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Phase three : Changing the Rules In changing the rules , NFU Mutual is researching , exploring and investing in new ways in which the company writes insurance through technology .

But as Mann points out , it ’ s a phase that will take some time .

“ We are spending a little more time getting into changing the rules and the insurance writing process ,” he says . “ And if I ’ m honest , this will be a continuously evolving phase as technology will only continue to advance .”

Naturally , with any transformational process , it ’ s never going to be completely plain sailing . To redefine and transform the core components of a business , there are of course going to be challenges and hurdles that need to be cleared .

For Mann , first and foremost , there was a cultural challenge .

“ In the beginning , there wasn ’ t any confidence with regards to investing

in technology or large technology projects ,” he says . “ People found it hard to see where we were going to get returns on our investment .

“ Over the last seven years , people in the business have become more confident , leading to more investment in technology and more programmes and projects . It ’ s really exciting right now .” The second key challenge for Mann and NFU Mutual is partner relationships . When Mann first joined NFU Mutual , the company had an outsourcing contract that was failing to add true value to the business . This was very much the first action that Mann took , exiting that contract safely and working with new partners .

But the challenge lay in finding the right partners , ones that had the capabilities to keep up with NFU Mutual ’ s ambition . In fact , Mann feels that this is still one of the biggest challenges he faces on a daily basis , even now .

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