The Change Catalyst

Chapter 34Case Studies

This section contains a few select examples of real-life Change Catalysts and case studies of major change initiatives, some literally on a global scale. Each one has been chosen to illustrate one or more of the key points contained in the book.

1. Tim Wallace and the iPipeline team: Change Catalysts who are transforming the life insurance industry.
2. Michael Sheargold: a Change Catalyst who is transforming the Australian real estate industry.
3. Michael Gould: a Change Catalyst and Founder of the ‘unicorn’ Anaplan that is transforming the world of corporate planning and reporting.
4. Unlocking the value of HR.
5. Globalisation: a perfect example of how not to instigate change.

1. Tim Wallace and the iPipeline team: Transforming insurance

Tim Wallace and his team are dragging the vast life insurance industry kicking and screaming into the digital age.

The insurance industry, particularly in the US, has long been stuck in a bygone era. Until very recently, life insurance sales followed an entirely manual, cumbersome and paper-based process. Agents hand-wrote orders, printed policy documents, delivered them by mail and then waited – as if the last 20 years' technological revolution had simply never happened. The industry has been one of the last to reap the benefits of greater efficiency, enhanced productivity, improved customer service, higher profits and strong revenue growth that technology can provide.

Tim Wallace and iPipeline have changed all that.

‘The technology ...