CUSTOMERS
Axa
Badreddine Benbrahim, Head of Claims Design Authority
Badreddine began his career at Cegedim as a software engineer before transitioning to Renault as a Java/JEE Tech Lead contractor. He then advanced to the role of Software Architect at AXA France and later served as an Enterprise Architect at La Mutuelle Générale. Currently, Badreddine holds the position of Head of Claims Design Authority at AXA France, where he leads the design of all claims-related software systems. His extensive experience in software engineering has proven invaluable in each of his roles, and he is deeply committed to fostering innovation and driving efficiency within organizations.
Pohjola
Kristian Hiljander, Vice President and Head of Motor Insurance
Kristian acts as a Vice President and Head of Motor Insurance at Pohjola Insurance, the largest insurance company in Finland and part of OP Financial Group. He is also the Chairman of the Board at Finnish Motor Insurers´ Centre. Kristian has over 20 years of experience in the P&C industry during which time he has been working in several roles in products and pricing, claims, sales and IT development. He holds a master’s degree in insurance science from the University of Tampere. Kristian loves spending time in the Finnish archipelago where his roots are.
Swiss Re
Jérôme Jean Haegeli, Group Chief Economist
Jérôme is the Group Chief Economist at Swiss Re, overseeing economic and insurance market research. He leads global research teams across multiple locations, providing macro and insurance industry analysis, scenario analysis, and consulting services. With previous experience in investment strategy and roles at the Swiss National Bank and financial institutions, Jérôme brings extensive expertise to his position. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Basel and an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, and has been a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University’s Economic Department. Jérôme is also active in external committees and serves on the boards of several prominent institutions in the financial and insurance sectors.
Warta
Rafał Stankiewicz, Vice-President of the Executive Board
Rafal is Vice-President of the Executive Board of Warta SA, supervising Claims and Operations Divisions. He joined the company in 2011, and worked previously at PZU SA for 13 years. During his career he has been responsible for several successful projects connected with efficiency growth and innovations in claims handling.
PARTNERS
Newgen
Varun Ghai, Associate Vice President (P&S), UK & EU
Varun is a seasoned professional with over 17 years of dedicated service at Newgen Software, currently holding the position of Head of Business & Consulting for the UK & Europe region. Throughout his tenure, Varun has consistently demonstrated a commitment to innovation and excellence. He has been instrumental in shaping the company’s trajectory, leveraging his extensive experience to drive business growth and lead transformative initiatives. One of Varun’s notable achievements includes his pivotal role in developing and transforming the Clause & Wording Management solution for Specialty & Commercial Insurers. His strategic insights and deep understanding of the industry landscape have empowered Newgen to deliver cuttingedge solutions that effectively address the evolving needs of its clientele.
PwC Strategy&
Christoph Herzog, Director
Christoph is an advisor to executives in the finance sector for Strategy&, PwC’s strategy consulting business. As a Director based in Munich, he is helping clients realize important strategic projects like growth strategies, large-scale transformations and particularly digital business models. In the context of Embedded Insurance, he has conducted multiple projects for global insurers as well as leading industry clients embedding insurance services into their core offering. He combines in-depth insurance industry knowledge and functional expertise around digital and sales with a fresh perspective about driving growth opportunities through innovation, customer experience, and new technologies.
Zelros
Christophe Bourguignat, Co-founder, CPTO
Christophe is the co-founder and CPTO of Zelros, where he spearheads the development of The Insurance Copilot™, revolutionizing insurance distribution through personalized recommendations. This innovative approach enhances the customer experience by providing tailored solutions. Prior to his role at Zelros, Christophe worked at AXA Data Innovation Lab and Datarobot, where he made significant contributions to the industry. He is known for advocating for the responsible and fair use of technology, particularly through initiatives like Responsible AI, and for his efforts in transforming customer experiences with hyper-personalized recommendations across various channels. Additionally, Christophe has played a pivotal role in fostering diversity and equity at Zelros, resulting in a company culture characterized by humility, trust, and innovation, with a diversity and equity index consistently surpassing the market average in France.
GUIDEWIRE
Charles Clarke, Group Vice President, Guidewire Analytics
Charles is Group Vice President of Guidewire Analytics, based in London. He joined Guidewire in October 2019, having spent nearly 15 years working for data and insurance technology companies in the casualty, agriculture, and property insurance markets in North America, Europe, India and China. Charles most recently worked for Praedicat where he was Global Head of Client Development. He holds a first-class degree in Chemistry from University College, Durham.
