Practitioner’s Guide: The Blueprint for Risk Digitization POCs | Zaheer Hooda and Richard Lewis, Cytora

Episode notes

Welcome to Cytora’s Practitioner’s Guide, a new series from Making Risk Flow. In each episode, we sit down with experts from Cytora’s global team to explore practical strategies, real-world applications, and emerging insights from the front lines of risk digitization and underwriting transformation. In this episode, Juan de Castro is joined by Rich Lewis, Cytora's Sales Director, and Zaheer Hooda, Head of North America, for a deep dive into what makes proof-of-concept (POC) initiatives in risk digitization succeed—or fail. Drawing on firsthand experience from working with leading carriers, they break down five essential capabilities insurers need to get right when implementing digitization initiatives—from extraction accuracy and full-spectrum intake handling, to scalable deployment and human-in-the-loop exception management. They also provide a practical, inside look at how insurers structure effective proof of concept processes, including live workshops, data preparation, success metrics, and how to align POC design with measurable business outcomes.