As we’ve reached that stage in December where everyone is winding down ahead of celebrating the festive period and the start of a new year, we thought it was the perfect time to reflect on what a fantastic year 2023 has been for everyone here at MIS.
The last 12 months have flown by so quickly that it’s easy to forget all the amazing things that have happened, which is why we’ve dedicated this piece to sharing the story of MIS in 2023:
Responding to events
In the face of an ever-increasing number of major catastrophic events happening around the world each year, we are tremendously proud to continue to be an integral part of ensuring that people get the immediate support they need when disaster strikes.
Knowing that those affected by such events have access to shelter, food and other essential resources when they’re most in need is what drives everyone at MIS forward, and 2023 was no different.
This year, we responded to over 50 major events across the globe! Thanks to GEO and the support of our brilliant team, MIS were able to provide vital coverage of a wide range of events.
From conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, wildfires in Hawaii and Greece to Hurricanes Otis and Idalia in Mexico and the US, plus storms, tornadoes, typhoons and more, MIS supported claims and exposure management teams every step of the way.
In fact, following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake striking Turkey and Syria in February, using GEO enabled Zurich to quickly secure local resources, prepare their local claims team to respond to the event and make payments to affected policyholders on the same day.
GEO
A major part of what has made this year such a success is the evolution of our flagship product, the Global Events Observer (GEO).
Having launched back in August 2021, GEO celebrated its second birthday this year, where it now services over 1,200 users across more than 70 clients, boasting over 70 million lines of client property risk. Since launch, GEO has covered over 150 global catastrophic events, including hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and war amongst many others.
With our biggest slate of upgrades to date, 2023 bolstered the performance of GEO to not only support its ever-growing user base, but also to push the boundaries of what is possible for event response.
Alongside a host of usability updates, MIS launched US Hail response functionality on GEO and piloted an industry-first, ground-breaking initiative called CAT360, which combines ground-level imagery from specialist vehicles and cameras with space and air imagery onto one single platform, providing multi-view imagery to assess damage following events.
Rosina Smith (Chief Product Officer): “2023 was our biggest year for UI upgrades to GEO and saw us pilot a market-first street-level imagery initiative. GEO welcomed many more users, including Underwriters and Exposure Managers, whilst covering longstanding and sudden events across the globe and hosting a record number of risk portfolios.”
Press appearances
Given how busy the whole team has been this year, it’s no surprise that 2023 saw us make a host of appearances in the press, on podcasts and television.
Chief Product Officer Rosina Smith was featured on the Supercede podcast, then from ITC Vegas, appeared on both FF news and the Insurance Knowledge Hub Disruptive Tech series.
Founder/CEO Forbes McKenzie also featured on the Supercede podcast straight from sunny RVS 2023. Head of Sales and Marketing Daniel Grimwood-Bird appeared on FF News while attending Insurtech Insights in New York. Then just a few weeks ago, Business Development Manager Dominique Morizet made an appearance on Swiss TV channel RTS!
We also collaborated with Fugro and Altus Consulting on pieces which give the industry a bit more insight into how things work here at MIS, not to mention popping up in the press a few times with some exciting announcements of our own:
- McKenzie Intelligence Services Launches US Market-First Product To Accelerate Response Time For Major Hailstorm Events
- McKenzie Intelligence Services Receives Investment From Maven Capital Partners To Support Global Growth Strategy
Awards
One of the major highlights of 2023 is undoubtedly the recognition of MIS by major industry awards bodies, which has seen us shortlisted for a number of prestigious awards, and even take home the trophy in some cases!
Just a few weeks ago, we were crowned winners of the Innovative Insurtech Award at the FF Awards, then a week later we came home with Gold in Excellence in Technology at the Insurance Times Awards, both of which were a huge honour to win!
We have also been shortlisted for the upcoming 2024 National Insurance Awards, took silver in 2 categories at the Insurance Times Tech & Innovation Awards, then throughout the year received nominations from other bodies including the British Claims Awards and the Insurance Post European Insurance Technology Awards.
