06. 05. 2025
From Harrods to Insurance & the journey to the C-Suite with Hasani Jess, CTO at Aventum Group
In this week's episode of Beyond the Desk, Mark Thomas sits down with Hasani Jess, Group CTO at Aventum Group. Hasani shares his fascinating journey from an early love of technology (sparked by an old-school typewriter that his mum brought home!) through a career spanning global consulting firms, banking, healthcare, luxury retail, travel, and now, speciality insurance.
We cover pivotal career moments, the transition from engineer to leader, and how strategic decisions and mentorship shaped his progression into senior leadership. We also dive deep into the transformation underway at Aventum Group and Hasani’s vision of creating a true Insurtech leader within speciality insurance.
Key topics discussed:
- How Hasani first discovered his passion for technology (and journalism!)
- Lessons from early career roles at BT, IBM, Morgan Stanley, and Visa
- His critical transition from hands-on engineer to leadership at UnitedHealth UK
- How working at Harrods and TUI shaped his views on operational pace and customer focus
- Securing his first CTO role at Simply Business and navigating that leap
- The power of mentoring and deliberate career planning
- Building a technology-led culture at Aventum Group
- Hasani’s take on AI’s role in insurance and the future of digital collaboration
- Why keeping great teams engaged is one of the biggest leadership challenges
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