Business Chief USA April 2019

233
SPEARHEADING DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION
“In 1989 GUARD was a small two-state
company,” Witkowski recalls. “I was
brought in to hone its processes, create
efficiencies and develop a managerial
infrastructure.” As part of this process,
the enterprise re-platformed directly
onto a browser-based modern architecture
and went increasingly paperless
– readying itself for a digitally-savvy
future. “We probably had one of the first
browser-based client systems in the
United States,” adds Witkowski. “We
also became one of the first paperless
insurance companies, with both
accomplishments partially enabled by
our R&D approach to technology
yielding over a dozen patents.” With
a wealth of experience in insurance,
Witkowski has witnessed firsthand how
the sector is moving from the paperbased
work of the past towards a new
age powered by technology and data.
Many businesses contend that data
is the ‘new oil’ and the same sentiment
rings true at Berkshire Hathaway GUARD.
With reams of data at the insurer’s
fingertips, Foguel, who is an actuary by
profession, believes that this appreciation
www.businesschief.com