EPISODE · Sep 17, 2025 · 1H 1M
Sara Mikulski: One Source of Truth, Zero Excuses
from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Sara Mikulski, CTO at Kingstone Insurance, about the moment in her career that convinced her that the claims ecosystem could be rebuilt around a single, trusted data spine. KEY TAKEAWAYS When I started my career, success looked like stabilisation: getting to a point where we all understood what was happening in which system, where the data was, and just making it work. It wasn’t a long-term scalable solution, but I didn’t want to come into the organisation and disrupt it. It wasn’t ready yet, the first 18 months were about learning what was working and what wasn’t before making a move to address the concerns and questions in a scalable way. Between then and now, we’ve changed the entire platform and focused on ensuring that there were clear processes, good data in the right places, so we could automate more and enable future AI. This has made our adjustors so happy, as well as us, from an IT perspective, where it’s easier to maintain, help, and administer, etc. Many large AI initiatives that impact your core systems don’t always go as expected. The biggest learning we’ve had, as an organisation, over the last year was to not run before you can walk. Sometimes you think AI can fix the problem or the process, but when you start to talk it through or dissect it, you find out you could simply tweak the system to be better for the people using it or explore a different way of doing the process. BEST MOMENTS ‘There were less emotional decisions in the first place because we took our time and really thought things through.’ ‘You have to focus on how to make that one place your place – making sure the data that in there is clean, true, what data is there, what data your adjustors need to go outside of the system for and why.’ ‘Efficiency is king right now, which is why AI is getting such a movement behind it; you’re trying to find places where you don’t have to do something manually, or something that takes hours and condensing it to seconds.’ ‘AI will play an enormous role in current and future processes at all insurance carriers, but you still have to go back to the basics and figure out if you’re just trying to put a band aid on the problem or if you’re trying to solve it long-term.’ ABOUT THE GUESTS Sara Mikulski is Chief Technology Officer at Kingstone Insurance and is responsible for managing our IT organization and accountable for the company’s systems and data strategy, IT security, infrastructure, development, support, and vendor management. Sara brings 15+ years of experience in IT, leading effective teams and improving IT operations. Most recently, she was the Deputy CIO at UPC Insurance, where she was responsible for delivering numerous projects aimed at consolidating platforms and reducing technical debt. She also held leadership and technical IT positions at Esurance. Ms. Mikulski also worked at several other companies in various IT-focused roles. LinkedIn ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]
What this episode covers
On this episode of Scouting For Growth, Sabine VdL sits down with Sara Mikulski, CTO at Kingstone Insurance, to unpack a transformation story every insurer needs to hear right now: how to rebuild the claims ecosystem around one trusted data spine—and why that foundation matters more than any AI tool you buy next quarter. This is a masterclass in modern insurance tech leadership: pragmatic, human-centered, and relentlessly focused on long-term scalability. The starting point: stabilize first, transform second Sara opens with a refreshingly honest truth: when she began, “success” didn’t mean ripping everything out and launching something shiny. It meant stabilisation—understanding which systems did what, where the data lived, and how to make it work without blowing up the organization. She spent the first 18 months learning what was working, what wasn’t, and what the business was actually ready for. Not because she lacked ambition—because she understood something many transformation programs forget: Disruption without readiness creates resistance, not results. One platform. Clean data. Happier adjusters. From that baseline, Kingstone made a major shift: upgrading the platform and putting processes and data discipline at the center. The goal wasn’t “more technology.” It was better operations: clean, reliable data in the right place processes that people actually understand systems that are easier to maintain and administer And the payoff was immediate and human: adjusters were happier, and IT could finally support the business without constant workarounds. Because when data is trusted and accessible, automation becomes possible—and AI becomes realistic. The AI lesson: don’t run before you can walk Sara delivers one of the most valuable takeaways in the episode: big AI initiatives tied to core systems don’t always go as planned. And sometimes what looks like an “AI problem” is actually a workflow problem. She explains how, by slowing down and dissecting processes, her team often discovered they didn’t need a moonshot. They needed a smart tweak—something that improved usability, reduced friction, and made life easier for the people doing the work. That approach also led to better decisions with less emotion attached—because they were grounded in clarity, not urgency. Efficiency is the driver — but fundamentals are the multiplier Sara acknowledges why AI is surging: efficiency is king. Every insurer wants to take tasks that consume hours and compress them into seconds. But her warning is sharp: if your foundation is weak, AI becomes a band-aid, not a solution. AI will absolutely shape insurance operations— but only if the basics are right first. That’s why the “single trusted place” matters. Build the spine. Make the data clean and true. Identify what adjusters still need to leave the system to find—and fix it. Why enterprise leaders should listen For COOs, CIOs, CTOs, and claims leaders, this episode is a blueprint for sustainable transformation: stabilize before you accelerate standardize data before you automate earn trust before you introduce AI at scale Because the future of claims isn’t just faster workflows. It’s a trusted system of record that lets people—and AI—make better decisions with confidence.
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Sara Mikulski: One Source of Truth, Zero Excuses
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