Brenton Charnley
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Insurtech Australia

Building Australia’s insurtech ecosystem.

Role
Founder & CEO
Established
2017
Industry
Insurance & insurtech
Geography
Australia
My tenure
2017 – 2020
The Insurtech Australia website, headed “Helping Australia become a world leader in Insurtech”

Overview

Insurtech Australia is the national industry association for Australia’s insurtech sector.

I founded it in 2017 and led it as CEO until 2020. It was created to give a young sector a single organised voice with incumbent insurers, regulators and the international insurtech community, and it became the industry’s primary representative body.

The opportunity

Fintech had an association in Australia. Insurance had industry bodies. Insurtech sat between the two and belonged to neither. Founders were building into one of the most regulated corners of financial services with no collective way to reach the regulators writing the rules.

At the same time incumbent insurers were looking for a credible front door to the startup community, and the global insurtech conversation was forming without an Australian seat at the table.

My role

Founded the national insurtech association in 2017 and led it as Chief Executive Officer.
Built it into the industry’s primary representative body, convening startups, insurers and regulators.
Pressed the case for insurtechs to be included in ASIC’s fintech regulatory sandbox.
Ran the sector’s first conference pitch competition in Australia.
Co-founded the Global Insurtech Alliance, connecting the Australian sector to its international counterparts.
Represented Australian insurtech abroad, including at Insurtech Connect in Las Vegas and the ANZIIF conference in New Zealand.

What we built

Community
The national association
A single membership body for startups, insurers, brokers and service providers.
Events
Conferences and pitch competition
Including Australia’s first insurtech conference pitch competition.
Partnerships
Global Insurtech Alliance
Co-founded to link Australia into the international insurtech network.
Advocacy
Regulatory engagement
Making the sector’s case on the fintech regulatory sandbox and related reform.

Impact

Established the organisation now recognised as the insurtech sector’s primary representative body in Australia.
Put insurtech on the agenda in mainstream financial press, including the Australian Financial Review.
Connected the Australian sector into the Global Insurtech Alliance.
Handed over an organisation that continues under its own leadership.

Media & evidence

Insurance NewsIndustry leaders unite to form insurtech associationNewsAustralian Financial ReviewInsurtechs push to be included in ASIC’s fintech regulatory sandboxQuotedSmartCompanyIndustry association Insurtech Australia formed to support local insurance innovationNewsFinTech AustraliaInsurtech Australia co-founds Global Insurtech AllianceNewsInsurance BusinessHow insurtech will change the insurance industryInterview

Explore the full archive

Related expertise

InsurtechInsuranceFinancial servicesInnovationStartups

Related thinking

8 Oct 2017The Seven I’s of Insurtech Connect 201729 Sep 2017Insurtech Australia representing at the world’s largest insurtech conference7 Sep 2017Insurtech: How Australian and New Zealand insurers can respond to emerging technology7 Aug 2017Insurtech Australia Launch coming soon!

All writing

The organisation

Insurtech Australia is an independent industry association, separate from this site, and continues under its own leadership.

Visit Insurtech Australia

insurtechaustralia.org