Programme Delivery Executive

Sapiens' Mourad sets North American priorities. The newly appointed regional CEO brings carrier, reinsurance and data experience to Sapiens' push for AI adoption and stronger customer outcomes. Anthony R. O'Donnell // October 9, 2026 (Maroun Mourad, CEO, North America, Sapiens. Image source: author.) Sapiens (London) has appointed Maroun Mourad CEO, North America, bringing an executive with experience across insurance, reinsurance, data analytics and software into its senior leadership team as the company advances its AI-led transformation. Announced Oct. 8, immediately after the conclusion of Sapiens Ignite 2026 in Nashville, the appointment follows a user group meeting at which the company's new leadership outlined changes to its technology, delivery organization and customer relationships. In an exclusive interview with Insurance Innovation Reporter that day, Mourad described his aspirations for translating those changes into greater accuracy, productivity and value for North American customers. Mourad joins from Clarivate, where he was President of the Intellectual Property division. Previously, he spent a decade at Verisk in leadership roles spanning global claims, underwriting, life insurance and international markets. His earlier career includes serving as Chairman and CEO of Zurich Insurance Group's Middle East business and senior roles at Arch Reinsurance, AIG and Gen Re. Yariv Hasar, who previously led Sapiens' North American business, has decided to leave the company and will remain an adviser to Mourad through the end of the year, according to Charlotte Otter, Chief Communications Officer, Sapiens. Mourad attended Ignite before the appointment was announced, using the gathering to begin building relationships and become better acquainted with the company's direction. Otter confirmed that the timing of the announcement reflected finalization of the agreement. "We didn't want to miss it," Mourad said of the opportunity to attend. Connecting Technology to Insurance Outcomes Mourad's familiarity with Sapiens predates his appointment. At Verisk, he worked with the company through integrations supporting underwriting and claims. Those interactions gave him a view of its products and people; more recently, its Autonomous Insurance Platform (AIP) and approach to agentic AI helped attract him to the role. He described the opportunity in terms of applying technology to specific insurance work, including rating, underwriting, risk selection, pricing and claims. Across insurers, third-party administrators and other participants, he sees recurring needs for greater accuracy, productivity, connectivity and speed, alongside lower total cost of ownership. His experience on both the insurance and technology sides of the industry informs that view. Mourad argued that understanding the business is essential to delivering useful technology, particularly when customers must balance innovation with regulatory obligations. "The sensitivity to the highly regulated environment is, I think, a critical point, particularly as we enter the software and advanced AI stage," he said. Mourad holds a JD and a BA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. He said his legal training helped develop the curiosity and analytical discipline he has applied to risk assessment, underwriting and program design. For AI, he emphasized human oversight, auditability, traceability and explainability to regulators. Those requirements form part of the customer outcome, alongside operational improvements. "Strategies are very, very important, but execution is critical," Mourad said. Delivering on the Commitments At Ignite, Sapiens' leadership acknowledged shortcomings in implementation and customer experience, then made commitments covering product quality, configuration before customization, faster delivery and accountability for customer results. Mourad welcomed the acknowledgment and said the next task is to deliver through collaboration with customers, systems integrators, data providers and other technology companies. "We will be very thoughtful about what we promise," he said. He believes the company's agentic capabilities can support faster, more precise and less costly delivery. His approach also calls for discipline in setting expectations and preparing to execute. "We'll be measuring twice and cutting once in order to deliver on our commitments to the market," Mourad said. Speaking within hours of formally taking the role, Mourad set out the direction he intends to pursue while leaving detailed assessments of migration progress and execution plans for a subsequent discussion. On SaaS, he emphasized the relationship between cloud adoption, modular products and configuration. Moving customers toward current product versions, he said, can accelerate their access to AIP and reduce the need for code development. He also sees the benefits extending to employees. Reducing repetitive work can improve their experience and allow them to devote more time to work requiring expertise and judgment. Insurance Knowledge and an Open Ecosystem Mourad described Sapiens Brain - the company's approach to connecting accumulated insurance and product knowledge to AI agents - as an important source of confidence in the platform's potential. "We're using great models on top of 40 years of great data and ontology," he said. "And this is what gave me confidence and conviction that we will be able to deliver a lot of value to the North American market." He identified applications in underwriting, including analyzing submissions and matching risk profiles to appetite, and in claims, including processing first notice of loss information and supporting interactions with claimants. The broader objective is to combine insurance context with digital engagement across customers, employees, distribution channels and third parties. Mourad also emphasized Sapiens' open ecosystem approach. He expects the company to combine its own development with integrations that augment its capabilities, reflecting the range of organizations involved in insurance transactions and claims. A central platform connection, he argued, can make it easier for insurers to obtain relevant information from providers such as Verisk, LexisNexis and Cotality, reducing the burden of building and maintaining separate connections to each vendor. Alongside technology and data, Mourad emphasized the relationships that allow customers to adopt new capabilities with confidence. "The most important component of success in the insurance business is trust with a capital T," he said. Opportunities Across North America Mourad sees opportunities across several North American insurance segments, with different business needs shaping the case for modernization. In life insurance, annuities and pensions, he pointed to organizations acquiring blocks of business and seeking more agile platforms with lower maintenance costs. He believes Sapiens' modular software and AI capabilities can help insurers and third-party administrators improve accuracy and reduce the expense of administering those blocks. Lower costs can also release resources for growth, he said, connecting operational modernization to capital efficiency. In workers' compensation, Mourad highlighted the opportunity to support injury prevention, recovery and the use of insights to reduce future injuries. He also identified specialty insurance and the E&S market, including MGAs and MGUs, as areas of focus. Those aspirations will take shape through engagement with customers and the North American team. For Mourad, the immediate priority is to connect Sapiens' technology advances with the insurance expertise and relationships needed to deliver results. "Our clients - satisfying clients and delivering value - is our North Star," he said.

Sapiens appoints Maroun S. Mourad as Chief Executive Officer, North America. * People Moves * 08.10.2026 01:45 pm Sapiens International Corporation N.V. today announced the appointment of Maroun S. Mourad as Chief Executive Officer, North America. Mourad joins Sapiens' Senior Leadership Team and brings more than 27 years of global leadership across property and casualty (P&C), life and annuities, reinsurance, data analytics and technology. Mourad joins Sapiens from Clarivate, where he was President of its Intellectual Property division. Before that, he spent a decade at Verisk as President of Global Claims, Global Underwriting, Life and International, and served on the company's Senior Operating Committee. Earlier in his career, he was Chairman and CEO of Zurich Insurance Group's Middle East business and held senior leadership roles at Arch Reinsurance, AIG and Gen Re, a Berkshire Hathaway company in the US, UK and Europe. Mourad holds Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degrees from U.C. Berkeley. "North American insurers are under more pressure than ever to move faster, price risk more accurately and serve customers better," said Paul Wheeler, CEO, Sapiens. "Maroun has spent his career leading exactly that kind of change, at carriers, at reinsurers and at the data and software businesses that serve them. His depth across software, AI and data makes him the right leader to scale our North America business." "Insurers in North America face rising complexity and customer expectations, and they need partners who deliver measurable gains in accuracy, productivity, growth and compliance," said Mourad. "Sapiens has the platform, the AI capability and the customer base to do that. I look forward to working closely with our teams, customers and ecosystem partners to turn that opportunity into tangible results."