Global scale doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when leaders are willing to take risks, think in systems, and embrace complexity. In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden sits down with Romaney O’Malley, Group CTO at bolttech, the InsurTech unicorn operating across 35 markets and three continents, to unpack what it really takes to build and lead technology at global scale. Romaney’s career is a masterclass in intentional risk-taking. One of the most defining moments came in 2008, when she and her husband made the bold decision to leave London—and a senior role at Swiss Re—to move to Johannesburg. At the time, it felt risky. In hindsight, it became one of the most career-defining moves she could have made. Exposure to African markets fundamentally reshaped how she thinks about innovation, customers, and growth. Emerging markets, Romaney explains, don’t always follow the same evolutionary path as mature economies—and that’s their advantage. In many parts of Africa, mobile technology and telco-driven financial services leapfrogged traditional banking infrastructure entirely. These consumers and ecosystems now sit at the sharp edge of innovation, offering lessons global insurers can’t afford to ignore. At bolttech, that global mindset is central. Operating across vastly different regulatory, cultural, and technological environments requires more than good execution—it requires multi-dimensional thinking. Romaney is clear: strategy is never one decision. Leadership teams don’t make linear choices; they balance trade-offs across markets, partners, customers, regulators, and shareholders—often simultaneously. This is where many organisations struggle. Strategic decisions are about understanding how multiple choices interact with one another—and ensuring the system doesn’t tip out of balance. Technology, culture, partnerships, and governance all move together. You can’t optimise one in isolation. Romaney also reflects on what distinguishes companies like bolttech—and legacy giants such as AIG, Swiss Re, and GE Insurance—from the rest: a deep understanding that insurance is now inseparable from technology. The future of the industry is ecosystem-driven, platform-enabled, and globally interconnected. Leadership, she believes, starts with self-awareness. Play to your strengths—but deliberately surround yourself with people who are stronger where you are not. That diversity of capability is what allows organisations to scale without fragility. For listeners, this episode offers: Insight into how global InsurTech leaders think about scale and strategy Lessons from emerging markets that challenge Western assumptions A practical lens on multi-stakeholder decision-making A reminder that ecosystems—not silos—will define insurance’s future 🎧 If you’re building, scaling, or transforming an insurance or InsurTech business globally, this episode is essential listening. Because the future of insurance won’t be built market by market. It will be built by leaders who can think globally, decide systemically, and act boldly.