Stephen’s 5 Fast Facts:
1. What do you love most about your role at Vertafore?
The people, without question. I get to work with some incredibly talented teams, help people grow in their careers, and solve some pretty interesting problems along the way. I also love that no two days are quite the same, there’s always something new to figure out.
2. How did you get into the InsurTech business?
I originally thought I’d go into software development after finishing school because I really enjoyed building something people could use and the problem-solving side of it. When I moved into technical support, I realized I could get that same satisfaction from digging into complex issues, figuring out what was happening, and helping customers solve real problems. That eventually led me into Professional Services, where I found the same kind of challenge on a much broader scale.
I got my start in InsurTech in 2008 with Keal Technology, and from there my career evolved from hands-on technical work into support, Professional Services, and leadership. The roles have changed over the years, but the part I enjoy most has stayed pretty consistent, understanding a problem and finding a practical way to solve it.
3. What are you most excited about for the future of InsurTech?
AI and automation are going to change a lot about how we work, but I’m especially excited about what they can do with analytics. Insurance brokers already have access to a huge amount of data in their BMS, the challenge is turning all of that data into something useful.
AI has the potential to make that much easier by helping people understand what their data is telling them, spot trends and opportunities, and get to the information they need without having to spend hours digging through reports. Combine that with automation taking care of repetitive work, and it gives people more time to focus on customers, decisions, and solving problems.
For me, that’s where things get really interesting: using technology not just to collect more data, but to actually help people understand it and act on it.
4. What’s your idea of the perfect weekend?
A perfect weekend is usually one spent outside with my family. If we can get away camping, even better. If we’re home, I’m perfectly happy working around the yard and tackling whatever project has made its way onto the list. For me, it’s really about being outdoors, keeping busy, and spending time with family.
5. I’m coming to visit you! What are your favorite/must-do things in your city?
Saint John is a great place if you like history and the outdoors. It was incorporated in 1785, making it Canada’s first incorporated city, so there’s a lot of history packed into the area.
Depending on when you visit, we could go skating on Lily Lake at Rockwood Park, walk through the Old Loyalist Burial Ground and along the waterfront Harbour Passage, or spend some time exploring Irving Nature Park. I’d also make sure you got out to the coast or visited one of the beaches to experience the Bay of Fundy and the highest tides in the world.
If you’ve never seen the Reversing Falls Rapids, they’re worth a stop too. Watching the Bay of Fundy tides change the flow of the Saint John River is one of those things that makes a lot more sense once you see it in person.
And, of course, being this close to the ocean means there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy some great seafood along the way.
