ICEF2018: “The Digital Future of Insurance: Is Risk Passé?”
Tuesday, August 28, 2018, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
Outside forces are driving dramatic change in the industry. Our faculty members will offer perspectives to give you and your peers fresh insights as you enter the fall planning season. Some have a long track record working in or with the insurance industry; some brought extensive experience in other industries to their current insurance positions; and others add a perspective based on careers elsewhere. All bring a wealth of expertise and experience to their sessions.
Below is the roster of confirmed faculty members. More participants will be added over the coming weeks.
Presenters, Panelists and Moderators
Tyrre Burks
Founder & CEO, Player's Health
Tyrre is on a mission to transform how athletes experience sports. His CFL Career was cut short due to injuries and now Tyrre is taking his passion of sports into insurance by creating Player's Health Cover.
The mission of Player's Health is to make the world of youth sports a better, safer, more secure place. By offering sports organizations the best risk management solutions, comprehensive insurance coverage, policy options, a faster claims experience, and a variety of services and products to address their specific needs, we can ensure (and insure) our young athletes have the best opportunities to set their goals— and win.
Baiju Devani
Vice President - Enterprise Analytics, Aviva
- Session: Insurance in the Age of Algorithms
Baiju Devani is vice president of enterprise analytics at Aviva Canada, where he leads a team of data scientists in application of analytics across all aspects of the insurance business, from core insurance activities, such as pricing and risk selection, to the development of cutting-edge robotic processes and the application of machine learning algorithms to areas such as claims processing and optimizing client acquisition.
Previously, Baiju led the Analytics Group at IIROC, an entity overseeing Canadian equity and fixed-income markets, where he guided decision making in todays machine-driven (algorithmic) markets, embedded machine learning, and other algorithmic surveillance capabilities for market oversight and spearheaded IIROC’s primary research into market-structure issues and emerging technologies, such as blockchains; was part of the early team at fintech startup OANDA, which disrupted retail foreign-exchange markets, where he was responsible for building and leading the data engineering, data science, and growth teams; and founded Fstream, a SaaS provider for ingesting and analyzing high-frequency streaming data.
Baiju holds both a BSc and MSc in computer science from Queen’s University. He developed his data chops working on large biological data sets as part of his graduate work and later at the Ontario Cancer Institute.
Mark Dowds
Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Trōv
Mark Dowds co-founded Trōv – the world's first on-demand insurance platform – in 2012, and today he is accountable for all revenue, strategy and international growth in his role as Chief Strategy Officer.
Mark has more than 20 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur and has helped get dozens of ventures off the ground through his Canadian-based incubators Fresh Initiatives and Creationstep.
Cezar Drugescu
Senior Information Security Consultant, TELUS
Mr. Cezar Drugescu is a Sr. Information Security Managing Consultant with over 20 years of experience in Information and Technology Security. Since 2006,Mr. Drugescu has been part of the TELUS Security Professional Services team working closely with our clients to understand their current security risk, governance and compliance requirements and the required investment to achieve their desired security posture. Mr. Drugescu has worked with mid-size and multi-national corporations and has extensive experience with Industry Security Frameworks such as NIST, COBIT and ISO, as well as compliance requirements such as PCI, PIPEDA, NERC, etc. Mr. Drugescu has successfully helped TELUS clients to define a cybersecurity and data protection strategy and build comprehensive multi-layer information security programs. Mr. Drugescu has held the CISO role for several organizations including D+H, Resolve and AGF Investments and was in charge of strategy, security governance and day to day security operations.
Rob Galbraith
Director - Underwriting Research, USAA
- Session: The 7 Deadly Sins of Insurance
Rob Galbraith is a Director of Underwriting Research at USAA where he leads a high-performing team of professionals that uses innovative technology, advanced analytics, the latest in science and social psychology, and a multitude of partnerships to underwrite over 6 million property insurance products. Rob is a recognized thought leader on P&C insurance who is a published author, frequent speaker and media contributor.
