Sasha Jory developed her IT leadership skills through various roles with top finance firms before joining Hastings Direct in 2019. In January 2023, she took on the role of CIO. As a member of the executive team, she reports to the CEO and is responsible for technology strategy, delivery, and operations.
Reflecting on her time at Hastings, Jory emphasizes the unique opportunity she had as the chief digital and change director. Unlike other companies where testing capabilities, business analysis, and engineering are divided, her role encompassed the entire range of managing and overseeing change in the business. This allowed her to drive meaningful change with a focus on efficiency and agility.
Jory sees driving agile transformation as crucial to Hastings’ goal of becoming the leading digital insurer in the UK. The company’s appetite for innovation and willingness to try new things attracted her to the opportunity at Hastings.
As CIO, Jory enjoys the ever-changing and fast-paced nature of technology. She acknowledges the demands of being available 24/7 and highlights the importance of investing in her team and supporting their growth. One of the key aspects of her role is driving change within the organization and making decisions to move projects forward.
For Hastings, digital transformation means being customer-centric and providing seamless experiences across all channels. Jory emphasizes the importance of enabling employees to work in a digital way to deliver the best service possible. Over the past four years, significant progress has been made in the company’s digital journey, including the migration to cloud-based technology and the adoption of machine learning and automation.
While digital transformation can come with significant costs, Jory emphasizes the importance of effectively managing and understanding the expenditures associated with moving to the cloud. Hastings has implemented strategies to consume cloud services efficiently and effectively, working closely with Snowflake to optimize data consumption and query performance.
Looking ahead, Jory aims to use digitization to provide internal staff with the same high-quality experiences as customers. She plans to leverage emerging technologies such as AI and automation to enhance operational efficiency and reduce mundane tasks. By focusing on small-scale, tactical opportunities rather than enterprise-wide services, Jory believes they can drive innovation and enhance employee roles.
Overall, Jory is excited about the future of technology at Hastings and the potential for further benefits and advancements in AI and machine learning.
