Beyond Boundaries | Tim von Dadelszen on AI Agents in Life Insurance Ops

In the latest Beyond Boundaries episode, Sønr’s Matt Connolly speaks with Tim von Dadelszen, Chief Product Officer at Simfuni, for a grounded look at what it really takes to build and deliver core platforms in life and health insurance. And how product teams should think about AI as the operating model starts to shift.

Tim starts with the long view, from his early days as a face-to-face adviser, right as the internet began reshaping customer behaviour and expectations. He reflects on what changed when insurance began moving online properly, and how those early experiences still influence how he thinks about distribution, servicing, and what “good” looks like for customers today.

✨ This is a product conversation, but it starts with people.

From there, the conversation moves into the product reality. 

Tim breaks down what Simfuni has built, why the industry still leans heavily on the term “policy administration system”, and the practical challenges that sit underneath any platform change, especially legacy complexity and data migration. 

Even with modern tech and clean foundations, implementation is still hard work. The difference is the lens you bring to it, and the decisions you make when you’re building for the next decade.

🧩 Clean foundations help. They don’t remove the hard parts.

The episode also explores how Tim thinks about product leadership inside insurance. From prioritising what creates operational value, to keeping teams grounded in the real world purpose of insurance, to the early signals of how AI is changing workflows and the way platforms will be used in the future 🤖 

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Tim’s path into insurance, and how the industry has evolved through the digital era
• What Simfuni has built, and why starting from a clean sheet of paper matters, but does not remove the complexity
• The practical challenge behind modern platforms, including data migration and moving off older environments
• How teams can bring a new lens to “policy admin”, shifting the focus from policies to customers
• How Tim thinks about AI from a Chief Product Officer seat, and what is actually changing day to day
• What early stage engagement should look like when an incumbent is evaluating a core platform, including Simfuni’s discovery led approach

Why it matters
This is a grounded view of modernisation from the product seat. Not rip and replace, not hype, just what it takes to build, implement, and validate platform change, and how to think about AI as part of the product journey, not a bolt on.

A huge thank you to Tim for joining us and sharing such a clear and practical perspective on what it really takes to build and deliver core platforms in insurance.

📘 Explore the full Beyond Boundaries 2025 report → https://sonr.global/beyond-boundaries-2025/

📧 Want to get involved in Beyond Boundaries 2026? Reach out at [email protected]