Q&A with Lucile Beaurain, EMEA & APAC Client Executive - Akur8

Lucile Beaurain, EMEA & APAC Client Executive - Akur8, is an International Client Executive at Akur8. She has built a strong experience in consulting and sales for complex solutions. She ajoined Akur8 to focus on business development with international insurers and manages the relationship with AXA Group.

If something doesn’t feel right, it’s not right; trust your gut. Communicate more and elevate your standards in your personal and professional life.



MEDIA 7: Could you please tell us a little about yourself? What inspired you to pursue a career in insurance?
LUCILE BEAURAIN:
Hi, I am Lucile, a French working at Akur8, an Insurtech company in Paris whose vision is to transform insurance pricing with Transparent AI. I have a very cosmopolitan background: I have cousins from the US and Netherlands. I went to Australia for a few weeks in High School, and then I was an au pair in the US. I also spent a year studying in Taiwan, so working in an international environment was very important for me, and my previous experiences led me to Akur8.

When I applied at Akur8, there were only 15 people. We are now almost 50 with offices in Paris, London, and NYC, and we have more than 20 customers in Europe, The Americas, and Asia! I wanted to work in Insurance because of the exciting adventure Akur8 represents and also because I thought that what we do would have a tangible impact on the insurance industry. That is because insurance pricing is a core and critical process for insurers, even more so in the current context of rising competitive pressure, low-interest rates, and the COVID-19 crisis. I like to work in a down-to-earth industry where we know we are adding value.

M7: How does Akur8 leverage AI and ML to automate GLM/GAM modeling while keeping transparency and control on the models?
LB:
Akur8’s solution enhances insurers’ pricing processes by automating risk and demand modeling, using transparent Artificial Intelligence proprietary technology. The core benefits for insurers include reducing modeling time which will accelerate time to market, increase predictive power while keeping full transparency and control on the models created. The Pricing experts can edit every step of the pricing process, and all variables selected within the models are known by the Pricing expert. Nothing will be put into production without their knowledge and possibly to correct something.

In this sense, Akur8 is reconciling the best of two worlds: actuarial science, generating models that pricing teams already know and use ensuring control and transparency, and data science, by automating the generation of these models yet without sacrificing interpretability and auditability, which would be the case with generic Machine Learning models that are Blackbox.


Driving a truly customer-centric strategy allowing for simple customization and personalization is instrumental. Such an approach has to be reflected in every process, even the most critical ones, like pricing.



M7: Have you ever bent the rules in assisting a customer? What is your approach to interaction in dealing with a demanding customer?
LB:
One important skill for any salesperson is to listen to your intuition and to make sure that the client is treated the best way they can. I sometimes went above my work missions, and I always try to provide the answers needed on time. What is important is to treat your client as you would like to be treated. Even if the client is difficult, try to understand why and also, providing the answers and maintaining reasonable diligence will always help you - in any situation!

M7: How can you get rapid unbiased consumer feedback to know if you are addressing their needs?
LB: We use an NPS survey to get their feedback. They have to s
core Akur8, and also, they can share comments. This way, we are all hands-on deck whenever they answer, and we know how to adjust if needed. We need to make sure that the satisfaction level from all our customers is the highest possible. We also have a direct channel of contact with our customers and prospects through a reliable tool to raise any questions or issues they have, which we strive to address in the most reactive manner possible.


The first job you are going to be working at doesn’t have to be your dream job. All your experiences will teach you something. That will lead you to your dream job.



M7: What do you believe are the top three marketing challenges the insurance industry faces in the post-COVID-19 era?
LB:
I believe the Covid-19 crisis is a massive accelerator to already-existing trends and challenges the insurance industry is faced with.
First, I am convinced that the insurers’ ability to provide the most seamless customer experience and journey possible will be one of the most essential elements in maintaining and strengthening their competitive advantage, especially with the rising competitive pressure from InsurTechs that are changing customer standards.

Second, driving a truly customer-centric strategy allowing for simple customization and personalization will be instrumental. Such an approach has to be reflected in every process, even the most critical ones, like pricing. Last, I think Brand equity should not be underestimated by insurers as a powerful tool to drive customer retention and acquisition.

M7: When you are not working, what are you usually doing? Would you like to share your hobbies with us?
LB:
Sure! I love cooking and baking. During the first lockdown in 2020, in France, I had the chance to cook 40/50 meals a week for an association called “Les Ravitailleurs”, collecting meals for people in need.
It was great to be able to contribute to such a project in a time of need!


M7: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your younger self?
LB:
If something doesn’t feel right, it’s not right; trust your gut. Also, communicate more and elevate your standards in your personal and professional life. The first job you are going to be working at doesn’t have to be your dream job. All your experiences will teach you something. That will lead you to your dream job. I followed this, and I am so happy that it did not feel right every time I listened to myself and left the adventure. I am currently working for a great company with great people!

ABOUT AKUR8

Akur8 is revolutionizing insurance pricing with transparent AI. Akur8 developed a unique AI-based insurance pricing solution that automates modeling for insurance companies while keeping full transparency and control on the models created, as required by regulators worldwide. Akur8 is the only solution on the market reconciling Machine Learning and Actuarial worlds - enabling customer lifetime value-based price optimization.

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AgentSync Launches API to Streamline Insurance Producer Onboarding and Compliance

PR Newswire | January 29, 2024

AgentSync today announced the launch of its first commercially available ProducerSync API for carriers, MGAs, and agencies to manage producer and adjuster licensing and appointment validation without the paperwork. The ProducerSync application programming interface (API) acts as a menu, allowing insurance businesses to draw from a selection of National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) data on licensing, appointing, and personal information for producers. AgentSync humanizes and contextualizes the data so end users have actionable information from the industry source of truth without hours of manual research. "ProducerSync API represents a key step in our long-term strategic vision. By streaming accurate and comprehensive data to our customers' existing systems, ProducerSync API drives better business decisions," said Jenn Knight, Co-Founder and CTO of AgentSync. "We're focused on building modern technology that unlocks value for our customers, and highly flexible and adaptable products like ProducerSync API do exactly that by leveraging current data for better all-around business outcomes." The ProducerSync API uses REST API architecture, making it lightweight, scalable, and flexible, and is the first of AgentSync's planned suite of APIs to be available to the wider insurance market. It joins a family of modern business solutions the company uses to connect the industry. "Our first product, Manage, has had strong customer adoption by delivering superior business data with a modern user interface and comprehensive features for compliance and producer management," said Knight. "ProducerSync API builds on this vision, giving customers programmatic access to NIPR data elements in a way that is highly modular and reusable for a variety of use cases." Insurance runs on data, but maintaining the accuracy and quality of producer data across ecosystems is, historically, a challenge for all stripes of insurance organizations. With ProducerSync API, users can have confidence in their data while reducing maintenance, driving down business risks, enabling better-informed decisions, and eliminating inefficiencies with a scaled, secure solution. About AgentSync AgentSync builds modern insurance infrastructure that connects carriers, agencies, MGAs, and producers. With customer-centric design, seamless APIs, automation, and unparalleled service, AgentSync's solutions provide data intelligence and streamlined onboarding and compliance management processes that reduce costs, increase efficiency, and get producers ready to sell in hours instead of weeks. Founded in 2018 by Niranjan "Niji" Sabharwal and Jenn Knight, and headquartered in Denver, CO, AgentSync has been recognized as one of Denver's Best Places to Work, a Forbes Magazine Cloud 100 Rising Star, and as an Insurtech Insights Future 50 winner, and was ranked 65 in Forbes – America's Best Startup Employers 2023.

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