Rob has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry in a variety of positions with USAA, Citigroup, and the Federal Reserve Board. He holds a Master's of Science in Insurance Management from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Michigan State University.
Robin Joshua
VP - Insurance Business Development, CAA Insurance Company
A seasoned insurance professional, Robin has more than 30 years of experience spanning a wide variety of disciplines in the P&C insurance industry, in Personal Lines as well as Commercial Lines.
Robin has held senior management positions contributing to growth and profitability of three P&C insurance organizations, including leadership roles in underwriting, operations, finance and distribution. Robin joined CAA in May 2011. In his current role he is responsible for Business Development and Risk Management for both CAA Insurance and Orion Insurance.
He has a Bachelors degree in Mathematics as well holds the designations Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) and Canadian Risk Manager (CRM).
Alice Keung
Chief Transformation Officer, Economical Insurance
Alice Keung is currently the Chief Transformation Officer of Economical Insurance, one of Canada’s top 10 P&C insurance companies. Ms. Keung is an industry-recognized champion of digital innovation and strategist in business transformation. She brings extensive executive management experience from the public and private sectors, both in Canada and internationally.
Her previous roles included Chief Operating Officer of eHealth Ontario, Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Vice-President and Chief Information Officer at Air Canada, Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer with the National Bank, Vice-President of Asia-Pacific Operations, Interface Inc.. The Women Executive Network has twice recognized Ms. Keung as one of Canada’s “Top 100 Most Influential Women”.
She is also the recipient of an Award of Distinction from Concordia University for her outstanding contribution to business and communities. Ms. Keung holds a BA and MBA from John Molson School of Business, Concordia University in Montreal.
Sam Kodsi
President & Consulting Professional Engineer, Kodsi Forensic Engineering
Sam Kodsi, P.Eng., is the President and Consulting Professional Engineer of Kodsi Forensic Engineering. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from McMaster University and is a registered Consulting Professional Engineer in Ontario. He is also a Certified CDR Analyst and CXLT Certified XL Tribometrist.
Mr. Kodsi has been active in automotive engineering safety since 1995 and has specialized in Accident Reconstruction since 1997. He has been involved in more than 5,000 technical investigations and has been the lead engineer in more than 4,000 reconstructions involving motor vehicle collisions and other personal injury incidents. Mr. Kodsi has been involved in peer-reviewed research and testing and has qualified to provide expert evidence in the Ontario Court of Justice, Superior Court of Justice and in Arbitrations in the following areas:
- Accident Reconstruction (dynamics & speeds)
- Biomechanics
- Mechanical failures
- Collision consistency
- Driver perception & response
Gerald Legrove
Managing Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
- Session: Closing remarks
Gerald Legrove is the managing partner of Insurance-Canada.ca.
He is president of DGA Careers, an executive recruitment firm serving the Canadian P&C industry, and a past member of the Alumni Board of the Rotman School of Business, and is also former president of the Toronto Junior Board of Trade.
Gerald has held senior executive positions with a successful commercial insurance company and a large international insurance brokerage firm. He holds a Bachelors Degree in commerce and an MBA.
Marc Lipman
Chief Operating Officer, AIG Insurance Company of Canada
Marc is the Chief Operating Officer of AIG Insurance Company of Canada. He is responsible for the development and execution of a wide range of business strategies and operational initiatives.
Leading innovation for AIG in Canada is a core component of Marc’s role. He is responsible for fostering relationships within the Canadian insurtech and innovation communities, as well as structuring strategic partnerships. Marc leads AIG Canada’s internal innovation initiatives and promotes AIG’s external thought leadership, speaking at conferences on multiple technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and IoT. Marc was recently named as one of the Top 50 Data and Analytics Professionals – USA and Canada by Corinium Global Intelligence. Marc is skilled at leading digital initiatives such as Travel Guard on Demand, the first platform in North America to provide truly usage based travel insurance on a mobile platform. Travel Guard on Demand received the 2018 Celent Model Insurer Award for best practices in Innovation and Emerging Technologies.
