Attune, a data-focused insurance platform and startup that wants to help small and medium-sized businesses meet their risk needs, now has a new CEO to lead it.

James Hobson will fill the top slot at Attune, a company launched jointly by American International Group, Hamilton Insurance and Two Sigma in late 2016. Richard Friesenhahn, currently executive vice president of U.S. Casualty Lines at AIG, will assume the position of chief executive officer.

Hobson is currently chief operating officer of OnDeck Capital, a non-bank small business lender based in New York City. He’ll be stepping down from that position on March 15, the announcement noted. Once he does, Hobson will focus on helping Attune build its business model of using data science and advanced technology to make the submission and insurance underwriting processes for U.S. small business owners both streamlined and easier.

As COO of OnDeck, Hobson helped build the company’s online small business lending operations. He has been responsible at OnDeck for operations, product, analytics, credit, risk management, platform solutions and business development. As well, Hobson helped guide OnDeck through a 2014 IPO, and launched its partnership with JP Morgan Chase in 2015.

Hamilton Chairman and CEO Brian Duperreault is also Attune’s chairman. In prepared remarks, he said Hobson will help advance Attune in a major way.

Hobson’s “deep experienced with using technology to enable the growth of small businesses aligns with our objective of making it easier for companies in that segment to get the protection they need to succeed,” Duperreault said. “I look forward to working with [Hobson] to make Attune’s significant potential a reality.”

Hobson, also in prepared remarks, said that he is struck with both Attune’s founding partners and transformative potential.

“When three companies of the caliber of AIG, Hamilton and Two Sigma come together, you pay attention,” Hobson said. “Attune has already transformed how a small business owner’s policy is issued, and I am excited to build upon this early success.”

Among Attune’s early initiatives: A mobile app with a business owners product. It, and future products from Attune, are designed to be tools that help brokers and agents in the U.S. small to medium-sized enterprise commercial insurance market do their jobs better and quicker.\

AIG executive Richard Friesenhahn became Attune’s first CEO.

Source: Hamilton Insurance Group