Romaney O’Malley: Disrupting Financial Strategy in InsurTech
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Romaney O’Malley, Group CTO at bolttech, an InsurTech unicorn that is quite literally electrifying the InsurTech space now spearheading solutions in 35 markets across three continents.
In today’s episode, we explore a multitude of topics, including: The Journey to the Top: What were the critical turning points in Romaney's impressive career? Master Strategist: How does Romany approach challenging strategic decisions at bolttech? Industry Titans: What's the inner fabric of companies like Bolltech also traditional companies such as AIG, Swiss Re, and GE Insurance?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- I made a decision together with my husband in 2008 that we would move to Johannesburg for him to take an opportunity with a bank in South Africa. That was a big deal to move away from London & a great job with SwissRe, but this was a really unique opportunity that ended up being one of the best decisions we’ve made for both of our careers. It exposed me to very different markets across Africa which was invaluable to the rest of my career. Taking risks is important.
- One of the fascinating things about emerging markets is that they can leapfrog the steps that have shaped mature industries in the past. The use of mobile technology & telcos in banking in many parts of Africa is far more advanced that we see in developed countries because they have skipped a number of the evolutional steps that some of the older economies have taken. Those markets & consumers are at the sharp end of innovation.
- You can’t approach things as 1 decision. Your leadership team/board is never going to make 1 series of linear decision, the complexity comes with multiple decisions & how those interact with each other. You should approach these problems as multi-dimensional & you’re always going to be balancing different things. Strategic decisions are about trade-offs & maximising the point at which you make sure you’re delivering a number of different things to different stakeholders without getting out of balance.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Moving to London from Sydney on secondment gave me the opportunity to see the scale & the size of the opportunity in the rest of the world.’
‘I always knew the future of insurance was technology-based.’
‘Play to your strengths but surround yourself with a team of people that are really good at the things that you’re not so good at.’
‘The stronger we can build and ecosystem across the opportunity in InsurTech the more effective insurance industry we’re going to have.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Romaney O’Malley Group CFO at bolttech, an international insurtech company that is revolutionizing the way we think about insurance and technology. Her unique blend of leadership skills and financial acumen is drawn from a 25+ year-career at the apex of the insurance industry.
Romaney's depth of experience is not limited to the insurance field alone; she has ventured into other sectors like reinsurance, finance, and consulting.
When the numbers are crunched and the strategies laid down, Romaney finds her escape in the great outdoors. Whether planning her next exciting travel adventure or unwinding through the meditative art of yoga, she's a perpetual explorer—of landscapes, of limits, and of life.
ABOUT THE HOST
There are over 140,000 FinTech ventures out there, including FinTechs, InsurTechs, HealthTechs, and WealthTechs. And the number keeps on changing every month. One statistic remains the same: 25% of these ventures have received investment and support from the financing world. 75% of these businesses still seek financing support from institutional and corporate investors alongside value-creating commercial collaboration opportunities with Global Fortune 500.
Through this podcast series, I would like to demystify the world of corporate venturing, including how corporations collaborate with growth ventures, how venture capitalists and corporate venture capitalists make investment and collaboration choices in ventures and give tech founders and entrepreneurs, the strategies, tactics, tools, and techniques to build, grow and scale their business by understanding how those with financing power think. So, listen in, share and comment as you see fit.