My career is focused on life insurance process improvement using technology to increase the effectiveness and usefulness of the entire insurance value chain. Insurance is an extremely socially beneficial financial product – providing financial help exactly when needed at a time of loss. Improving our industry means protecting and helping more people. The great satisfaction I gain from knowing we are selling more than colored sugar water motivates me to drive change breaking through inertia and fear. No good comes from inaction, and even in failed action one can learn much about how to affect the change needed to improve our industry.I am fortunate to have a full spectrum of roles & responsibilities; from agent and advisor, developer, analyst, architect, product manager, through to business development including launching several startup software companies. This breadth of experience gives me a unique insight into the many perspectives for understanding how insurance is manufactured, sold and serviced. To understand the parable of the blind men and the elephant is to understand the importance of semantics, meaning and perspective... from which data becomes information. As an information-based industry we are challenged to constantly mature our understanding of the elephant despite our unique and (apparently) varying perspectives. Throughout my career I have been an engaged participant in industry activities in developing and applying industry standards most notably managing and growing the ACORD Life XML as well as IRI (NAVA) STP Standards.