Experts insuring change

Chris has 20+ years’ experience building businesses that deliver profit and purpose. He previously co-founded and served as COO of Simply Business, the UK’s largest digital SME broker and one of its first financial services B-Corps. Following its acquisition by Travelers Group in 2017, Chris became CEO of Sanctus, a UK workplace coaching business. He is also a Partner at venture investor 53º Capital and a Trustee of Young Enterprise, the UK’s largest youth education charity.

Sima Adhya has 17 years’ experience underwriting complex risks in technical sectors across the Lloyd’s market. She was previously Head of Innovation and Head of Space at Hamilton, where she maintained a profitable portfolio while leading new product strategy. Before Hamilton, Sima was Head of Space at Starstone and Sciemus Limited. She holds a PhD in astrodynamics modelling from University College London and a Natural Sciences degree from the University of Cambridge.

Stewart is a seasoned insurance data and product leader, his prior roles including Chief Data Officer at Superscript and Wrisk and Chief Analytics Officer at Simply Business. He specialises in building data-led functions that improve insurance performance – from pricing and underwriting to customer conversion – and drive measurable business growth. Stewart holds a BCom in Economics & Computer Science and MA in International Studies from the University of Stellenbosch.

Zachary Kane is a carbon markets leader with experience spanning insurance, venture investing, and large-scale nature-based carbon programmes. He was previously Managing Director of Assurity Ventures, the insurtech-focused venture arm of a certified B-Corp insurance carrier in the US. Before that, Zachary led Corporate Partnerships at the Arbor Day Foundation, structuring and closing high-volume deals in nature-based solutions with C-suite and senior sustainability executives.

James has over 18 years’ experience underwriting credit and political risk for banks, corporates and multilateral institutions across Lloyd’s and company markets. He has held senior underwriting roles at HDI Global Specialty SE, Brit Insurance and Beazley, structuring complex non-payment, contract frustration and political risk exposures, including green and sustainability-linked transactions. James holds a BA in Politics and Philosophy from the University of York.

Kate has over a decade of experience in scaling operations in high-growth insurtech companies, most recently, as Director of Commercial Operations at Simply Business. There, she drove strategic alignment and operational strategy across engineering, data, and commercial teams. Previously, she was part of the Delegated Arrangements team at Direct Line Group, contributing to its delivery and execution.

Elisabeth has 10 years’ experience shaping positioning and go-to-market strategy for financial services firms. Most recently, she ran an independent consultancy advising clients across insurance, asset management, and fintech. She was previously CMO at Util, where her research won Investment Week’s Sustainable Research of the Year in 2022, and earlier held investment writing roles at T. Rowe Price and Legal & General Investment Management.

Amir is a London-based technology leader with a strong track record in designing, building, and scaling digital insurance products within high-growth, fast-moving environments. With over five years of experience in insurtech, including serving as a Principal Engineer at Policy Expert, he combines deep technical expertise with a sharp product and growth-oriented perspective.