Sapiens appoints Nazir Esmail & Maggie Fox to leadership

Sapiens has appointed Nazir Esmail as Chief Autonomous Enterprise Officer and Maggie Fox as Chief Marketing Officer, expanding the insurance software group's senior leadership team.

Esmail takes up the newly created role of the company's first Chief Autonomous Enterprise Officer. Fox will join later this year as Chief Marketing Officer.

The appointments come as Sapiens reshapes its leadership team under Paul Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer Designate and Board member. Esmail will oversee the internal foundations the business needs to work with artificial intelligence and autonomous technology across technology, data, systems and security.

Esmail joins from SoftwareOne, where he served as Chief Information Officer and Digital Transformation Officer. He brings more than 25 years of experience in technology and transformation roles spanning enterprise platforms, data, AI, cybersecurity and large-scale change programmes.

Fox brings senior marketing and digital experience from software and industrial technology businesses. Her previous roles include Global SVP of Digital Marketing at SAP and, most recently, SVP, Portfolio & Digital Marketing at AVEVA.

She has also served twice as a Chief Marketing Officer and founded a start-up. At Sapiens, she will focus on brand and market positioning as the group sharpens how it presents itself to insurers and other industry audiences.

Wheeler said the appointments are intended to support the company's wider strategy and strengthen its executive bench.

"As we continue to Advance the Possible, getting the right leadership in place accelerates everything else we're trying to do," said Paul Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer Designate and Board member, Sapiens.

"Nazir and Maggie bring exactly the experience and calibre we need as we accelerate our strategy. Strong leadership is what turns ambition into results, and I'm confident these appointments will strengthen us for the road ahead," Wheeler said.

AI oversight

The creation of a Chief Autonomous Enterprise Officer role points to a more formal structure for the company's internal use of AI. The post brings together oversight of technology, data, systems and security to support safe and effective work with autonomous technologies.

The role appears focused as much on internal operations as on external priorities, with responsibility for the operating framework behind AI adoption rather than a direct product brief. For a software supplier serving the insurance market, issues such as data management, cyber risk and systems integration are likely to sit close to that agenda.

Esmail described the position as a chance to help shape the next stage of the business.

"This is an incredibly exciting moment to be joining Sapiens," said Nazir Esmail, Chief Autonomous Enterprise Officer, Sapiens.

"The chance to build the enterprise foundations that will let Sapiens work safely and effectively with AI and autonomous technology, at this stage in the company's journey, is exactly the kind of challenge I enjoy. I'm looking forward to working with the team to bring our technology, data, systems and security capabilities together and help shape what comes next for Sapiens and its customers," Esmail said.

Brand focus

Fox's appointment puts renewed emphasis on marketing at a time when software companies are trying to explain their AI plans and stand out in crowded markets. Her experience across digital marketing, portfolio marketing and brand building points to a broad brief rather than a narrow communications role.

Her background at SAP and AVEVA places her among senior marketing executives with experience in large business software organisations. At Sapiens, she is expected to help define how the company tells its story to customers and the wider market.

Fox said marketing had a clear role in the company's next phase.

"Sapiens is at a defining moment, and marketing has a real role to play in telling that story for our customers and for the market," said Maggie Fox, Chief Marketing Officer, Sapiens.

"I'm excited to join a company with this depth of industry expertise and to help build a brand that matches the ambition of what Sapiens is doing for insurers around the world," Fox said.