Brit taps fintech veteran as head of innovation

Brit has created a new executive role and appointed a fintech veteran to fill it.

The specialty insurer has brought in James Birch to take on the position of head of innovation. Birch will begin his work on July 22, 2019, reporting directly to Brit CEO Matthew Wilson.

The new hire will be responsible for managing the innovation process at Brit, while helping to identify business opportunities and technologies that can further support the Group’s strategy.

Birch has worked in fintech for over a decade, and has several key accomplishments, such as being named a top 35 under 35 in fintech. Most recently, he was at the venture capital firm Hambro Perks, where he led the establishment of the insurtech investment vehicle InsurTech Gateway. In this role, Birch oversaw the building of five insurtech incubated start-ups and led the seeding of 10 investments.

Prior to Hambro Perks, Birch co-founded travel insurtech Pluto, and worked at EY, where he set up the global fintech team, as well as Accenture.

“As one of our three strategic pillars, innovation is a critical area of focus for us. We are therefore delighted that James joins Brit in the newly created role of head of innovation,” said Wilson. “James will bring an entrepreneurial approach and fresh perspectives as we look to explore new opportunities, develop and implement new technologies, and evolve our processes to respond to the changing demands of the market and our clients.”