ICTC2012: Topics and Speakers

“Turning Information into Insight”
- Neil Isford, VP - Business Analytics & Optimization, IBM North America

“Challenges And Opportunities For Broker Distribution”
panellists:
- Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO, SGI Canada
- Rick Orr, President, IBAO
- Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners Ltd.
moderator:
- Doug Grant, Consultant, Insurance-Canada.ca

Topic Descriptions

“Turning Information into Insight”
- Neil Isford, VP - Business Analytics & Optimization, IBM North America

In our Smarter Planet the explosion of information is creating both challenges and opportunities for organizations. Early adopters are gaining a competitive advantage by expanding their use of business analytics to predict future outcomes with greater confidence. This presentation will focus on how insurance companies are using business analytics to strengthen customer care & insight, risk/finance optimization and claims processing. Neil will also talk about how emerging technologies such as Big Data, social media analytics, and IBM's Watson, can help you make informed decisions with greater confidence.

Neil Isford, VP - Business Analytics & Optimization, IBM North America

In January 2011, Neil was appointed IBM's VP of Business Analytics & Optimization (BAO) for North America. In this role he is responsible for leading one of IBM's major growth initiatives. Neil's focus is on delivering market leadership and client value through business analytics solutions representing all IBM brands (services, software and hardware).

Neal was personally involved in IBM's successful acquisition of Cognos. Cognos was not only IBM's largest purchase to date, but established IBM as the Industry leader in Business Analytics.

Neil has extensive industry and IBM experience, spending two years as the VP of worldwide sales for software products which are part of IBM's Information Management, Business Analytics, and Enterprise Content Management portfolios. In this global role, he built a team of industry consultants who help clients create an Information Agenda for their organizations by leveraging IBM thought leadership and resources.

From 2006 to 2007 Neil managed IBM's software business for Asia Pacific and Japan. He was responsible for sales, marketing, channels - including ISV/Developer Relations and business development. In 2005 Neil led Business Partner Software Sales for IBM globally and developed the industry leading Software Value Incentive program.

Neil has over 9 years of experience in various Professional Services roles, including the CEO of Plural (a Wall Street based private consulting company that developed software solutions for the Financial Services industry), and the leader of IBM's e-business Services practice.

Neil is Canadian. He was born and raised in Toronto, went to business school at Wilfrid Laurier University and spent his first 13 years of his IBM career in Edmonton, Vancouver, Southwestern Ontario, and Toronto before moving to the United States in 1994.

“Challenges And Opportunities For Broker Distribution”
panellists:
- Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO, SGI Canada
- Rick Orr, President, IBAO
- Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners Ltd.
moderator:
- Doug Grant, Consultant, Insurance-Canada.ca

Markets and products evolve; employees move on; new tools appear, AND the customer is changing.

Many of our grandparents watched in awe as new inventions arrived frequently; some struggled to cope while others thrived. Yet if we were to visit those times in the early to mid-twentieth century, we would probably be bored by the slow pace of change, relative to our experiences in 2012.

Today we have a different economy than any of us have previously faced. New technologies seem to arrive daily, along with a promise to do things better, and faster. Employees have expectations that differ from those of twenty years ago, and lo and behold, some of them even bring their own technology – and networks – to work. And my gosh, with all the different ways our customers communicate today, how can we possibly keep in touch, let along impress them with our message, or develop a relationship.

Such are the challenges that we as small and medium business people face on a daily basis. And yet we will move on. Join the panel to hear different perspectives on the challenges, and the opportunities as the stage is set for those of the day's sessions which are specifically about broker distribution.

Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO, SGI Canada

Andrew Cartmell was appointed President and CEO of Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) on August 4, 2009.

Chosen following an extensive national search, Andrew brings a wealth of insurance experience, leadership and innovative thinking to SGI. One of the main factors that contributed to his successful career was learning the insurance business from the ground up. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, he has worked for a number of Canadian property and casualty insurance companies in a variety of roles, including underwriting, actuarial, product management, and regional/branch operations. Andrew is also a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, a Chartered Insurance Professional, a graduate of the Queen’s Executive Development Program and a LIMRA Leadership Institute Fellow from The Wharton School.

Cartmell is very active in the industry. He has lent his expertise to various high-profile actuarial, insurance and government committees and boards. He is a proponent of ongoing learning and continuing education as the cornerstone of individual and corporate success.

Doug Grant, MBA, CIP, Consultant, Insurance-Canada.ca

A keen analyst of computer and networking evolution for more than 30 years, Doug is cognizant of the changes that are occurring in the Internet insurance world and their impact on the industry. As a frequent industry speaker, columnist and consultant, as well as a principal in the Insurance-Canada.ca Web site, he brings a unique perspective to the session. Read a more extensive biography here.

Rick Orr, President, IBAO

Rick joined Orr Insurance Brokers in 1992. Along with his brother Jeff they are fourth-generation owners of Orr Insurance Brokers Inc. in Stratford.

Rick is active in both the industry and the community. He is President of the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario, a board member of CSIO and a member of the IBAC Technology Committee. He also sits on a number of local boards including the Hospital and the Parks Board.

He believes that technology is critical to the future success of the independent insurance brokerage distribution system. Rick believes that companies cannot compete based on their ability to transmit data with their brokers. We all need to work together to achieve a meaningful solution.

Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners Ltd.

With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance technology marketplace, Greg brings a unique perspective on how to build a successful company. In 17 years as C.E.O. of Applied Systems Canada Greg oversaw the growth in the Canadian marketplace from 200 brokers to over 1200. In 1992 Greg added the responsibility for international development and successfully established the UK operations with The Agency Manager UK.

