Instanda looks to Aviva for expansion into new markets

UK-based insurtech  Instanda, a cloud-based digital insurance platform, is looking to strengthen its foothold in the life and health market with the hiring of a second  Aviva executive in recent months.

Simon Candy (pictured) has been appointed as senior manager in propositions and business development to support Instanda’s expansion into the life and health market. His appointment follows that of former Aviva executive Will Wood as head of life and health earlier this year, as the insurtech continues to attract top talent from the insurance industry.

Candy has 24 years’ experience of managing and developing life and health insurance products. In addition to his 17 years at Aviva primarily as a senior propositions manager, he worked for seven years at HSBC. He has also been a member of the Group Risk Industry Forum [GRiD] Regs Committee for over 15 years.

In his new role, Candy will be responsible for identifying new growth opportunities in the market, and enhancing Instanda's existing life and health proposition from new product design to improved customer experience and outcome. Alongside Will, he will also work closely with existing clients and partners, looking for new ways to add value and better meet the evolving needs of their customers.

"The opportunity to drive change through innovation and creativity has never been more important," said Candy. "I am looking forward to working with Will and the wider Instanda team to strengthen our foothold in the life and health market."

He added: "The ability to host an end-to-end digital customer experience, and to be able to change or amend propositions quickly and effectively is crucial. No more so than in the life and health sector, where mass digitisation and evolving product design is likely to become the norm, as businesses and consumers become more aware of the need to protect themselves, employees and loved ones post pandemic."

Wood commented: "Simon’s experience and track record in life and health complements our growth ambitions in this space. Having worked with Simon at Aviva, I’m confident his breadth and depth of expertise will bring invaluable insights and competitive advantage to our clients.

"There’s a huge opportunity to concentrate on no code / low code technology in an area of the insurance market that has struggled to keep pace with digitisation. COVID-19 has meant customers' demands and expectations have changed and insurers have responded with new products. However, to keep ahead of the curve, insurers need to use technology to market and distribute products at speed. Instanda can make this happen and with Simon at the helm we can make our proposition even more compelling for existing and future clients.”

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