Digital Revolution(s), Will Insurance Be The Next Wave?

What was it like to work for Apple in the 1980s or AT&T in the 1990s? Do you remember the wildly popular PalmPilot and stylus? PalmPilot, early in the 2000s helped bridge together PCs, the electric organizer, and a version of the mobile phone. On this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Albert Chu, Group Chief Digital Officer of Sompo Holdings, joins Paul Ricard and shares his experiences  working as a technology executive. Albert discusses today's exponential technologies and how they are driving the age of acceleration. He shares ways Sompo is finding new growth opportunities, building and educating talent, and investing in the future  — beyond insurance. 

In his 40-year Silicon Valley career, Albert has been at the forefront of many technological revolutions — the personal computer, the internet revolution, and today's AI and Web3 opportunities. Albert has brought dozens of products and services to market, at startups and global corporations.

Sompo is investing in the age of acceleration

Today, Albert continues pursing his passion of bringing technology to market. Albert leads the global implementation of Sompo Holding's digital strategy and digital transformation initiatives and heads the Sompo Digital Lab innovation team in Silicon Valley. He is responsible for developing technology partnerships in insurtech, healthtech and Web3. 

Albert shares Sompo's vision for the future — and joint ventures the company is taking beyond insurance. Sompo is creating new businesses from their digital transformation activities, and investing in areas such as insurance plus data and insurance plus Generative AI. For example, what will the world of insurance and reinsurance become in a Web 3 economy? Our episode helps executives stay ahead of the curve, go beyond insurance, and anticipate upcoming technological changes. 

Our Reinventing Insurance podcast explores best practices for taking a CustomerFirst approach to innovation within Insurance. Throughout this series, host Paul Ricard discusses lessons, challenges, and new ways of working with guests who will share their first-hand experiences.

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Featured Guest

Albert Chu is the Group Chief Digital Officer, Senior VP of Sompo Holdings and CEO of Sompo Digital Lab. In these roles, Albert leads the global implementation of Sompo's digital strategy and digital transformation initiatives and heads the Sompo Digital Lab innovation team in Silicon Valley. He is responsible for developing technology partnerships in insurtech, healthtech and Web3. Albert is based in Silicon Valley and has been at SOMPO since 2018.

In his 40-year Silicon Valley career, Albert has brought dozens of products and services to market, at startups and global corporations including Apple, AT&T, PalmSource, ACCESS and SOMPO. As an experienced technology executive, product marketing and business strategist, Albert also serves as advisor, board member and investor for a portfolio of startups.

Additionally, Albert is a managing partner at Poppyseed, an early stage investment and advisory firm; an advisor at Health Engine, an accelerator program for healthcare startups at the University of California, Berkeley; an innovation advisor at the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation in Toronto, Canada; and a Silicon Valley advisor to Mitsubishi Research Institute’s Initiative for Co-Creating the Future.

Our Host

Paul Ricard is a Partner and Head of Asia Pacific Insurance and Asset Management at Oliver Wyman, as well as a member of the CustomerFirst platform, which focuses on designing and building digital solutions, starting with customer needs and challenges.

Paul has worked with large financial-services institutions across the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions. He is also actively connected with the Insurtech and Fintech communities, and has facilitated strong ties between Insurtechs and incumbents.

His areas of expertise include designing and building greenfield digital solutions and implementing large-scale digital transformations.

What was it like to work for Apple in the 1980s or AT&T in the 1990s? Do you remember the wildly popular PalmPilot and stylus? PalmPilot, early in the 2000s helped bridge together PCs, the electric organizer, and a version of the mobile phone. On this episode of Reinventing Insurance, Albert Chu, Group Chief Digital Officer of Sompo Holdings, joins Paul Ricard and shares his experiences  working as a technology executive. Albert discusses today's exponential technologies and how they are driving the age of acceleration. He shares ways Sompo is finding new growth opportunities, building and educating talent, and investing in the future  — beyond insurance. 

In his 40-year Silicon Valley career, Albert has been at the forefront of many technological revolutions — the personal computer, the internet revolution, and today's AI and Web3 opportunities. Albert has brought dozens of products and services to market, at startups and global corporations.

Sompo is investing in the age of acceleration

Today, Albert continues pursing his passion of bringing technology to market. Albert leads the global implementation of Sompo Holding's digital strategy and digital transformation initiatives and heads the Sompo Digital Lab innovation team in Silicon Valley. He is responsible for developing technology partnerships in insurtech, healthtech and Web3. 

Albert shares Sompo's vision for the future — and joint ventures the company is taking beyond insurance. Sompo is creating new businesses from their digital transformation activities, and investing in areas such as insurance plus data and insurance plus Generative AI. For example, what will the world of insurance and reinsurance become in a Web 3 economy? Our episode helps executives stay ahead of the curve, go beyond insurance, and anticipate upcoming technological changes. 

Our Reinventing Insurance podcast explores best practices for taking a CustomerFirst approach to innovation within Insurance. Throughout this series, host Paul Ricard discusses lessons, challenges, and new ways of working with guests who will share their first-hand experiences.

Subscribe for more on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Amazon Music

Featured Guest

Albert Chu is the Group Chief Digital Officer, Senior VP of Sompo Holdings and CEO of Sompo Digital Lab. In these roles, Albert leads the global implementation of Sompo's digital strategy and digital transformation initiatives and heads the Sompo Digital Lab innovation team in Silicon Valley. He is responsible for developing technology partnerships in insurtech, healthtech and Web3. Albert is based in Silicon Valley and has been at SOMPO since 2018.

In his 40-year Silicon Valley career, Albert has brought dozens of products and services to market, at startups and global corporations including Apple, AT&T, PalmSource, ACCESS and SOMPO. As an experienced technology executive, product marketing and business strategist, Albert also serves as advisor, board member and investor for a portfolio of startups.

Additionally, Albert is a managing partner at Poppyseed, an early stage investment and advisory firm; an advisor at Health Engine, an accelerator program for healthcare startups at the University of California, Berkeley; an innovation advisor at the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation in Toronto, Canada; and a Silicon Valley advisor to Mitsubishi Research Institute’s Initiative for Co-Creating the Future.

Our Host

Paul Ricard is a Partner and Head of Asia Pacific Insurance and Asset Management at Oliver Wyman, as well as a member of the CustomerFirst platform, which focuses on designing and building digital solutions, starting with customer needs and challenges.

Paul has worked with large financial-services institutions across the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions. He is also actively connected with the Insurtech and Fintech communities, and has facilitated strong ties between Insurtechs and incumbents.

His areas of expertise include designing and building greenfield digital solutions and implementing large-scale digital transformations.