Last year I had the privilege of judging the Insurance Times Tech & Innovation Awards. As you'd expect, the standard was exceptionally high. Every finalist brought something different to the table, from artificial intelligence and automation to data science, customer experience and operational transformation.
Judging innovation is never easy. You're not simply recognising what has already been achieved, you're making an informed assessment about which ideas have the greatest potential to make a lasting difference to the insurance industry.
But what happens after the trophies are handed out?
It's easy to showcase a new platform or an exciting proof of concept. The real challenge begins once the judges have gone home. Can the technology scale? Will colleagues embrace it? Does it continue to deliver measurable benefits? Has the business evolved it as new challenges and opportunities emerge?
Looking back over the past year, it's encouraging to see that many of the leading organisations haven't stood still.
Homeprotect, part of the Avantia Group and the overall winner, has continued to invest in its claims technology and wider digital strategy, building on the innovation that originally impressed the judging panel. Rather than treating the award as a destination, it appears to have become another milestone in an ongoing programme of improvement.
Intact Insurance has continued to demonstrate that successful innovation isn't always about the newest technology. Some of the greatest gains come from embedding technology into day-to-day operations, improving efficiency, supporting colleagues and making life simpler for customers and partners alike.
NFU Mutual has taken a similarly considered approach, showing that innovation doesn't have to mean removing the human element. In an increasingly automated world, there remains significant value in combining technology with experienced people, particularly in claims where empathy, judgement and trust continue to matter.
That consistency across very different organisations reinforces an important point. The best innovations don't simply automate existing processes, they improve outcomes for customers, insurers and the wider claims ecosystem.
From my own perspective, one thing has become particularly apparent over the last twelve months: the pace of change has accelerated dramatically. Capabilities that felt genuinely cutting edge during judging are now becoming expected. Artificial intelligence has evolved at remarkable speed, data is becoming richer and customer expectations continue to rise.
Yet one principle hasn't changed: Technology should support better decisions, not replace sound judgement.
That's something we think about every day at Laird.
As an independent engineering practice, we don't build reports to achieve a predetermined outcome for an insurer, a repairer or a claimant. Our role is to provide an impartial engineering opinion based on evidence, experience and established Thatcham or OEM repair methodology. Our assessors remain entirely responsible for every conclusion they reach, while AI is used where appropriate to reduce administration, surface relevant information and allow experienced engineers to spend more time applying their expertise where it matters most.
In many ways, that mirrors the direction the wider insurance market appears to be taking. The most successful innovations are increasingly those that combine advanced technology with experienced professionals, rather than attempting to replace one with the other.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy judging these awards so much. They provide a snapshot of where our industry is heading. Looking back a year later provides something even more valuable: an opportunity to see which innovations have genuinely delivered on their promise.
Winning an innovation award is an achievement worth celebrating. Continuing to improve long after the presentation evening is what ultimately defines lasting success.
As technology continues to evolve, I suspect the most successful organisations won't necessarily be those with the most AI, the most automation or the biggest budgets. They'll be the businesses that continue to focus on solving real problems, delivering measurable outcomes and maintaining the trust of the people they serve.
That's a future the insurance industry should be excited about.
