Brad Purnhagen is Head of Breakthrough Innovation at The Cincinnati Insurance Companies, a leading property and casualty insurer. At Cincinnati, Brad builds beyond current capabilities to create the insurance products of tomorrow. He helps senior leaders understand emerging macro and micro breakthrough trends. He also identifies new opportunities for business leaders and builds the infrastructure to turn them into marketable products. Brad spoke at our 2025 InsurTech Spring Conference on “Predicting Claims Behavior with Analytics,” alongside James Benham, Denise Olson, Tyler Jones, and Trevor Giroux.
Brad Purnhagen has spent nearly two decades at The Cincinnati Insurance Companies. Before his current role, Brad served as Strategic Innovation Lead. There, he coached venture teams and helped build the company’s innovation platform and portfolio. He also partnered with startups, universities, and other ecosystem players to drive innovation.
Earlier, Brad worked as a Risk and Strategy Analyst at Cincinnati. He partnered with the Chief Risk Officer on the enterprise risk management program, spanning risk identification, quantification, and reporting. He also chaired the company’s Emerging Risk Committee. Before that, Brad spent nine years in surety underwriting, advancing to Chief Underwriting Specialist. That role sharpened his skills in financial analysis and risk assessment.
Brad Purnhagen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Miami University. He is also a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and holds an Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding. For an insurtech audience, Brad brings an innovation leader’s perspective on breakthrough insurance product development, emerging risk, design thinking, and building new capabilities inside an established carrier.
