James Thom, CPO at Vertafore: Why Playing it Safe is the Biggest Risk in Insurance's AI Era

This week, host Alex Bond sits down with James Thom, Chief Product Officer at Vertafore, the insurance technology company powering agencies, MGAs, and carriers across the US and Canada.

James brings a fascinating perspective: from consulting at McKinsey to leading product at scale, he's seen first-hand why making the leap from recommendation to real-world implementation changes everything.

In this episode, we get into:

💡 Why AI transformation requires more than piecemeal adoption — and why the companies going all-in are seeing 2x–3x productivity gains 🏗️ How Vertafore's new Velocity AI platform is embedding AI natively into the tools insurers already use every day 🔄 The "human plus" moment — giving every individual a team of AI agents to multiply their impact ⚖️ How regulation shapes product development in a highly governed industry — and why that's not a bad thing 🤝 Why the build vs. buy debate has come roaring back, and how smart operators are thinking about their "secret sauce"

James also opens up about what's kept him at Vertafore for eight years — and it speaks volumes about the community they've built.

Whether you're in insurtech, distribution, or just fascinated by how AI is reshaping industries from the inside out, this one is well worth your time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.