Partnerships
2023 also saw MIS enter into several key partnerships with some major insurance companies such as Zurich, SCOR and Axis, as they sought to optimise their event response and claims processes with the help of GEO and our best-in-class intelligence.
At the same time, MIS and LIMOSS, supported by the LMA, signed a contract to extend the provision of MIS services for the Lloyd’s Market into 2024.
Industry events
This year was certainly not short of opportunities to showcase GEO around the world, as we attended some of the industry’s highest-profile events both in Europe and in the USA.
The MIS team travelled far and wide, exhibiting at major events like ITC Vegas, Insurtech Insights and Reuter’s Connected Claims, and taking the opportunity to network with industry leaders at Disasters Expo USA, Rendez-Vous de Septembre, CAT Risk Management and Modelling Summit and PLRB Claims Conference amongst many others.
We also hosted our Storm Season event at Lloyd’s Old Library, where Professor Ralf Toumi from Imperial College London provided expertise on hurricane patterns and intensities, followed by members of the MIS team showcasing ways in which insurers could use GEO to be best prepared for the impending storms.
Daniel Grimwood-Bird (Head of Sales and Marketing): “2023 has been an incredibly busy year. We've been at conferences in Europe and across the US showcasing the benefits of GEO, winning multiple awards and welcoming some incredible new partners. I'm immensely proud of the work that everyone has put in to make 2023 such a success and to set us up for an even better 2024.”
People
As MIS has continued to go from strength to strength in 2023, so too has the amazing team that sits at the heart of everything we do.
This year has seen MIS add a number of key members to our fast-growing team across a variety of business areas, as we look to expand our offering and explore new market opportunities heading into 2024:
Client Solutions – Hussain Razzaq (Client Solutions Manager)
Product and Intelligence – David Heathcote (Intelligence Manager)
Sales and Marketing – Andrew Duttine (Senior Business Development Manager), Emily Nehme (Senior Marketing Manager) and Elliott Jones (Content Marketing Executive)
Technology – Andrei Nita (Head of Technology), James Roden (Senior Full Stack Developer), Ben Whatling (Senior Software Engineer) and Haden Henke (GIS Analyst)
Whilst we’ve welcomed several new people on board, there’s also been some incredibly well-deserved promotions which we’d also like to take the time to celebrate:
Client Solutions – Matthew Patience (Client Solutions Manager)
Security – Reg Knight (Senior Governance, Risk and Compliance Manager)
Product and Intelligence – James Morgan (Senior Product Analyst)
Technology – Mike Allen (Front End Developer)
We can’t wait to see how our team develops and grows in 2024!
Will Bonner (Chief Operating Officer): “2023 has been an exceptional year at MIS. I'm so proud to see the team grow and develop into leaders, technical experts and industry thought leaders. Everyone has come together to deliver record revenues, amazing service and product enhancements, continuing to build our company culture which clients, suppliers and partners all recognise as special.”
Giving back
Here at MIS, we’re very passionate about supporting issues that are close to all of our hearts, and our charity work in 2023 is very much reflective of this.
At the start of the year, to raise money for specialist cancer treatment, our team took on the challenge of walking the equivalent distance from our office in London, to the offices of our partner Brush Claims, all the way out in Texas! The team completed the challenge of walking a cumulative 4,904 miles, which was just a phenomenal achievement for all involved.
Then in the summer, to raise funds for the Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre, the team took to the Thames and rowed from Shadwell Basin to Chiswick and back, which in terms of distance equaled that of a marathon!
Forbes McKenzie (Founder/CEO): “2023 has been another fantastic year for MIS. The team continues to grow, as does the number of GEO users, events covered and risk portfolios managed. We’ve taken major strides this year to set ourselves up for future success and look forward to seeing what the next year brings. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and Happy Holidays!”
If you're interesting in seeing more about what we've been up to in 2023, watch the video below:
