Making Risk Flow Across the Insurance Value Chain | Richard Hartley, Cytora (Applied Systems)

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, recorded live at the ITC London 2026 event, host Juan de Castro speaks with Richard Hartley, CEO and Founder of Cytora (now part of Applied Systems), about what it really takes to digitize risk across the entire insurance value chain. They explore why transformation fails when insurers focus on isolated workflows instead of interconnected pain points across agents, brokers, and carriers. 

Richard breaks down how agentic AI is reshaping underwriting, why risk data must be treated as dynamic rather than static, and how channel-agnostic operating models unlock scale. The conversation offers practical insights on automation, buy-vs-build decisions, and what risk digitization will demand in 2026.

Fan Mail: Got a challenge digitizing your intake? Share it with us, and we’ll unpack solutions from our experience at Cytora.

To receive a custom demo from Cytora, click here and use the code 'Making Risk Flow'.

Our previous guests include: Bronek Masojada of PPL, Craig Knightly of Inigo, Andrew Horton of QBE Insurance, Simon McGinn of Allianz, Stephane Flaquet of Hiscox, Matthew Grant of InsTech, Paul Brand of Convex, Paolo Cuomo of Gallagher Re, and Thierry Daucourt of AXA.

Check out the three most downloaded episodes:

• The Five Pillars of Data Analytics Strategy in Insurance | Craig Knightly, Inigo
• 20 Years as CEO of Hiscox: Personal Reflections and the Evolution of PPL | Bronek Masojada
• Implementing ESG in the Insurance and Underwriting Space | Simon Tighe, Chaucer, and Paul McCarney, Moody's