The Journey from CEO to Industry Visionary
An industry that has long been slow to change has found one executive who has been both a corporate leader and industry visionary. Brian Duperreault’s career is a case study in how traditional leadership and innovation can work together to change an entire industry.
When Duperreault took the reins at struggling insurance giant American International Group (AIG) in 2017 the company was still recovering from the financial crisis. He wasn’t just fixing a troubled company – he was entering an industry at a crossroads with digital disruption looming and customer expectations changing fast.
The Executive Journey: Building a Foundation for Change
Duperreault’s path to industry influence wasn’t a straight line. Each role built on the previous one creating a career trajectory that prepared him to drive real change:
At Marsh & McLennan Companies (2008-2012) he modernized the firm’s approach to risk management introducing data driven advisory services that gave clients deeper insight into their exposure.
Seeing an opportunity to build something from scratch he founded Hamilton Insurance Group (2013-2017) a company where data driven underwriting wasn’t just a feature but the foundation of the business model.
His return to AIG as CEO (2017-2021) was his most public leadership challenge – stabilizing an insurance icon while preparing it for a digital future.
Now as Cofounder and Chairman of Mereo Insurance Limited (2025-Present) he’s taking his vision further with AI driven underwriting systems that will redefine risk assessment.
Throughout these roles Duperreault demonstrated the hallmarks of great corporate leadership – decisive action, strategic focus and the ability to execute complex turnarounds. Under his leadership struggling companies returned to profitability and technology investments started to yield returns.
Beyond Management: The Innovation Catalyst
What sets Duperreault apart from other successful executives is his dual role as a thought leader – someone who doesn’t just manage well but shapes how an entire industry thinks about its future.
This perspective led him to focus on three areas of innovation:
1. Digital Transformation: Modernising the Insurance Engine
Rather than seeing technology as an operational tool Duperreault viewed it as the new foundation of insurance. At AIG this meant massive investments in artificial intelligence for risk assessment, partnerships with InsurTech startups and the implementation of automated claims processing systems that reduced fraud and increased customer satisfaction.
“The insurance industry is in the midst of a technological revolution. As we go digital we have the chance to redefine the customer experience and drive operational efficiency,” Duperreault wrote in a recent industry publication, stating that innovation is non-negotiable for insurers who want to stay competitive.
2. Data-Driven Underwriting: From Art to Science
Perhaps Duperreault’s biggest contribution was to accelerate the shift from intuition-based to data-driven underwriting. Under his leadership AIG and his other ventures:
- Brought in big data analytics to identify patterns invisible to human underwriters
- Deployed IoT and telematics to deliver real-time risk signals from homes, vehicles and commercial properties
- Quantified cyber risk for the first time
On the future of the industry Duperreault has been clear about the role of data: “How you sort all this multitude of information out, how do you distill it and how do you draw conclusions from it, that’s the whole thing with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science. To me that’s the key to the future of the insurance industry. Making better decisions with better data.”
This approach improved profitability – but fundamentally changed how risks were assessed, priced and managed across the industry.
3. Customer-Centric Innovation: Reimagining the Insurance Experience
Recognising that technological advancement means nothing without better customer outcomes Duperreault also championed innovations that transformed the policyholder experience:
- On-demand, usage-based insurance models that aligned coverage with actual need
- AI-powered assistance systems to speed up and make claims processing more transparent
- Behavioural analytics to deliver truly personalised products and pricing
Ripples Across the Industry
Duperreault’s dual approach – great corporate leadership and industry-shaping innovation – had a wider impact than the companies he led. He triggered:
- Widespread adoption of AI and IoT for risk management as competitors couldn’t afford to fall behind
- Better risk mitigation across the sector so insurers could price more accurately and reduce losses
- Deeper collaboration between traditional insurers and InsurTech startups to create an innovation ecosystemBy the time he left AIG as CEO in 2021 the company was underwriting profitable and a digital innovator – proof that his vision was not just nice to have but necessary.
The Insurance Leadership Blueprint
For current and future insurance leaders Duperreault’s career is the model:
Technology is the new competitive battleground. The insurers who are leading in AI, data analytics and automation are leading in market share and profitability.
Customer experience is a strategic priority. Companies that design their products and processes around customer need create both loyalty and operational efficiency.
Use data to transform risk management. Predictive analytics and real-time monitoring are changing the core function of the industry – understanding and pricing risk.
Collaborate across the ecosystem. The best innovation happens at the intersection of traditional insurers and technology-focused startups.
Balance today with tomorrow. Good insurance leadership requires addressing today’s challenges and building for tomorrow’s market.
The Future
Today as Duperreault leads the development of Mereo Insurance’s next-gen AI underwriting systems his dual impact continues. The industry that was so slow to change now sees technological innovation as a matter of survival.
The difference between leadership and thought leadership remains clear: One delivers today; the other shapes tomorrow. Brian Duperreault’s lasting legacy is showing how these two can work together – delivering immediate value and lasting transformation.
In an era of rapid change and emerging risks this balance between execution and innovation is the key to resilience, growth and industry leadership.