A DUNDEE-based insurance platform chaired by leading entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl has hired a Scots technology veteran as it gears up for international expansion.
Broker Insights has recruited former TVSquared executive Tom Duke to the role of chief operating officer.
The company said Mr Duke’s experience of scaling up technology companies would be a big asset as it proceeds with its global expansion plans.
His 25-year career in technology has included a spell as chief information officer of TVSquared, the Edinburgh business founded by Calum Smeaton that allows companies to measure the impact of their television advertising. That saw Mr Duke lead the company’s technical strategy and manage teams across the US and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region.
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Mr Smeaton sold TV Squared to Innovid, a New York-listed advertising and management platform, for $160 million in February last year.
Mr Duke was previously operations director at Brandwatch and chief technology officer at iBAHN, where he managed a global team that provided network and video products to the hospitality industry. He has also held senior positions at Memex, Orbital Software and Vision Consulting.
Mr Duke said: “Creating a great product, which Broker Insights has undoubtedly done, is only ever half the battle for technology firms.
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“Platforms like ours need to be capable of handling billions of data points, at high speed, to produce the best outcomes possible for our clients and their customers. To do that successfully, while growing the business at pace, you need to build great infrastructure around the product and excellent processes within the organisation.
“That combination of technical and operational challenges is hugely motivating for me, and I have already been impressed by the vision and expertise of my new colleagues at Broker Insights and what they have achieved to date.”
The Broker Insights platform connects major insurers such as Allianz, Axa, Aviva, Hiscox, QBE, CFC, Ecclesiastical, ERS, Markel, and HSB Engineering with brokers. There are currently more than £2 billion of gross written premiums on the platform, with £1.6bn from the UK’s regional commercial insurance market.
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Fraser Edmond, chief executive of Broker Insights, said: “Tom arrives at Broker Insights at a crucial time for our company. His previous experience in leading transformational change in the pursuit of growth aligns perfectly with our ambitions.
“Our expansion into the United States, where we are undertaking a trial, is key to our international business plans. Tom’s insight and knowledge of scaling technology companies to prepare for this kind of expansion will be invaluable over the coming years. His experience at TVSquared in handling cloud-based infrastructure internationally, whilst responding to ever-growing customer demand, will be particularly important.”
Broker Insights is a portfolio company of Chroma Ventures, the investment vehicle established by Mr van der Kuyl and Paddy Burns in 2021.
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