Speaker: Prof Christopher Holland 

Abstract: Automotive insurance is undergoing digital transformation that exploits new forms of big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. Geo-spatial data from GPS and telematics systems enables innovative risk modelling to evaluate driver behaviour and leads to the creation of new insurance services and novel insurance business models. A research framework is proposed to analyse AI-enabled business models and applied to a detailed case analysis of behavioural insurance in HUK-COBURG. The results illustrate the application of geo-spatial data in an insurance context and demonstrate the utility of the research framework to analyse new AI-enabled business models. The analysis identifies important implementation issues and shows that the strategic logic, regulatory and ethical context are important elements of business models. The empirical analysis reveals the strategic properties and effects of the data flywheel concept, which has general applicability. The theory framework and empirical results have important implications for other markets and theoretical contexts.

Short bio: Professor Holland is an academic consultant and Emeritus Professor at the Universities of Manchester and Loughborough in the UK, and a visiting international Professor at the University of Münster, Germany. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors (IoD), which reflects his board level consultancy and research experience in a range of large organisations in the UK, Europe, and the US.

Prof Holland has worked at the interface of business and technology for over 40 years with a range of international business organisations, including CISCO, Vodafone Europe, Citibank, Barclays, Motorola, IBM, HUK-COBURG, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), bgl group and Waitrose. Professor Holland’s main academic consultancy themes are digital strategy, Artificial Intelligence, big data, ethics and the implementation of digital transformation projects. He is currently a member of the EIOPA expert panel on big data in insurance markets and has previously contributed to EIOPA’s ethical guidelines on the use of AI and big data in insurance markets.

Prof Holland has presented his research at prestigious international business and academic conferences and published research articles in leading strategy, management and technology journals including Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, Sloan Management Review, Communications of the ACM, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Decision Support Systems and the International Journal of Electronic Commerce.