Covéa Insurance appoints Graeme Howard as Chief Technology and Information Officer

Graeme Howardhas been appointed Chief Technology and Information Officer of Covéa Insurance, the UK underwriting business of French mutual insurance group Covéa, the largest property and liability insurance in France.

Howard will begin his role at the end of February 2019, taking responsibility for leading and developing Covéa Insurance’s technology transformation strategy and technology innovation, as well as driving improvements in delivery and services for customers.

The CIO 100 member joins the insurance firm from international relocation and shipping services provider Santa Fe Relocation, where was promoted from the role of CTO to CIO.

During his two years at the company, he led the creation of a global operating platform that provides a company-wide view of operational data and a rich source of analytics. He also rebuilt the technology organisation structure through key hires and staff rotation to support the day-to-day operations of the systems used by 3,000 staff across 96 offices.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to join a very well-placed player in the insurance market, at a time when disruption and reinvention are vital in order to survive and flourish,” Howard told CIO UK.

“Covéa Insurance has a track record in delivering innovative market offerings and wants to continue to develop these capabilities through a revolutionary end to end systems transformation, including adopting a microservices platform approach to help drive rapid progress.

“It’s an exciting time to be leading this ambitious transformation in the insurance market and I am proud and excited to be joining such a forward thinking company at this stage in its journey.”

Covéa Insurance Claims and Operations Director Adrian Furness welcomed Howard to the company in a statement.

“I’m delighted Graeme will be joining us,” he said. “He has extensive knowledge in leading IT and technology developments at an exec level and will play a principle role in driving our technology agenda at what is an exciting time for our industry.”