Current Role and Responsibilities
James Wright serves as Head of Technology for Beazley Digital, a division of Beazley plc, a FTSE 100 specialty insurance group. He is a key member of the senior leadership team, responsible for technology strategy and delivery across all facets of Beazley Digital. His role encompasses leading and managing digital transformation initiatives focused on underwriting and broader business operations within the company’s specialty insurance portfolio.
In 2021, James Wright was appointed Head of Digital Underwriting, where he oversees the extension and innovation of digital underwriting capabilities. Prior to this, he was promoted in 2017 to Head of Digital Platforms, where he was responsible for the oversight and development of Beazley’s digital platforms.
Company Context and Strategic Focus
Beazley Digital under Wright’s leadership focuses on seamless, intuitive, and agile digital transformations aimed at “giving underwriters superpowers” through technology. The division spearheads initiatives to modernize underwriting processes, including leveraging APIs and moving beyond traditional legacy tools like spreadsheets. His leadership supports Beazley’s diversification across multiple specialty insurance lines such as aviation, cyber risk, directors & officers liability, and parametric insurance products.
Beazley reported gross written premiums of $1,254.4 million in 2023, with a combined ratio of 74.0% and a reported return on equity of 4.3% (2023 annual figures). The company emphasizes innovation in its insurance products, including parametric offerings and advanced cyber coverage, areas where digital enablement is critical.
Industry Experience and Tenure
James Wright is an insurance technology veteran who joined Beazley in 2004 and has progressed through multiple roles within the firm’s technology and digital units. His deep industry knowledge spans over 20 years in insurance and technology.
He frequently contributes to thought leadership in InsurTech and the intersection of technology and insurance risk underwriting. Notably, he has shared expertise in reports such as the Global InsurTech Report (Nov 2024) and has been involved in discussions around the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on business operations within the insurance sector. This underscores his active engagement in emerging technologies, particularly AI, and their application to underwriting and cyber insurance.
Education and Professional Development
James Wright attended Saïd Business School, University of Oxford in 2017, where he studied strategy, enhancing his leadership and strategic capabilities in digital transformation. Additional details on his education are not publicly available.
Public Engagement and Recognition
- Wright has been featured in multiple industry interviews and media, including FinTech Magazine, Telco Magazine, and Technology Magazine, where he articulates his views on digital underwriting and agile innovation at Beazley Digital.
- He is recognized for leading Beazley’s efforts to build an inclusive culture that attracts diverse talent and multi-disciplinary teams, aligning with the firm’s core values of being bold, striving for better, and doing the right thing.
- He participated in panel discussions such as the “Next Generation in Insurance Panel” at Beazley Insurance Brokers’ Conference (2023), highlighting his profile as a digital innovation leader.
- Wright participates actively on professional platforms including LinkedIn, where he shares insights on cybercrime trends and digital insurance innovations.
Location and Network
James Wright is based in London, United Kingdom, managing teams and partnerships from this strategic hub. He maintains over 500 professional connections on LinkedIn, indicating a broad network across insurance, technology, and innovation sectors.
Summary: James Wright is a seasoned technology executive with over two decades at Beazley, currently leading digital transformation efforts as Head of Technology for Beazley Digital and Head of Digital Underwriting. His mandate covers driving technological innovation in specialty insurance underwriting, leveraging AI and agile platforms to reposition Beazley at the forefront of InsurTech. His strategic education from Oxford and extensive public engagement further reinforce his role as a thought leader in digital insurance.
