Insurtech Event

InsurtechLIVE27

18 Feb 2027

Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, 161 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000

Luke Anear

Founder / CEO

Mitti

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Luke Anear

Founder / CEO

Mitti

Luke Anear is the Founder and CEO of Mitti, formerly SafetyCulture. He started the company in 2004 with a mission to improve the way the world works.

From a garage in Townsville to a $2.5 billion AUD valuation, Luke has spent two decades building for the 80% of workers who don’t sit at a desk. Today more than two million frontline workers across 80,000 organisations worldwide run on Mitti. The business has grown well beyond software, into hardware, consumables and insurance. For decades, insurance has existed to pay claims, not prevent them. Mitti Insurance flips that: it uses the same operational data and AI that help teams catch hazards early to price risk based on what’s happening on the ground, not what’s already happened.
Andrew Buncombe

Insurance Analyst

Macquarie Bank

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Andrew Buncombe

Insurance Analyst

Macquarie Bank

Andrew has been a top rated Equities Analyst at Macquarie Group for the Australian Insurance and Diversified Financials sectors for the last 10 years.

Prior to this, Andrew worked at Aon for six years in their consulting division, advising insurers on M&A and strategic growth options across Asia Pacific.

Andrew is a CA and CFA charterholder.
David Gritz

Co-Founder and Managing Director

Insurtech NY

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Will Ross

CEO / Co-Founder

Federato

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Will Ross

CEO / Co-Founder

Federato

Will has raised $180M from leading VC to change the way insurance work gets done across the full policy lifecycle. Before founding Federato, he was a key executive at IBM’s Watson Group and a graduate fellow in Stanford University’s Data Science Institute where he researched wildfire modeling.
Jenny Bax

Chief Executive Officer

UAC

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Stela Solar

CEO

Stone & Chalk

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Stela Solar

CEO

Stone & Chalk

Stela Solar is the CEO of Stone & Chalk, Australia’s largest innovation community. Stela also serves on the Data & AI Advisory Council at Beyond Blue. A recognised technology leader, she was previously Managing Director for Data&AI at Accenture ANZ, served as the Inaugural Director of Australia’s National AI Centre and Co-chair of the Commonwealth AI Consortium, after holding several leadership positions at Microsoft, including Global Director of AI Solution Sales and Global Partner Co-sell Leader.

Throughout her distinguished 20 year career, she has driven business model transformations that enable organisations to capture new opportunities through emerging technologies including Cloud, IoT, and AI, and has developed nation-wide AI frameworks such as the Voluntary AI Safety Standard. Combining her background in sustainability and creative industries with deep technical expertise, Stela is known for delivering business outcomes anchored in business value, market differentiation and responsible impact.

Beyond her professional endeavours, Stela enjoys sailing and tries to find time to play cello and piano.
Mark Bennett

Partner

DLA Piper

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Scott Wilson

Founder-operator

Konkrd

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Scott Wilson

Founder-operator

Konkrd

Scott Wilson is Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Konkrd, an AI digital broker that reads the fine print on insurance and financial products and helps people choose and buy the right one. In October 2025 Konkrd completed Australia’s first fully AI executed private health insurance sale, from comparison through to purchase. Konkrd is a 2026 Australian AI Awards finalist in the AI Innovator (Insurance) category.

Scott has led each of the models this panel will compare: the comparison site, the marketplace and now the AI agent. As Managing Director and CEO of ASX listed iSelect he took its market capitalisation from $64 million to more than $500 million. As Chair of iMoney Group he oversaw a financial comparison marketplace across South East Asia. Konkrd is his answer to the question those roles left open: what happens to comparison sites, brokers and insurer websites when the customer sends an AI agent to shop instead?

He is also Co-Founder and CEO of Wilson AI, an AI consultancy founded in 2018, and co-founded Amplifir, a Google Premier Partner performance marketing agency whose answer engine optimisation practice helps brands get cited and recommended by AI assistants. Earlier he held senior roles at 20th Century Fox, PZ Cussons, Mondelez and Woolworths. Scott judges the AI category of the AMI Marketing Excellence Awards, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Certified Practising Marketer.
JD Veldsmann

Chief Commercial Officer

Gallagher

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JD Veldsmann

Chief Commercial Officer

Gallagher

Johannes Daniel (JD) Veldsman is Chief Commercial Officer at Gallagher in Australia, having joined the organisation in March 2026. With over 15 years of experience across the insurance and risk management industry, JD is a respected commercial leader recognised for driving growth, leading transformation and building high-performing teams in diverse markets.

