Cyber, ambition, and the art of building something new

Lari, you joined Sompo after a long stint as a broker. What motivated the move?   

I spent close to eight years working as a broker and advising clients on cyber risk from the outside. That experience gave me a very strong technical grounding - I was dealing with complex risks every day and working closely with senior decision-makers on the client side.  

The move to underwriting was a natural next step rather than a difficult transition. Because of my technical background, switching sides didn’t feel like starting again; it felt like gaining more influence over decisions. Underwriting allows me to be closer to how risk is actually priced, structured, and managed. And that was something I wanted to develop.   

Why Sompo specifically?   

Ambition, first and foremost. My own ambition to grow, develop, and be successful aligned very closely with Sompo’s ambitions. This is a business that clearly wants to move into the top tier of the market, including cyber. That matched exactly what I was looking for next in my career.   

There was also the people factor. I was excited about joining a group of highly capable individuals, and the projects they were aiming to deliver. It felt like a business that wasn’t just maintaining the status quo, but actively trying to build something.   

How would you describe the culture at Sompo, focusing on Paris and France?   

It genuinely has a start‑up vibe, but with the backing of a ‘big house’ - the major global insurer that is our parent company. That combination is powerful. It feels like a ‘big house’, but with enough freedom to move forward, innovate, and do things differently.    

You’re trusted to take ownership. There’s room to build, to shape ideas, and to challenge how things have traditionally been done. That sense of freedom, combined with strong backing and ambition, creates a very motivating environment.   

Cyber insurance is evolving rapidly. What does your day‑to‑day role look like?   

At its core, my job is to help companies understand and deal with cyber risk to their operations. Cyber is unlike any other risk, not just because it changes constantly, but because the way companies operate has fundamentally shifted.    

Eight or nine years ago, most organizations had one centralized IT system. Today, corporate IT environments look more like an archipelago - fragmented, distributed, and interconnected across cloud providers, third‑party vendors, remote workers, and global platforms. Each part brings its own vulnerabilities.   

There is no risk quite like cyber risk. The landscape changes infinitely, and probably faster than any other line of insurance. That’s why understanding how a business really operates, technically and operationally, is essential.   

Your ambition mirrors Sompo’s own outlook. Where do you see things heading?   

Over the next few years, the goal is clear: to be a top‑five insurer, particularly in cyber. Personally, I want brokers to think of Sompo as one of the first names on their list when deciding where to place a cyber risk. That’s not about being the loudest voice in the market, it’s about building trust, credibility, and technical excellence.    

What differentiates Sompo in the cyber space?   

There’s a real willingness to build, not just products, but long‑term capability. You have the backing of a large organization, but you’re not constrained by rigid legacy thinking.   

That allows us to innovate, to structure solutions differently, and respond more intelligently to how cyber risk is actually evolving. For someone who wants to shape the future of a line of business, that’s incredibly appealing.  

Why should people consider insurance as a viable career choice?  

Because insurance is everywhere. It touches every aspect of our society: energy, retail, transport, aviation, technology, the list goes on. Whatever industry you’re interested in, insurance connects you to it.   

The work is incredibly diverse. In a single day, I might speak with an energy company in the morning, a retailer at lunchtime, and an aerospace business in the afternoon. You’re constantly exposed to different ways of operating, different risk profiles, and different strategic challenges.   

For curious people who enjoy learning, it’s a surprisingly dynamic environment.  

And outside of work, anything interesting that keeps you busy?   

Sport and travel, mainly. I move around Europe a lot, and being based in Paris adds another dimension to life outside the office.  

There’s also a running competition in the Paris office: who can find the best pastry. Food is an institution in Paris, and it’s something I take very seriously. It keeps things light, competitive, and very much in the spirit of the city.   

Thank you, Lari for providing an insight into your career.