Brian Desmond, Chief Marketing Officer
Brian leads Guidewire’s global marketing efforts, including demand generation, branding, and communications. Brian joined Guidewire in 2006. During his tenure the company has been recognized as the industry-leading brand serving more than 500 customers in 40 countries. He previously was Vice President of Marketing for PeopleSoft’s supply chain division and held marketing leadership and product marketing roles at Ketera, Ariba, and Tradex. Brian served on the board of directors of Betterview, an insurtech that provides a geospatial predictive analytics platform for P&C insurance.
Diego Devalle, Chief Product Development Officer
Diego has held numerous executive positions overseeing technology and product development in the San Francisco Bay Area, India, and Europe. In his role at Guidewire, he drives design and strategy to implement engineering goals that address the needs of P&C insurers, such as the requirement to rapidly bring new and differentiating insurance products to market. Prior to Guidewire, Diego served as Vice President of Software Development and Vice President of Product and Engineering at SAP Labs. He began his enterprise software career at Baan in the Netherlands.
Laura Drabik, Guidewire Chief Evangelist
Laura is a recognized thought leader and trusted advisor to insurers seeking to harness disruptive technologies to their competitive advantage. An accomplished executive, presenter, and product strategist, she’s known for turning insights gained in the field into category-leading solutions for Guidewire customers. Her highly respected website and InsurTalk podcast interview series are go-to resources for learning about the trends transforming the P&C landscape, and best practices for fostering innovation and achieving sustainable business growth. Laura has also gained renown for inspiring the next generation of insurance industry leaders through an influential TEDx Talk, and her role on the board of directors of Girls in Tech.
Will McAllister, Senior Vice President, Managing Director EMEA
Will serves as SVP – Managing Director EMEA for Guidewire, overseeing all go-to-market functions in the region, and also sits on Guidewire’s Global Leadership Team. Originally joining Guidewire in 2014 as EMEA General Counsel, based in London, Will transitioned to overseeing EMEA operations in 2018. In June 2022, he assumed his current role, focusing on customer success and driving growth opportunities in EMEA. With a background in the software industry since 2006, Will has primarily focused on serving the financial services industry. Prior to Guidewire, he served as UK Head of Commercial & Legal for SAS Software and held roles in the European Commercial function at Misys Software. Will holds LLB (hons) and LLM degrees in Law from Kingston University.
Jamie McDonnell, London Market Lead
Jamie began his career as an insurance practitioner, spending 10 years working across both Underwriting and Broking, culminating with a 6-year tenure at Marsh serving FTSE 250 Oil & Gas companies. At Guidewire, Jamie leads our engagement with the London Market, coordinating our response to interest from prospective customers and industry trading bodies such as Lloyd’s of London. Jamie works closely with our solution partners to help shape solutions for our customers, but also scouts potential technology partners who could compliment the Guidewire proposition and unlock further value for our users.
John Mullen, President and Chief Revenue Officer
John leads Guidewire’s Global Sales, Delivery Services, and Customer Success organizations. He is an accomplished senior executive with more than 25 years of experience in driving high-growth teams to shape and deliver industry transformation. As head of the $4B+ North America Business Unit at Capgemini, John led a global team of professionals in delivering innovative solutions that support the strategic growth of the world’s leading brands. Previously he had led the Capgemini Insurance Business Unit, overseeing the expansion of Capgemini’s global insurance business. He began his career with eight years at Accenture.
David Phull, Group VP Sales EMEA
David has worked in the technology sector for more than 20 years, but initially started his career in industry. Having worked at ExxonMobil, DHL and the Kingfisher Group implementing and making software deliver business value. David joined Guidewire in September 2023 as Vice President for Sales in EMEA. Prior to this David has held Senior Leadership roles at a variety of Enterprise Software companies bringing greater focus and precision to the sales function, enabling critical collaboration to improve alignment with customers’ needs, ultimately helping those organisations to better serve their customers.
Ally Redding, Senior Account Executive
Ally is a Senior Account Executive at Guidewire responsible for managing sales across the UK and South Africa. Her focus is to work with new and existing customers to understand their strategic objectives, and showcase the power of leveraging Guidewire’s SaaS capabilities to achieve them. Since joining in 2021, Ally has received awards for her sales performance including EMEA Newcomer of the Year. Ally is also the UK lead for Guidewire’s Employee Resource Group – GROW (Guidewire Recognition of Women). Prior to joining Guidewire, Ally spent the previous 5 years working in Financial Services as a Global Client Partner.