Marc brings a deep understanding of the financial services industry, and expertise in critical areas including strategic planning, leadership, and employee engagement.
Mr. Lipman holds a Masters of Laws degree, with an award of Merit, from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, in Toronto, Canada.
Andrew Lo
President & CEO, Kanetix Ltd.
As President and CEO, Andrew Lo leads corporate development initiatives for Kanetix Ltd., Canada's largest online marketplace for insurance and financial services. He is also a Business Strategy Advisor for Ryerson University's DMZ helping to develop entrepreneurs and startup companies at Canada's largest startup incubator.
Andrew has many years of experience as a business and technology leader for FinTech companies such as Filogix and D+H, and has developed organizations from startups into industry shaping ventures with over 4,000 employees.
Doug McElhaney
Associate Partner, GM of Insurance Advanced Analytics Service Line, McKinsey & Company
- Session: The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
Doug McElhaney is an Associate Partner and the Leader of Ingenuity – McKinsey’s advanced analytics service line for Insurance. In this role he leads a global team of Data Scientists, Analytics Experts and Data Engineers that focus on delivering distinctive analytic solutions within the Insurance and Financial Services industries.
Doug has deep experience in the areas of analytics, operations management and process improvement. In his work at both GE and in the consulting industry, he has helped organizations achieve long-term impact by driving improvements in analytics execution, service delivery and cost management. He also has several years experience helping organizations identify the most effective ways to incorporate analytics and technology into their operations.
Neil Mitchell
Neil is a former member of Marsh Canada's National Executive & Management Committee and has previously served as the National Practice Leader for Marsh Canada's Consumer & Commercial Practice, consisting of Small to Mid-Sized Enterprises, Commercial Programs (inclusive of third party distribution), Group Home & Auto and High Net Worth/VIP Personal Lines. In leading the practice, his primary functional tasks included, business development, client management, program/product development, retail and third party distribution and systems management.
Lorie Phair
Managing Director, Canadian Broker Network
Lorie is an accomplished business leader with 25+ years of insurance brokerage and business management experience.
Currently, Lorie is Managing Director of the Canadian Broker Network, the leading network of independent insurance brokers. Together, CBN members represent more than $1 billion in property casualty premiums as well as employee benefits, life and financial services with over 50 offices across Canada and more than 1,500 employees.
Prior to her current role, Lorie has served as the senior staff member for Canadian and international brokerages. Lorie also founded and managed a company which provided assessments, training, and consulting services for brokers, insurers, technical consultants and industry associations.
Throughout her career, Lorie has served on Boards and Committees for insurance industry associations, and not-for-profit community and health service groups. Lorie currently sits on the Insurance-Canada Advisory Board.
Ibeth Ramos
Innovation Coach, Cookhouse Lab; Head of Innovation Delivery, msg global solutions
Ibeth Ramos is an Innovation Coach at Cookhouse Lab and Head of Innovation Delivery at msg global solutions Canada. She is responsible for designing and delivering Design Thinking sessions and innovation sprints within the msg organization both internally and with external customers.
With a background in International Business Administration and over ten years’ experience as an Executive and Team coach, Ibeth has lived and worked in United States, Germany, United Kingdom and has worked in international projects with clients from Qatar, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain and Singapore to name a few. This global exposure has given her a wealth of knowledge in intercultural communications, change management and empathy – a key element in the design thinking process.
Her recent role within msg Canada and Cookhouse Lab as an Innovation Coach and Manager allows her to do what she is most passionate about – connecting with people while inspiring them to connect to their inner innovators for the purpose of working together as an industry to Make Insurance Better. Ibeth brings skills as a design thinker, certified innovation coach and intercultural management consultant.
