Insurtech Cover Genius eyes travel expansion with new hire

Peter Smith will oversee new and existing partnerships with travel brands across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Cover Genius, the insurtech whose insurance distribution platform provides regulated policies that integrate into online point of sale and signup paths, has appointed Peter Smith to oversee its new and existing partnerships with travel brands across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Smith brings with him more than 20 years of travel industry experience and will leverage this to expand Cover Genius’s existing travel partnerships and steer the growth of its travel business into new regional markets.

Prior to joining Cover Genius, which is present in more than 60 countries and 50 US states, Smith was the head of new business at Holiday Extras, a UK and European provider of travel extras.

He developed partnerships to enhance Holiday Extras’s customer experience and drive incremental revenue with the addition of airport parking, airport hotels, lounges and travel insurance.

He has also gained insight into ecommerce platforms as head of sales for the UK for CarTrawler, and during his time with TravelSupermarket.com and Moneysupermarket.com, where he worked closely with the founders to build a leading price comparison website.

Commenting on his appointment, Smith said: “Cover Genius has developed a suite of next-generation global insurance solutions which make it easy for travel companies of all types to quickly integrate relevant insurance products, with outstanding service—leading to happy customers and greater lifetime value.”

Angus McDonald, chief executive officer and co-founder of Cover Genius, welcomed Smith to the insurtech, saying: “Cover Genius has already established a firm foothold within the travel sector across EMEA, and Peter’s extensive knowledge of the market, combined with his expertise, will only further bolster our presence as we look to give even more travel partners the ability to customise, add-on, and embed insurance for the needs of any customer and any itinerary.”

The appointment of Smith follows the insurtech’s recent funding round, which raised $10million to support its investment in talent and continued global growth across the UK, the US and Asia, as well as the recruitment of Nelson Castellanos as its strategic partnerships director for retail in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Image: Cover Genius

Mark Dugdale