ZACH ATYA | Age: 32 Senior insurance products manager

At-Bay Inc.

Washington, D.C.

Zach Atya’s lifelong fascination with technology started with his parent’s computers. “I used to take them apart,” he said. “It all started with tinkering with computers” and eventually led to helping others understand technology. Today, he helps companies tackle their evolving cybertechnology risks and is known for explaining complicated issues in plain language. Having spent a decade at Measured Insurance LLC, he began his new role at At-Bay this month.

What’s your advice on navigating the current insurance market?

We are lucky to be living in an age where we have emerging technologies such as predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. Cyber insurance can really leverage and benefit from the availability of new data.

How are technological advances affecting your job?

Artificial intelligence is the first thing that comes to mind. These emerging technologies can be used to identify bad actors and cybercriminals. That’s something that requires constant consideration and reevaluation.

What do you wish more people knew about insurance?

There’s something for everybody in insurance. I have immense fascination for the legal world and the world of business, but I also don’t want to compromise my love for technology. Maybe there’s someone who likes architecture, and so they could look at working with architects and engineers in professional liability.

What’s something about you that would surprise people?

I enjoy writing. I’d like to write a fiction book of some sort, perhaps in the realm of science fiction. Creative writing is something that has always been an outlet.

Favorite song?

“Eleanor Rigby,” by The Beatles. It was a kind of revolutionary song in the way that it brought together the traditional elements of rock with an orchestra.