The Evolution of the CDO Role in Insurance & Navigating the AI hype with Chris Pearce, CDO at esure

In this episode of Beyond the Desk, Mark Thomas is joined by Chris Pearce, Chief Data Officer at esure. Chris shares his fascinating journey from a childhood love of video games to leading one of the UK’s most advanced data and AI transformations in the insurance industry.We explore Chris’s academic path from mathematics to a PhD in epidemiology, his early career spanning banking, automotive, and aggregators, and his progression into insurance leadership. Along the way, Chris gives a brutally honest view on the evolution of the CDO role, the hype and reality of AI in production, and how esure has embedded over a dozen generative AI use cases into the frontline of its business.Key topics discussed:Why video games sparked Chris’s interest in problem-solving and led to a career in dataWhat a PhD in epidemiology taught him about resilience, research, and learning how little you knowHis early career in banking, Mercedes-Benz, and MoneySuperMarket and how each built his leadership toolkitEntering insurance with Hastings Direct and building data science teams across pricing, fraud, and claimsBecoming CDO at esure and building an enterprise-wide data and AI capabilityThe differences between 1st-gen and 2nd-gen Chief Data Officer rolesWhat most people misunderstand about driving value from data scienceHow to thrive as a leader without losing your technical edgeWhat 16 GenAI use cases in production actually looks like in practiceWhere the CDO role is heading, and why agentic AI is nextThis is a brilliant insight into the mindset and career history of a modern, new CDO and what's next for data leaders in the insurance sector. Connect with us:Mark Thomas on LinkedIn: Connect HereFollow Beyond the Desk on LinkedIn: Follow HereWatch Full-Length Video Episodes on YouTube HereChris on LinkedIn: Connect HereIf you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with colleagues who might find it valuable!New episodes drop every Tuesday. Stay tuned for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of insurance and InsureTech. Thanks for tuning in - see you next time on Beyond the Desk! 🎧Sponsor:This episode is brought to you by Invecta Search, the brand new leadership search product from Invecta Group, which leads the insurance industry in building best-in-class technology and transformation leadership teams.