Steve Hardy

Chairman, Ignite Holdings

Steve has been involved in the auto and home insurance space for more than 30 years. Hailing from the UK, he mastered the art of insurance innovation in one of the most competitive marketplaces on the globe. Steve successfully launched the UK’s first fully online digital insurance offer – SwiftCover. Within 2 years Swiftcover went from “start-up” to writing 5% of all new business in the UK auto market. Subsequent to the sale of Swiftcover, he held senior executive positions driving Axa’s UK personal insurance strategy, further shaping the competitive landscape. 

The siren call of entrepreneurship proved too strong, however, and Steve next turned his eyes to the Asian markets. With the launch of Ignite Insurance, Steve is actively driving digital evolution in the P&C space in China, Thailand and Taiwan, As an industry pioneer, Steve’s success launching digital insurance services in the UK and Asia hinged on meeting the expectations of digital-era customers by embracing technology. His strategies take advantage of the agility of small, tech-enabled organizations and prove that it’s not just the big conglomerates that can find success in the insurance industry. 

With his recent successes in the UK and Asia behind him, Steve now turns his attention to yet another part of the globe – Canada – and brings his innovative prowess and customer experience mastery to its development.