Work

Building a digital & AI accelerator within a global S&P 500 risk and insurance firm

I helped a global risk and insurance broker launch its Digital & AI Accelerator (DCX) - a framework turning ideas into validated products fast.

Ross Chapman

30 Aug 2024 — 4 min read

The first prototype of the new DCX accelerator

Note: Embargoed until further notice

Challenge: Unlocking innovation inside a global enterprise

A global S&P 500 risk and insurance firm set out to transform how clients experience digital value, moving from data-heavy spreadsheets and legacy systems to intuitive, insight-led platforms.

Their DCX (Digital Client Experience) division was created in late 2024 to make that leap: moving the business from sending PDFs over email, static portals and slide decks to fully connected, product-led digital services.

But the team faced a common challenge for large enterprises:

How to modernise while operating within the constraints of scale, compliance, and legacy technology?

Progress risked stalling under complexity, and they needed a trusted external partner who could move fast, think strategically, and deliver clarity.

That’s where I came in.

Starting point: The Captives Lighthouse Project

The engagement began with a single lighthouse initiative within the firm’s captive insurance division.

DCX lead Jon invited me in for a chat having previously worked together on a similar project in supply chain risk management.

The firm’s captive insurance division serves some of its most sophisticated clients, yet their experience was held back by outdated tools. The team needed to modernise a 15-year-old internal system and static client portal into a modern SaaS platform offering real-time insight, board-ready reporting, and a world-class digital experience.

Early conversation with the lighthouse team

Working with the global captives team and the DCX group, I led a cross-functional discovery sprint that:

Interviewed clients and internal advisors across regions to map jobs-to-be-done.
Defined an MVP roadmap around self-serve reporting, dashboards, and automated board packs.
Prototyped the new experience in Lovable - demonstrating what modern, AI-assisted captive management could look like.
Delivered the Product Requirements Document (PRD), structured epics and user stories in Azure DevOps, and set up governance for phased releases through to RIMS 2026.

The result became the blueprint for how DCX could run future digital builds.

Evolution: From product sprint to studio leadership

Following the success of the discovery and concept of captives, DCX leadership asked me to take on a broader remit - stepping in as Interim DCX Studio Manager.

In this fractional leadership role, I:

Designed the DCX Accelerator Framework - a repeatable 4-phase innovation model (Origin → Concept → Validate → Build) now adopted across projects.
Coached product and design leads in user-centred, product-led thinking - shifting conversations from internal requests to validated customer problems.
Brought visibility to the portfolio, designing a reporting model to connect Azure DevOps delivery with Power BI dashboards and executive reporting.
Supported recruitment and scaling, advising on structure and hiring for the new DCX Studio team to embed this capability permanently.

This work now underpins how DCX runs digital sprints, prioritises opportunities, and governs build-to-launch cycles across its global initiatives.

Creating a special Build Loop, my own digital innovation framework

What changed

From projects to products - moving teams from slideware to software, backed by PRDs and validated user needs.
From silos to loops - enabling repeatable product cycles that balance speed and governance.
From legacy to learning - introducing AI tools, modern prototyping platforms, and data-driven decision making.
From dependency to autonomy - building capability inside the global risk and insurance broker's own teams, not just delivering outputs.

Captives is now one of six DCX lighthouse products, progressing toward a launch at RIMS 2026 - a proof point of this global risk and insurance broker's digital transformation vision.

My role in one line

Fractional Head of Product / UX Advisor - helping enterprise teams move faster, think clearer, and build products their clients actually value.

Key outcomes

Defined and delivered the DCX Accelerator innovation framework.
Led the product strategy and MVP for the captive business.
Established governance between design, product, and tech functions.
Embedded AI-driven tools into discovery, testing, and reporting.
Mentored internal teams on product-led growth and design maturity.

Why this matters

Transformation doesn’t happen because you hire more designers or engineers, It happens when an organisation learns how to move from ideas to outcomes faster, without losing rigour.

aerial photography of city buildings — Photo by Henry Be / Unsplash

That’s the work I do. Building the systems and confidence that let big organisations behave like startups, at enterprise scale.

Let’s talk

If your company needs to accelerate its product development, align cross-functional teams, or build a digital accelerator that ships faster - let’s talk about how we can make that happen.

Catch me on LinkedIn.