The best insurance CIOs I have encountered in the past few years are not primarily technologists. They are business strategists who happen to speak technology fluently.
A decade ago, the carrier CIO role was largely about keeping the lights on -- managing legacy systems, negotiating vendor contracts, and handling disaster recovery. That version of the role is extinct in high-performing organizations.
Today the CIO is a co-architect of growth strategy. They need to understand how technology choices in the core system affect the carrier's ability to enter new markets, respond to catastrophes, comply with state regulations, and retain the broker relationships that drive premium volume.
That means the technical skills are necessary but not sufficient. The best insurance IT leaders are spending as much time in conversations with underwriting and claims leadership as they are in system architecture reviews.
If you are building an IT leadership team inside a carrier, hire people who are curious about insurance, not just curious about technology. The intersection is where the real value gets created.
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