The Oxbow Partners CEO Agenda: AI
14 July, 2026
Compounding advantage with AI in commercial and specialty (re)insurance
AI is no longer an emerging technology discussion. It is becoming a strategic question for insurance leadership teams.
Our latest CEO Agenda argues that AI is not InsurTech 2.0. It is strategic rather than tactical, core rather than ancillary, and has the potential to reshape how insurers operate, compete and create value.
The industry has already seen a step-change in AI capability. Yet many organisations remain focused on isolated pilots and efficiency initiatives, with limited evidence of AI creating sustainable competitive advantage. We believe the organisations that pull ahead will not necessarily be those that move first, but those that are most thoughtful about how they organise, transform and lead in an AI-enabled world.
Drawing on conversations with CEOs and our work across the insurance industry, the report explores three connected themes:
- Shape – how organisations should be structured around the capabilities that compound competitive advantage
- Motion – how insurers can scale AI effectively while balancing enablement and control
- Direction – how Boards and leadership teams should navigate uncertainty and lead through change
The report includes practical recommendations for CEOs, along with a self-assessment framework to help leadership teams evaluate their readiness for the AI era.
About the authors
Chris Sandilands, Partner. Chris is a Partner in the London Office. He started his career as an underwriter and has spent the last twenty years as an advisor in the industry. Chris helps management teams around the world on topics including strategy development and strategic transformation, covering retail, commercial and specialty insurers as well as reinsurers. He also spends time on M&A with both private equity and corporate clients. Chris spends a lot of his time with clients in the US and Bermuda, as well as Continental Europe.
Oliver Watts, Senior Manager. Oliver is a Senior Manager in the London Office. He began his career as a trader at a bank before moving to a hedge fund and then into consulting. Oliver has worked with corporate clients on strategy and strategic transformation, and investors trying to understand the impact of AI on target companies.
The authors would like to acknowledge contributions to this piece from Manmeet Singh Bawa, Miqdaad Versi and Greg Brown, Partners at Oxbow Partners.
