Entsia: Creating a seamless insurance experience
Alistair McElligott, CEO, Founder Entsia

Alistair is the Founder and CEO of Entsia, a software provider revolutionizing how insurers distribute products and manage claims. With a career in insurance spanning over two decades, his vision and experience has led to Entsia successfully supporting a diverse range of insurers via its scalable cloud platform, from startups to global enterprises. Before founding Entsia in 2011, Alistair was in senior IT roles at IAG, where he played a pivotal role in the commercial transformation program. His experience also includes strategic roles at Suncorp and consultancy positions at Infosys and CGI, focusing on delivering bespoke solutions for complex commercial insurance products.

Excerpts from an interview:

Founding of Entsia:

“Having worked in-house for a diverse range of insurers where we were repeatedly asked to build solutions that required large implementation budgets and quickly became outdated legacy systems, we saw how expensive, wasteful and time-consuming the current approach was.” This inspired Alistair to found Entsia, a fully integrated cloud-based platform which provides streamlined policy distribution and claims management for all types of insurance providers, focusing particularly on enabling them to easily distribute their products.

Key features of Entsia’s comprehensive platform designed for digital natives

Entsia offers a full lifecycle general insurance administration platform, covering single risk retail products to complex commercial packages. It enables insurers to distribute products through a wide range of distribution channels, both intermediated and direct. “Our platform integrates underwriting, product distribution and claims management into one scalable solution, accommodating the needs of start-ups all the way up to enterprise insurers. Additionally, we stand out by integrating seamlessly with broker channels, enhancing distribution efficiency.”

Leadership traits:

Patience is crucial, as building trust and relationships in our industry takes time, notes Alistair. “I also strongly believe in charting your own route, so we avoid simply following competitor’s trends. On the flip side, I value listening to diverse opinions and am willing to pivot based on internal and external feedback.”

An enthusiastic insurance industry entrepreneur, Alistair is committed to solving the firm’s software challenges. “My determination means I approach tasks with a thorough and persistent attitude, striving not to fail through sheer perseverance.” This dedication has been pivotal to the growth of Entsia, by having faith in their vision and ensuring they thoroughly understand the industry they aim to lead. “This solid foundation helps mitigate fear and fosters confidence in navigating challenges”, he adds.

Insurance startups need to watch out for:

Alistair’s advice to fellow entrepreneurs is to tackle one of the top three industry problems: “Your target audience isn’t usually losing sleep over their 4^th or 5^th problem. Second, tackle complex issues which in-house IT and competitors cannot easily replicate. Third, don’t just build a product which could be a feature of a competitor or peers’ product. You will end up wasting significant time on a product which isn’t robust enough in its own right.”

Insurance sector – Al’s invaluable lessons and success principles

“It has been said time and time again, but never underestimate the importance of always putting the customer first. Having a sharp vision and being explicit about your timeline and priorities are also essential for navigating projects successfully.” He cautions that nothing ever goes entirely to plan, and when things go wrong, it’s not necessarily a bad thing—new opportunities often arise from failures. These principles have been instrumental in guiding his journey and achieving success.

Entsia – Forging ahead

Entsia is focused on enhancing compliance and risk management capabilities for their customers, and the company is evolving its data and analytics strategy to incorporate AI, providing deeper insights and improved decision-making. “Additionally, we are actively developing our Generative AI strategy to drive further innovation and efficiency in our platform. These initiatives reflect our commitment to staying at the forefront of Insurtech advancements.”

Al’s take on current insurance industry challenges

One of the significant challenges facing the insurance industry today is the rapid pace of digital transformation. Insurers must modernize their legacy systems to meet rising customer expectations for seamless, digital-first experiences. Additionally, the industry is grappling with increased regulatory scrutiny, requiring insurers to navigate complex compliance requirements and enhance their risk management practices. Balancing technological advancement with regulatory compliance is crucial for insurers to stay competitive and resilient.