My test of insurance technology is who answers for the decision a policyholder receives.

I am responsible for information technology at Caldermere Mutual, a property and casualty insurer owned by its policyholders. From Madison, Wisconsin, we support agents and service colleagues across eight Midwestern states. At the end of 2025 we had 680,000 policies in force. My team of 186 employees builds and maintains the systems through which underwriting, claims and policy administration work. Those functions keep their professional authority; software does not acquire it by producing an answer quickly.

My career began in insurance systems analysis in September 1990. A claim file taught me more about the limits of a tidy data model than an abstract process diagram could. Two documents could appear to describe the same loss while applying different policy terms. A missing photograph might reflect a damaged home rather than a careless claimant. Those experiences still inform how I evaluate automation: I want to know whose judgement is being supported, which evidence is available and how a person can challenge a mistaken result.

Since becoming CIO in October 2018, I have worked with claims, underwriting, operations and legal colleagues on that division of responsibility. My 2026 technology authorisation is USD96 million, including USD61 million for continuing operations and USD35 million for change. I report to the chief executive and present to the board risk committee. I have never held a director appointment. My task is to make the insurer's decisions more traceable and its services more usable, without presenting technical acceptance as proof that an insurance judgement is right.

Current focus

I am revisiting the routes by which a claim reaches a human decision-maker when ordinary evidence is unavailable. Our work includes catastrophe intake, assisted communication and clear ownership of unanswered questions. I want the exception route to be designed with the same care as the main digital journey, then tested by colleagues who must use it under pressure.

Conversations I welcome

I welcome a CIO mandate in a member-owned or privately held insurer where the board expects clear boundaries between technology and insurance judgement. I can explore one external board role, subject to employer consent and conflict assessment, with twenty days a year available. Speaking enquiries should concern the practice and limits of insurance automation.