Diary of an Insurer: HDI Embedded’s Nelson Castellanos

Monday

I kick-start the week with a session in the gym to boost my energy and get me ready for a busy few days of meetings and travelling. As I’m based in London, it’s a great base for me to get across Europe, but fortunately today I’m working remotely.

My first task of the day is team planning and understanding what’s coming up this week. As a chief partnerships officer, I oversee a team of partnership managers and provide guidance on strategy and execution. I get a chance to catch-up properly with everyone in the morning in our weekly priorities call.

I then dedicate the afternoon to virtual catch-ups, status calls and meetings with clients and prospects. Typically, a significant portion of my week involves chatting with potential and existing customers to understand their needs and develop tailored insurance programs and solutions, and today is no different. This week is particularly busy, so getting a head start is helpful.

Tuesday

First thing, I head into our office in the City. It’s a day I’m trying to dedicate to the product development team, who I regularly collaborate closely with to ensure our embedded insurance offerings meet the evolving needs of our customers.

A big focus of today’s discussion is value. I’m fortunate to have learned early in my career how to design embedded insurance programmes that bring value for not just partners, but partners’ end-customers too. 

At HDI Embedded, rather than creating any new product simply for the purpose of selling it, we work from the outside in. We identify the problem and tailor a product to meet a customer’s bespoke needs.

These needs also vary depending on location. We operate across Europe, but Italy and Poland, for example, are totally different markets with different needs. How we continue to factor this into our product development is another big discussion point of today.

After a full day of discussions, meetings and a fair amount of creative thinking, I’m happy to head home and get an early night. It’s the perfect time to call and catch-up with my friends in Colombia – given the time difference.

Wednesday

I wake up ready for another busy day, and it’s looking meeting-heavy. However, I get the chance to speak with a few teams I love working with. 

First, the HDI Embedded intelligence team. We’re looking at the concept of “TelcoAssurance” – a relatively new trend that not many are talking about yet. 

The team have been analysing the European telecommunications industry and the need for these service providers to find new revenue streams. This is where insurance, and in particular embedded insurance, comes in as a new opportunity for these organisations. 

It’s a really interesting trend we’re seeing, and I’m able to book a few meetings with partners to discuss what this might look like in years to come.

I can then dedicate my afternoon to meeting with our PR team to prep for a media interview next week and go over plans for an upcoming embedded insurance panel event. 

I regularly contribute to thought leadership initiatives, sharing insights on the embedded insurance landscape and the future of the industry, so it’s great to be able to run through what’s coming up in the next few months.

Thursday

Today I’m travelling to Milan to meet with a customer to discuss product performance and development. As part of having an international role, it’s rare for any two weeks to look the same. 

A key aspect of my job is identifying and nurturing strategic partnerships with technology providers, insurers, and other industry players. They are based around the world, and as part of this I could be travelling to Italy, Poland, Spain, France – although hopefully not all in the same week.

Before my flight, I head into central London again and get a chance to pop along to an insurtech networking event. I really enjoy attending industry events and conferences, not just to build relationships with key stakeholders but also to stay updated on market trends.

I then take the train to the airport after lunch and tackle my growing email inbox while waiting to board.

Friday

It’s nearly the weekend, but that doesn’t mean it’s a slow day. After a morning in Milan to work through some potential new opportunities with a customer, I’m able to spend a bit of time catching up with the HDI Embedded internal team. 

All afternoon I have meetings booked with a number of colleagues across various departments – including sales, marketing, and operations – to ensure a cohesive approach to product development and new partnerships. We work closely to make sure that what my team is doing is also reflected across the HDI Embedded business.

It’s been another busy week that has flown by, and next week looks similar – I have plans to fly over to Poland to meet with our management team. For now, I can relax into the weekend ready to decompress and spend time with friends.