Nigel Walsh, Global Head of Insurance: ServiceNow: Making insurance lovable and curing the messy middle (346)

InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

The insurance industry is at an inflection point—legacy processes are still widespread, yet AI and automation are enabling smarter, more efficient workflows. But how do insurers cut through the noise and apply technology in a way that truly transforms their operations?

In this episode, Matthew Grant sits down with Nigel Walsh, newly appointed at ServiceNow, to discuss how AI, digital agents and workflow automation are reshaping insurance. With 500 insurers already using ServiceNow, Nigel shares why he joined, what ServiceNow does beyond IT service management, and how its AI-powered workflows are tackling the industry’s “messy middle.”

Key Talking Points

• AI-driven insurance workflows – how ServiceNow is helping insurers streamline underwriting, claims and customer service beyond traditional IT service management.
• Agentic AI in action – the role of digital agents in automating insurance processes, reducing inefficiencies and enhancing decision-making.
• The changing face of VC funding – why AI is reshaping startup strategies, reducing team sizes and altering investment dynamics.
• Bridging the data gap in catastrophe insurance – lessons from California wildfires and the challenge of accurately assessing risk and rebuilding costs.
• Enhancing claims efficiency with AI – how insurers can leverage automation to improve claims workflows and customer experience.
• Navigating insurance thought leadership – the challenge of cutting through LinkedIn’s noise and building meaningful industry conversations.
• AI adoption in 2025 and beyond – the rise of digital workers, the evolution of enterprise AI and the potential for insurers to orchestrate thousands of agents.

If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. You can also contact Nigel Walsh on LinkedIn to start a conversation!

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Continuing Professional Development

This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.

By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:

• Explain the evolving role of AI in the insurance industry, including its influence on venture funding and business models.
• Define the challenges insurers face in catastrophe modeling and data accuracy for risk assessment.
• Identify the potential applications of AI-driven orchestration platforms in improving enterprise-wide insurance operations.

If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 345 page of the InsTech website or email [email protected] to let us know you have listened to this podcast.

To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.