Leading Digital & AI Transformation in Global Insurance

Dr. Thomas Kuhnt, Chief Information Officer and Chief Operating Officer at HDI Global SE, joins hosts James Benham and Rob Galbraith to explore leading digital and AI transformation in corporate and specialty insurance — recorded live at Insurtech Insights London on March 18, 2026.Dr. Kuhnt's path is unlike most in insurance. A PhD in algebraic number theory from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 15 years at McKinsey building the European insurance practice, and now a dual CIO/COO seat overseeing technology, operations, and transformation at one of the world's oldest and largest industrial insurers. He brings a systems thinker's lens to one of the most complex transformation challenges in the industry.In this episode:• Why organizations must stop waiting for perfect conditions and start experimenting with AI now• How agentic AI is transforming input management and underwriting workflows at HDI Global• Why business leads — not IT — should own AI transformation in global insurance organizations• The process trap: how applying AI to broken workflows just accelerates the breaking• What the next 5–10 years really looks like for underwriters and claims professionals at the desk levelKey Quotes:"Don't wait. Start to experiment and iterate. This is not going to go away.""Business becomes IT — and IT becomes business.""We're overestimating the short-term impact — but underestimating it in the long term.""Seventy to eighty percent of an underwriter's work is just rekeying data. That's not really underwriting.""The first question should always be why — and that's an ops question, not a tech question."🔗 Connect:Dr. Thomas Kuhnt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kuhnt/HDI Global SE: https://www.hdi.global/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/hdi-global/👤 Hosts:James Benham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbenhamRob Galbraith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-galbraith/🎙️ This episode is sponsored by Terra — the next-generation Workers' Comp and Commercial P&C Software.Visit 👉 https://terra.insure / https://www.linkedin.com/company/terrainsure/📌 Find InsurTech Geek:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insuretechgeek/Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/InsurtechGeekInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/insurtechgeek/Subscribe, rate, and comment. As always — Enjoy the Ride & Geek Out! 🤓