Diary of an Insurer: Davies’s John Salt

Monday

I work from home near Chorley, Lancashire. I try to keep a no-meetings Monday, in order to compile written documentation that requires focus. I’m rarely 100% successful, but I do protect a few solid hours. 

I reply to detailed questions for tenders and craft a one-page executive summary to help non-technical readers clearly see the value. 

From time to time, I pass my wife on the landing; she now tutors A-Level English Language from home after many years as head of subject in Clitheroe. 

It’s a peaceful day, apart from the dogs exploding with excitement when the walker arrives.

Tuesday

We open with our online Town Hall, held every two months. Around 180 product engineers and architects from the UK & Ireland team provide key updates to each other and to me, as well as to our operations and client service leaders. 

The focus is the business-led consolidation strategy: Make Davies easier to do business with, and drive operational efficiency, by moving acquired third party administrator claims systems onto our proprietary product suite and integrating specialist systems at the edge. 

A standout success this month is the migration of a large volume of casualty claims. We’ve retired a system, improved our security posture and – more importantly – placed our clients in line to benefit from new AI and agentic AI features we can now develop for other areas of claims and underwriting and roll out widely.

Later, I join architects as they mature our agentic framework for a human-and-AI workforce. 

I’m happy to admit my inner geek, but their technical depth exceeds mine. My job is to translate business goals into technology product strategy, and technology options into commercial opportunity, while protecting business value. 

Trust is a competitive advantage, so our agentic architecture is as much about governance as it is about transformation. AI plays a key role in enabling this, but it works best when paired with clear processes and human insight.  AI agents prepare the information and the actions; people make the decisions. That combination is where value and safety meet.

Wednesday

I’m out the door by 5.50am for London. My eldest, newly qualified as a primary school teacher, dashes downstairs to say goodbye. 

At Preston station, the Glasgow train is on the opposite platform, and I briefly consider detouring to see my younger daughter at university. Duty wins.

Today consists of an all-day architecture workshop, focused on our enhanced proprietary product suite. 

It’s a strong session; we walk through the current product suite architecture and discuss steps to shape the next phase – scale, world-class warranty, and a more composable platform – so product teams can add specialisms without reinventing wheels.

That evening, I grab a quick bite then work from the hotel on reports. Why are hotel rooms always dimly lit? 

Thursday

Another full-day workshop in the London office, this time on operating models. Davies has grown fast, including through acquisition, so different parts of the business work in different ways. 

We identify opportunities to be better together: Shared product and engineering management practices, clearer ownership and a Davies tech radar to guide choices. The aim is simple – fewer hand-offs, faster learning loops, and consistent standards – so teams can move quickly without unexpected revisions.

Friday

Back home, I enjoy the weekly session with our UK & Ireland directors of product support and governance, product and delivery and architecture and engineering. 

The standing brief: Improve the factory, not the sausages. We focus on how we do the work – not just on status – so we can deliver the service our clients require.

Later, we run a workshop with the operational and client service leaders who recently migrated to our new product suite. Change isn’t always easy. But credit to Davies – people collaborate brilliantly and tackle challenges head-on. We finish with clear plans and confidence they will be delivered.

Friday evening is curry with the family. Perhaps I should confess to thinking a little bit about working over the weekend post-poppadom; to prepare for a presentation – but I’m trying to set a good example. So, it will remain my secret.