Sven Roehl
Co-Founder, Cookhouse Lab; Executive VP, msg global solutions
Sven Roehl is co-founder of Cookhouse Lab – the first co-creation InsurTech lab. He is also Executive Vice President of the IT consulting firm msg global solutions Canada Inc. and Head of Insurance Innovation of msg Group with more than 6,500 employees in 25 countries.
During his 15-year digital innovation journey in Financial Services, Sven has been responsible for numerous digital innovations in areas such as IoT, customer engagement and analytics. He inspired and helped many organizations around the globe to design digital products to interact with people in new and innovative ways.
Sven co-founded his first IT company specialized on IoT in Germany in 2004, before he joined msg global as director of UK & Ireland in 2011. In 2016 he moved from London, UK to Toronto, Canada. During this time, Sven set up the global innovation services of msg providing digital innovation consulting for many corporate organizations and their innovation labs.
Ahsan Siddiqi
Director - IT and Data Strategy, Architecture, X by 2
Ahsan Siddiqi is Director, IT and Data Strategy, Architecture, at X by 2. With more than 20 years of global experience in various industries and technologies, he helps senior technology and business leaders with their IT & digital transformational journey:
- People, process, technology alignment to organizational objectives;
- Enterprise IT strategy, architecture, delivery planning and implementation;
- Modern data platforms & advanced analytics capability development;
- Transitioning core enterprise legacy technologies to modern solutions.
Rain Takahashi
CEO & Co-Founder, JAUNTIN'
Rain is a self-proclaimed geek who fell into the insurance industry by accident. His previous career as a consultant and freelance/gig-worker helped him realize the pains and struggles that are facing policyholders and insurance companies alike. With this in mind, he founded JAUNTIN' to help insurance companies bridge the gap between an on-demand world and traditional insurance products.
Based in Toronto, Rain aims to revolutionize insurance, starting in the travel and drone industries.
Bob Tapscott
Speaker, Blockchain Research Institute; Blockchain Instructor, Transformationworx
Bob Tapscott is a recognized information technology strategist, CTO, speaker, and architect with a diversified background in organisational creation and transformation. He is a contributing research associate and author for the Blockchain Research Institute.
Bob, as a CIO and as an advisor to CIOs of some of the world’s largest companies, has driven innovations from concept creation to market disruption, delivering many millions in proven results, both above and below the line. As business moves from technology enabled to technology driven, Bob has focused on finding the components, alliances at the edge, and outside the company as a Service to fast path the next innovation from the art of the doable to the possible.
Bob’s extensive background in successfully developing and implementing strategies from concept through systems design and implementation includes the training, organizational restructuring, and workflow redesign. His emphasis on metrics, cost-benefit analysis, post-implementation reviews, Software as a Service, and security are leading edge. His strong analysis, communication, mathematical, and leadership skills and out of the box thinking have ensured his success as an agent of change for his pedigreed clients.
Patrick Vice
Partner, Director - Products & Services, Insurance-Canada.ca
- Session: New Elements to Helping Customers Manage Risk
- Session: Insuring & Managing Risk in This “Previously Unthinkable” Digital Age
Patrick has more than 25 years of experience enabling technology and electronic commerce in the insurance and risk management communities. Patrick is a Founding Partner of Insurance-Canada.ca, Inc., the premier source for Canadian information on insurance & technology.
Patrick currently serves as Insurance-Canada.ca's Director of Products and Services, and sits on the company's Advisory Board. He edits the Intersection, Insurance-Canada.ca's blog, produces and hosts on-line and in-person events, and develops bespoke offerings for Insurance-Canada.ca's clients.
Throughout his career, Patrick has held senior management positions with insurance companies, distributors, consulting firms, and technology solution providers. He serves on boards and committees of various industry associations.
Patrick authors articles for leading trade publications and has spoken at insurance and technology conferences in Canada, the US, UK, Europe, and Bermuda.
Bobbi and Patrick Vice enjoy living and working in the heart of downtown Toronto, Canada.
Presentation Topics
Individual topics are outlined on the Topics page.