Phase 1 done

Media release

30 July 2020

Fidelity Life, the country’s largest locally owned life insurer, has completed the first phase of its $25 million technology transformation with the successful migration of 3,000 policies to a new Microsoft Dynamics 365 cloud platform.

Nicknamed ‘Watson’ for the innovative spirit of Fidelity Life founders Gordon and Shirley Watson, the technology project underpins the company’s bold five-year transformation strategy, built on the idea of reimagining life insurance for New Zealanders.

Fidelity Life Chief Technology Officer Dan Wilkinson says: “Our strategy requires a high degree of ambition and innovation, and a traditional approach won’t cut it. Over the past 12 months we’ve focused on bringing our people along via fundamental improvements to the entire technology ecosystem, such as a new virtual desktop solution which enabled a seamless transition to remote working during the Covid-19 lockdown.”

Dan says ultimately Fidelity Life’s transformation is all about delivering sustainable growth.

“Project Watson will drive innovation, productivity, resilience and improved support for our advisers and partners. Most importantly, though, it will allow us to develop simpler, more flexible products and deliver good outcomes for our customers.

“Our transformation will help us build trust and ensure the business remains in a strong position to deliver on our promise of protecting New Zealanders’ way of life.”

Earlier this year Fidelity Life unveiled a refreshed brand and health and wellbeing mobile app Sharecare - both key milestones on its transformation journey.

Fidelity Life’s key technology delivery partners are: