Pravina Ladva, Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer: Swiss Re: The beauty of technology is in the small things (356)

InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

With generative AI, engineering excellence and legacy system resilience all under one remit, what does it take to lead digital transformation at one of the world’s largest reinsurers?

In this episode, Robin Merttens is joined by Pravina Ladva, Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Swiss Re, to explore what it means to drive impact through innovation at scale.

Pravina shares how Swiss Re is helping clients get more from their data, reduce underwriting time and prepare for a future shaped by new technologies. It’s a conversation about strategy, change and what it really takes to turn curiosity into impact – without losing sight of operational fundamentals.

Key Talking Points:

• Embracing GenAI responsibly – how Swiss Re encourages experimentation while prioritising outcomes
• From concept to scale – why small wins in underwriting can deliver real value for clients
• Beyond the hype – using traditional business cases to prioritise AI use cases
• Redefining talent – how today’s underwriters and technologists are becoming one and the same
• From ingestion to insight – why data infrastructure still matters in an AI-native world
• Making the business case – why AI productivity gains must go beyond speed
• Building co-pilot confidence – what it takes to upskill thousands of employees globally
• Thinking top-down – how Swiss Re balances experimentation with bold, disruptive thinking
• From engineering to impact – how core IP and differentiated services shape tech investment
• What insurers need to consider – why translating technology into strategic value is the real differentiator

If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Robin Merttens on LinkedIn. You can also contact Pravina Ladva 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:

• Measure the early productivity gains seen from AI-assisted engineering and claims assessment processes.
• Specify the criteria used by Swiss Re to prioritise AI and digital transformation use cases.
• Explain the role of talent development and cross-functional collaboration in enabling successful technology adoption.

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 356 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.