Celent Executive Roundtable

Do you wonder if you are doing all you can to engage your customers? Or how others in the industry manage to do so? Are you interested in how others are engaging with insuretechs? Or which innovation strategies work best? Join Celent and your peers for a private, vendor-free discussion about how to manage these and other issues in a time of ongoing change. In addition to Celent, speakers from Oliver Wyman, Amerisure, Hallmark, Selective, Hippo, Copperpoint, Joyn and more will discuss industry trends and tell their stories. You and your peers will provide the real-life experiences in an informal setting where networking will be easy and comfortable. Join us as we learn from the experiences of others in a time of change.

This free roundtable is exclusively for executives of insurance carriers. If you're interested in attending, please contact Karlyn Carnahan at kcarnahan@celent.com

Agenda

8:30 – 9:00 Coffee and continental breakfast

9:00: Welcome and introductions - Karlyn Carnahan, Head, North America Insurance, Celent

9:15 – 10:00 - How the economy and the elections are poised to impact the insurance industry - Jay Dhru, Managing Director, Guy Carpenter

10:00 – 11:00 – Transformation is Fueling Innovation in Insurance

The pandemic has ignited digital transformation at an accelerated pace. Traditional insurance business models are being challenged by a number of internal and external forces. Insurers are under pressure to change and must do so with new ways of thinking to stay differentiated from competitors and must find new ways to automate and digitize. The last couple of years have brought dramatic changes to the industry and the next wave of changes will bring new complexity and risk. Insurance leaders must embrace disruption and adapt to new needs and challenges through innovation. In this session we will discuss how to ensure you are ready for the opportunities of the future and some of the challenges you should anticipate.

Moderator:

Keith Raymond, Senior Analyst, Life/Annuity Practice, Celent

Panelists:

Amjed Al Zoubi, Chief Information Officer, Amerisure

Rao Tadepalli, Chief Information Officer, Slide Insurance

11:00 – 12:00 – Extracting Maximal Value From The InsurTech Ecosystem

It’s no secret that InsurTechs have the capability to be a force multiplier for the insurance industry. The unique perspective and arsenal of tools they bring to the table can help carriers solve many of their most pressing business challenges. While InsurTechs offer promise in many areas throughout the value chain, it is vital carriers understand how to navigate the relationship with them. This roundtable will discuss how carriers should vet and ultimately best manage their relationship with prospective InsurTech partners. It will also cover the industry-wide financial challenges many of these start-ups have been enduring and the broader implications for carriers.

Moderator: Andrew Schwartz, Analyst, Property/Casualty Practice, Celent

Panelists:

Michael Kearney,Vice President, Emerging Technology and Innovation Leader at The Hartford

Abel Travis, Vice President and Head of Fundamental Underwriters, Accident Fund

12:00 – 12:45 – Lunch

12:45 – 1:45 – The Evolving Landscape of Digital Distribution

The landscape of digital distribution of insurance is evolving rapidly. Digital direct carriers and digital distributors continue to build market share but at a slower pace than expected. New players are emerging, previously high-flying startups are downsizing or pivoting, and the pace of mergers and acquisitions is accelerating. Amidst this volatility, carriers find themselves struggling to determine how best to allocate scarce time and resources across numerous choices for digital channels, partners, and platforms. In this discussion, we will take a fresh look at the current state and likely future state of digital distribution, and how carriers should think about their own digital distribution strategies.

Moderator: Rob Norris - Senior Analyst, Property/Casualty Practice, Celent

Panelists:

Aviad Pinkowski –President, First Connect (A Hippo Company)

Helena Gordon - Senior Vice President Chief Information (CIO) and Services Officer, The Baltimore Life Insurance Company

1:45 – 2:45 – Differentiating the Policyholder Experience

It is easier to differentiate toasters. Two slice. Four slice. Bagel mode. There are different features, functions, and price points for toasters. Even brand recognition can bring a higher price. It is not as easy for insurance. Whether it be the fairly standard features of an auto policy or the basics of a life term policy, the differentiation is driven primarily by price. This is where the policyholder experience comes into play. For a more commoditized product, the experience is your differentiator. In other sessions, we have discussed the purchasing experience of a customer. In this session, we will discuss how the insurance service experience can be a key differentiator as well.

Moderator: Tom Scales, LIfe and Head, Health Practice, Celent

Panelists:

Kathleen Ziegler, SVP Operations, Copperpoint

Dianne Fox, SVP and COO iptiQ Americas L&H

3:00 – 4:00 – The Shifting World of Independent Agents

Insurance has always been, and still is, a relationship business. But as technology continues to advance and automate transactional processing, insurers have to determine what is the right mix of human interaction and digitalization / automation between the agency and carrier? We’ll chat with some leaders to discuss how the kind of business written impacts the digital-human blend and how to think through the options.

Moderator: Donald Light , Director, Property Casualty Practice, Celent

Panelists:

Callie Thomas, Chief Administrative Officer, Joyn

Jackie Morales, COO, Security Benefit Life Insurance

4:00: Closing Thoughts

Karlyn Carnahan, Head, North America Insurance, Celent