Our first ever virtual conference, IT Pro Live, runs from June 22-26, and is packed with insightful panel sessions and keynote speakers from across the tech industry. To give attendees a preview into what they can expect from the show, we spoke to Tempcover CTO Marc Pell about his background, his business, and what he’s looking forward to from the event.
What does your organisation do?
Tempcover is a market-leading InsurTech firm that provides short-term motor insurance policies that last from one hour to 28 days.
What’s your area of expertise?
My background is in software engineering, but I've always held a keen interest in technology more broadly.
Can you describe the focus of your role in three words?
Innovation, technology and leadership.
What does an average day in your working life look like?
A typical day for me would include strategic planning of our road-map for the future, supporting the broader team with technical insight into proposals, as well as keeping in touch with current priorities and IT-related decision making.
Why are you looking forward to IT Pro Live?
IT is a constantly evolving landscape and IT Pro Live brings together a broad range of industry leaders who will share their knowledge and insights. It is an opportunity not to be missed.
Why should people attend the conference?
For the same reason as I'm personally looking forward to IT Pro Live, having access to some of the most forward-thinking minds in the industry and being given the opportunity to learn about the latest IT trends and innovations.
What can attendees expect from your session?
I'll be discussing how Tempcover migrated from a traditional infrastructure up into Azure, as well as some early-stage choices we've made to build new features in serverless technologies.
What sessions are you most looking forward to?
I'm a fan of sports as well as technology, so I'm keen to hear from Neil Hornsby of Pro Football Focus on how they have developed their business of NFL statistical data and analysis.
How has the COVID-19 outbreak impacted your work now and moving forward?
Tempcover already supported remote working for many staff even before the outbreak. COVID-19 has obviously forced our entire workforce to work remotely, something I'm happy to say has worked really well. We'll be continuing discussions in the future but I think it’s safe to say we'll be supporting more remote working in the long-term.
What gets you excited about IT?
Anything innovative and relating to engineering; I would much rather spend my day designing a new system than maintaining infrastructure.
What do you think has been the most significant innovation to affect your industry in the last five years?
Motor insurance consumers are learning that the traditional annual insurance product isn't the only option when it comes to covering their use case. Many customers are looking to borrow a car or van for an hour or more, whether to pop to the shops/work or to test-drive or drive home a new car. As such, I'd say that the most significant innovation is in the availability of more flexible products that better meet customer needs.
What are some of your IT goals through 2020 and into 2021?
There is still a lot more innovation to come in the motor insurance market and we aim to be a big part of that. Personally, I'm always looking to learn something new, without being too rigid on where that learning journey takes me, but I'd be pretty sure to lean more into the serverless capabilities of the cloud.
If you could offer a college student with IT aspirations one piece of advice, what would it be?
Always make sure to learn, acknowledge and embrace what you don't yet know - the best part of a career in technology is that it's constantly evolving.
Catch Marc’s IT Pro Live panel discussion, 'Building a cloud MVP, on Tuesday 23 June at 3.30 PM BST (10.30 AM EDT). Register for your free ticket now.
