This session will provide an overall economic outlook of the property/casualty insurance industry and will include a high-level look at industry trends and disrupters. The always-popular Robert Hartwig, Ph.D., will provide important insights that will help you manage your company’s risk.

This session qualifies for one FMDC elective or maintenance credit in the Management module.

Robert Hartwig, Ph.D.

Director, Center for Risk & Uncertainty Management
University of South Carolina

While most insurers have been on a continual quest to optimize their business, their efforts have often been incremental and short-sighted. Many have replaced their core systems within the last 10 years as part of a transformation strategy, but most were on-premises with significant customization. This has resulted in upgrade challenges, increased costs, limitations on digital capabilities, difficulty in launching new products, and lackluster user experiences for employees and customers. It's time for a redo.

Insurers must move beyond the legacy and internal mindset of “this is how insurance is done,” to one that recognizes the world has shifted. Research finds that companies that both prioritize innovation and make sure that they are ready to act are widening the gap between less capable competitors by delivering new products, entering new markets, and establishing new revenue streams. The laggards struggle to make headway beyond incremental improvements. Insurers need to double down on investing in a new business model and technology to ensure the right formula for profitable growth. During this webinar, attendees will learn 10 trends that are key to finding the right formula.

Denise Garth

Chief Strategy Officer
Majesco

Revolutionize the agent and policyholder experience with the latest advancements in automation and cloud technology. Join us for a comprehensive webinar during which we'll dive into how automation not only streamlines processes but also greatly enhances the interaction between agents and policyholders. From rapid, seamless quoting to real-time, cloud-based portals for managing claims and billing, discover how mutual insurers can upgrade their entire customer journey while eliminating inefficiencies.

Amede Hungerford

Chief Marketing Officer
BriteCore

Brian Jones

Engineering Solution Consultant
BriteCore

Brian Taylor

President & CEO
Municipal Mutual Insurance Company of West Virginia

Years of federal money have buttressed municipal balance sheets, but growing deficits and federal borrowing costs are changing the calculus in Washington. During this webinar, the presenters will describe the ongoing effects of existing federal legislation, the upcoming debate around changing tax provisions, and other federal influences on insurer’s municipal bond portfolios.

Harold Hawkins

Asset Class Specialist
New England Asset Management (NEAM)

Christopher Ware

Research Analyst
New England Asset Management (NEAM)

In an increasingly violent world, traditional insurance coverages need to adapt to better protect their policyholders. This session will provide an overview of the increasing number of violent events occurring at businesses across North America, identity the areas that traditional property/casualty policies may have gaps in coverage, and identify coverage evolutions that can better protect businesses, their employees, and their customers.

This presentation will focus on the developments the automotive industry has experienced the past five years – particularly regarding electric vehicles – that have led to greater overall complexity in the collision repair space. The content will debunk myths about overall claims frequency, total loss trends, and the cost to repair electric vehicles. The primary source of the data used to support the findings will come from Mitchell International’s own estimatics and total loss data, and it will be complemented by select third-party sources.

Ryan Mandell

Director, Claims Performance
Mitchell International

Join this session as we tackle the challenges of recruiting and retaining good employees by creating a strategy around a values-based culture. And yes, you will attract new consumers along the way without even trying.

Jim Lake

President
Michael Walters Advertising

Juli Lewis

Chief Relationship Officer
Michael Walters Advertising

The reinsurance market continues to be challenging for ceding companies of all sizes. However, the right preparation and background can ensure that your company secures the most efficient and cost-effective reinsurance program. This session will provide an overview of key data to share with reinsurers as well as analytics to use when analyzing various reinsurance structures. In addition, the presenters will review reinsurance market conditions and what to expect during the upcoming renewal season.

Patrick Abbe

U.S. Regional and Mutual Strategic Growth Leader
Aon Reinsurance Solutions

Jessica Arbittier

Senior Managing Director
Aon

This session will explore current cyber claims trends, loss causes, exposures, and threats facing small and midsize businesses and entities. It will discuss impacts to severity, best practices, and risk mitigation as well.

Richard Savage

Director - Cyber Incident Response
Tokio Marine HCC

The financial costs attributed to weather and climate events continue to rise. Following a record year of severe convective storm losses in the United States in 2023, which topped $60 billion for the insurance industry, there are growing questions about the driving forces causing loss costs to accelerate. The session will provide a background of the current state of the science behind these changing weather patterns and tackle other complementary issues that are leading to increased risks and subsequent losses for the industry. As the topic of insurability and climate change becomes more urgent, it is more imperative than ever to properly price, underwrite, and balance exposure management decision-making.

Steve Bowen

Chief Science Officer
Gallagher Re

Generative artificial intelligence models are creating a buzz of excitement across all industries and ushering in fresh opportunities for insurers. Many are now wondering how to harness the power and potential of these tools to create working solutions that will make a difference throughout their value chain. During this session, we'll demystify the real-world applications of models such as ChatGPT that encompass AI and machine learning. We will highlight their role in enhancing customer experiences, improving underwriting efficiency, aiding in fraud detection, and offering personalized and relevant insurance products. The discussion will highlight the newfound accessibility of AI tools with practical use cases. No longer reserved for tech giants, today's innovative solutions are within reach for mutuals of all sizes. By tapping into practical strategies and collaborations, carriers can revolutionize their operations and offerings. This will enable them to cut costs, improve the customer experience, optimize data, and engage in faster decision-making. Join this webinar to ensure you are well-equipped for the AI-driven future of insurance.

Grahame Cohen

Founder and CEO
Epoq, Inc.

Talent is in demand. The competition for emerging insurance leaders has intensified as the talent gap expands and the insurance industry continues to grow despite global economic challenges. How can insurance organizations attract rising talent? Gamma Iota Sigma’s Grace Grant will incorporate insights from the organization’s Annual Recruiting Survey throughout this panel discussion with student leaders. She will also share best practices for building a diverse early-career talent pipeline. After this session, attendees will be able to understand rising talent’s top drivers in employment decisions and expectations of employers; leverage new tools to build a robust and diverse talent pool for their organizations and successfully compete for talent; and positively impact the future of the insurance industry.

Grace Grant

Executive Director
Gamma Iota Sigma

Space weather events can be every bit as disruptive as terrestrial weather – causing blackouts, disrupting communications, and interfering with supply chains. But unlike terrestrial weather, our understanding of space weather and our ability to predict its occurrence are still very much in their infancy. This session will explore some of the ways in which space weather can impact property and business operations on Earth and survey our evolving understanding of space weather forecasting. It will also highlight what past solar storms can teach us about the possible insurance impacts of future space weather catastrophes.

How can you gain market share and react nimbly to market forces by optimizing product development? This session will discuss each phase in the product development process and reveal best practices for each. Participants are encouraged to share their points of view during this interactive session.

Dive into the transformative power of generative AI as it reshapes the insurance industry by assimilating diverse data sources and extracting critical insights from evolving risks. Explore how this cutting-edge technology deepens our understanding of risks and revolutionizes customer engagement and operational efficiency. Learn about the pivotal role of generative AI in identifying emerging threats, refining risk models, and driving digital transformation to exceed expectations in an era of rapid technological advancement and complex challenges.

Puneet Bajpai

Senior Vice President, Risk Intelligence & Data Sciences
Xceedance

Technology is evolving in ways that forge new possibilities and impactful ideas every day. Capitalizing on these can help to distinguish your business. This session is designed to help you understand and create economic capital models while making good use of the net underwriting model and capital allocation models that you create along the way. We will explore the potential uses of these models to design and place efficient reinsurance programs that provide the best coverage available in today’s challenging reinsurance market.