance. One of the industry’s first venture capitalists and SVP & Head of New York Life’s NYL Ventures, Albarella unearths the secrets of innovation and how New York Life is growing despi…

1
Agile is the way: How two life insurance giants will excel post-pandemic 15:43

2y ago15:43

15:43

No one expected century-old life insurance companies like Principal and Mutual of Omaha to succeed through the pandemic. Yet, they rolled with the punches–and even thrived. Life Accelerated’s Anthony O'Donnell is joined by Kim Pfiffner, Chief Information Officer at Principal and Brian Poppe, Chief Data Officer at Mutual of Omaha. Who reveal their s…

1
How National Life has grown at a double digit rate for a decade 23:35

2y ago23:35

23:35

The war for talent is over. And talent won. National Life has had a double-digit growth rate over the last decade—unheard of in the life insurance world. And CIO Nimesh Mehta attributes their success to a strong dedication to their people and a structure called teaming. Nimesh Mehta joins us on Life Accelerated to share how they’ve adopted technolo…

1
Building an adaptable tech stack from scratch with Equitable 24:22

2y ago24:22

24:22

What do you do when you don’t have legacy systems and the history of a longstanding company to build your digital transformation? According to Alyssa Arellano, Head of Technology Strategy at Equitable's employee benefits division, you use it as an opportunity to be agile, adaptable, and open to the future. Equitable’s employee benefits division sta…

1
Creating innovation through simplification with CUNA Mutual 19:37

2y ago19:37

19:37

“Our biggest competitor isn't another carrier—it's procrastination.” Those aren’t words you hear from a life insurance leader very often, but Kevin Cummer and Nick Rohan from CUNA Mutual have been on a journey to break down barriers in their industry. To focus on customer centricity, CUNA Mutual simplifies the process to obtain life insurance and l…

1
The Top 5 initiatives the most innovative industry leaders are prioritizing 11:56

2y ago11:56

11:56

From MassMutual and New York Life to Protective and Mutual of Omaha. The Life Accelerated Podcast thus far has been a wealth of knowledge from leaders on the bleeding edge of digital transformation in the life insurance industry. Now, we look back at the top 5 digital transformation initiatives shaping the modernization conversation, including cust…

1
Balancing the human & the machine to improve customer experience with Protective’s COO 23:37

2+ y ago23:37

23:37

“Software is eating the world,” Marc Andreesen claimed in 2011. He was right. Technology is intertwined in nearly every facet of life insurance today. But Protective’s COO Cissy Williams takes a different perspective: We can’t forget about the human element. In her many experiences in stay-at-home motherhood and various professional roles throughou…

1
A 175-year-old data science innovation conversation with Penn Mutual 29:21

2+ y ago29:21

29:21

Penn Mutual is an almost 2-century-old business—and they have the innovation and modernization to back up their longstanding success. But it doesn’t come without learning curves and experimentation. Enter Greg Driscoll, the COO of Life and Annuities. From moving to cloud services to implementing new applications and data management practices, Greg …

1
Forrester analyst on what the industry’s future holds & how to prepare 31:14

2+ y ago31:14

31:14

It’s hard enough to plan for tomorrow. What does the future hold for the life insurance industry? And how can we reach new generations who are skeptical? Ellen Carney, Principal Analyst at Forrester, lives in the data. In this episode of Equisoft’s Life Accelerated, she walks through the major risks facing the industry, how to progress and plan for…

1
Principal CIO on how a strong IT relationship can revolutionize your business 28:21

2+ y ago28:21

28:21

When Principal went beyond using IT as a ticket submission center and instead leveraged their skillset, they started to drive meaningful business outcomes. Kim Pfiffner, VP & CIO of U.S. Insurance Solutions, discusses on Life Accelerated how they streamlined internal processes, simplified the customer journey and bolstered their digital products.…

1
How Northwestern Mutual remains agile with customer needs 27:34

2+ y ago27:34

27:34

52% of Americans trust financial service providers. That’s why Northwestern Mutual’s Chief Customer Officer Christian Mitchell has led product development with an open mind: To find new challenges along the way that perhaps are more important than the initial research stated. In this episode of Equisoft’s Life Accelerated podcast, Mitchell recounts…

1
Why Data Is the North Star at New York Life 31:08

2+ y ago31:08

31:08

Consumer expectations have shifted, and digital experiences are a prerequisite. The life insurance industry has been slow to innovate. Head of Strategic Capabilities Alex Cook discusses how New York Life has bucked the trend and led the industry in digital transformation, including agile development and artificial intelligence. Cook explains how in…

1
Leveraging tech and data to meet digital demands with Mutual of Omaha 29:13

2+ y ago29:13

29:13

The last two years have been difficult for many life insurance companies. To meet the demands of a digital workplace and marketplace, some were forced to flip their business models nearly overnight. Others were well-positioned; They shifted priorities and embraced technology to serve their customers even better. Mutual of Omaha was one of those ins…

1
The big bets MassMutual has made to disrupt life insurance distribution 25:00

2+ y ago25:00

25:00

If your goal is market disruption, you need the right technology. This is Sherriff Balogun Jr.’s takeaway after his team at MassMutual successfully launched their B2C distribution channel, Haven Life. Sheriff–Head of Platform Transformation–shares his team’s 3 core pillars for digital transformation; learnings they gleaned directly from their succe…

1
How customers fuel technology transformation at Ameritas 21:01

2+ y ago21:01

21:01

How does a 150-year old organization go from being “data rich, information poor, and analytically ignorant”, to leading the technology transformation in the life insurance industry? This is Ameritas’ story–and Richard Wiedenbeck is currently leading the innovation charge for this century-and-a-half old institution. Richard Wiedenbeck, CTTO of Ameri…

1
Welcome to Life Accelerated: How life insurers are achieving digital transformation 1:58

2+ y ago1:58

1:58

This is Life Accelerated–a podcast brought to you by Insurance Innovation Reporter in partnership with Equisoft. Anthony O’Donnell provides an unconventional approach to the life insurance industry, discussing the news you need to know while his guests share their insights from their perspective - an insurer’s perspective. They’ll discuss leadershi…

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