JD’s expertise spans commercial strategy, business development, client engagement and sales leadership. Throughout his career, he has successfully improved commercial performance, revitalised portfolios and created scalable growth platforms in highly competitive environments. He is known for his ability to turn strategy into action, identify new opportunities and build strong relationships with clients and colleagues alike.
Born and raised in South Africa, JD began his career there before relocating to Australia in 2017. His experience across Australia, the Pacific, Africa and the Middle East has provided him with a deep understanding of market dynamics and a broad perspective on leadership, growth and client service.

JD holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Law from Stellenbosch University and maintains ANZIIF’s ASIC RG146 Tier 1 Insurance Broking compliance.

9:00 AM

Exhibitor Hour

Explore solutions, meet vendors and connect with attendees.
10:00 AM

Welcome

Opening Remarks
10:15 AM
A Year of (Re)Invention

How insurtechs are evolving through AI, transformation and changing market conditions.
- Luke Anear Founder Keynote, Mitti
10:45 AM
What Will Insurers Compete On in the Coming Decade? (Panel)

Exploring the future role of trust, data, capital and CX in portfolio strategy.
- Andrew Buncombe Macquarie Bank
11:20 AM
Global Perspectives on the Road to 2030 (Panel)

Lessons from insurance innovation and experimentation around the world.
- David Gritz Insurtech NY
11:50 AM

Future Predictions Icebreaker

Audience debate on the most likely future scenarios for insurance. (Interactive Discussion)
12:00 PM

Lunch (Networking)
1:00 PM

TRACK A: The new insurance tech stack
1:00 PM

Welcome back

Introduction to afternoon content
1:05 PM
Built-in, not bolted on: The architecture shift AI demands

Keynote
- Will Ross Federato
1:15 PM
The Future Insurance Tech Stack (Panel)

What actually has to change in the insurance technology stack for AI to matter, How is the distinction between systems of record and systems of decision matter? Trade-offs, lessons learned, and strategic decisions shaping key organisations’ technology roadmaps.
- Will Ross Federato
- Jamie Smith Moderator
1:45 PM

Startup <> Insurer Partnership Case Study

A founder and insurer are invited to speak about their partnership, the process and the outcomes. (Case Study + Fireside)
2:00 PM
Powering the New Tech Stack (Panel)

How insurers can balance computing power, cost, speed and resilience as AI workloads scale. Exploring the infrastructure choices powering insurance innovation. (Panel + Fireside)
- Stela Solar Stone & Chalk
- Mark Bennett DLA Piper
2:45-3:15 PM

Afternoon Tea (Networking Break)
3:20 PM

TRACK B: Rebuilding the insurance value chain
3:20 PM
The Future of Insurance Distribution (Panel)

Examining how consumers will discover and purchase insurance in the years ahead.
- Scott Wilson Konkrd
3:50 PM

Case Study

A founder and insurer are invited to speak about their partnership, the process and the outcomes. Case Study + Fireside
4:00 PM

Claims as the Moment of Truth

How insurers and insurtechs are improving customer outcomes through innovation in life, motor and property claims.
4:30 PM

The Human at the Heart

Preparing people leaders to build human-centred organisations in an AI-enabled future and how we can ensure AI complements the future insurance workforce. (Closing Keynote)
5:00 PM

Closing Remarks

Key takeaways and closing reflections.

1:00 PM

TRACK B: Rebuilding the insurance value chain
1:00 PM
Broker / MGA & Insurtechs

How intermediaries are responding to emerging technology and partnering with insurtechs. Case studies and roundtable discussion on best practices. (Breakout Discussion)
- Jenny Bax UAC
2:00 PM
Underwriting the AI Economy & Emerging Risks

Assessing, pricing and managing risks as AI moves from experimentation to operational deployment; how traditional underwriting approaches may need to change to account for autonomous decision-making and AI-driven customer interactions. (Panel + Breakout Roundtables)
- Tracey Bryan Lloyd’s Australia
3:20 PM

TRACK A: The new insurance tech stack
3:20 PM
Performance Managing Your AI Agents

Your newest workforce is AI. How are you going to manage it? Practical frameworks for measuring AI agent effectiveness and value. (Expert Talk + Roundtables)
- Jamie Smith
4:00 PM
Managing Technology Risk

Balancing innovation with cyber resilience, fraud, governance and trust considerations. (Fireside + Panel)
- Victor Bajanov