In 2008, Greg formed Pathway Partners Ltd. with Michelle Cole-Kennedy to advise brokers on a wide range of operational and strategic topics with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions.

In 2011 Greg played a key role in the launch of getClarity Inc, a business intelligence company that focuses on bringing sophisticated demographic and statistical analysis to businesses of all sizes. With over 1.7 million records of new data on a monthly basis getClarity identifies timely market opportunities and as a result maximizes the return on investment.

Greg is also the founder of the Canadian Insurance Strategy Group which can be found on Linkedin.

“The Insurance Fraud Race: Using Information and Analytics to Stay Ahead of Criminals”
- Dan McKenzie, Fraud Analytics Specialist, SAS Canada

“A New Vision for the P&C Insurance Industry”
- Chuck Johnston, Vice President, Oracle Insurance

“Creative Disruption in Insurance”
- Craig Weber, CEO, Celent

Topic Descriptions

“The Insurance Fraud Race: Using Information and Analytics to Stay Ahead of Criminals”
- Dan McKenzie, Fraud Analytics Specialist, SAS Canada

Most insurers have implemented or are thinking of implementing sophisticated systems that pinpoint fraud. This can be a daunting task, where do you start? How do you prevent fraud before it happens? Explore the latest advances in fraud detection and prevention for insurers. Learn how to detect 10 times more fraud and save millions of dollars. Learn about:

• Taking a holistic approach to fraud
• The path to quick wins
• The components of an Insurance Fraud Framework
• Industry collaboration, consortium data and the sharing of fraud knowledge
• Challenges, learnings and best practices

Dan McKenzie, Fraud Analytics Specialist, SAS Canada

Dan McKenzie is Principal for Fraud Solutions, SAS Canada. In his role Dan McKenzie works with customers to help them combat all types of fraud while also allowing them to better understand their customer’s behaviour and customer wants. Dan has more than 20 years of experience in the Financial Services industry holding a variety of management roles with companies such as TD Bank, Manulife, Canada Trust Financial Assurance and London Life.

“A New Vision for the P&C Insurance Industry”
- Chuck Johnston, Vice President, Oracle Insurance

Property & Casualty insurers need to continually refine their product offerings to keep pace with market demands and regulatory changes. This cycle is frequently lengthy and involves dozens of different IT systems. What if insurers could make a change to an insurance product in one system, and have it automatically propagate to all the other different systems that need it, right across the enterprise?

This is the vision for the P&C industry that Oracle Insurance is working towards. The goal is to help insurers reduce product cycle times from months to weeks, improving your ability to keep pace with market changes and outpace your competitors. Many insurance technology vendors have tackled this challenge before, but Oracle is putting in place a new approach which promises to make this vision a reality. Join Oracle industry strategist and thought leader Lindsay Fassett as she outlines this new vision for the P&C insurance industry.

Chuck Johnston, Vice President, Oracle Insurance

Chuck Johnston is vice president of industry strategy for Oracle Insurance. Johnston has more than 20 years of leadership and expertise in insurance, financial services and information technology. He previously served in senior management roles at Siebel and Callidus software. Prior to this, he was vice president and director of insurance information strategies at META Group. During his more than three years at META Group, he was responsible for managing the advisory firm’s insurance research agenda and vertical analysts, providing strategic insight into industry trends, technology offerings, and strategic consulting services to insurance and financial services companies. Johnston also has held various information technology and business leadership positions at Phoenix Home Life Mutual Insurance. Johnston is a graduate of the University of Connecticut where he earned a BA degree in Psychology.

“Creative Disruption in Insurance”
- Craig Weber, CEO, Celent

Disruptive forces, such as social media, are impacting our daily lives. There are other technology-driven business forces that are insurance specific, including no-touch servicing and alternative product/pricing schemes. This presentation will address the forces, and provide you with the strategies required to manage discomfort and capitalize on creative disruption.

Craig Weber, CEO, Celent

Craig Weber was appointed CEO of Celent in January 2012. Prior to assuming this role, Mr. Weber served as Senior Vice President responsible for Celent's global insurance practice, based in Helotes Texas. In this position, he led a team of associates spread across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Mr. Weber has been a management consultant and analyst for over 22 years, with the majority of his experience coming from various positions within the insurance industry. He has advised dozens of insurers and vendors on IT and business strategies. Under his leadership, the Celent insurance practice has grown significantly. Mr. Weber is frequently featured as a speaker at industry events, addressing diverse topics such as core systems modernization, innovation, and creative disruption. He is a passionate advocate for sensibly creating business value through technology.

Mr. Weber's comments on insurance and technology topics have appeared in USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, AP Newswire, Best's Review, Business Insurance, and Technology Decisions, and he recently appeared on CNBC's On the Money. He has written numerous columns for publications such as Insurance Networking & Data Management and Insurance & Technology.

Mr. Weber has a BA, summa cum laude, from Saint Michael's College, Colchester, Vermont and an MA in communications from Emerson College, Boston, Massachusetts.

“Game-Changing for Insurance: How Analytics Can Improve Profitability”
- Paul R. Crowder, Lead Consultant - Pre Sales Consulting, Insurance Industry, FICO

“Nova Scotia: A Nearshore Solution for Insurance & Technology Talent”
- Stephen Lund, President & CEO, Nova Scotia Business Inc.

“Big Data: The Future of Underwriting”
panellists:
- Mark Cairns, VP & CIO - Intermediated Business, Royal & SunAlliance Canada
- Jamie Rodgers, VP - P&C Insurance Practice Lead, CGI
- Paul MacDonald, VP - Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers
moderator:
- Dan Adamson, Founder, President & CEO, Outside Intelligence

“Optimizing Online Customer Experience: A Canadian Insurance Context”
- David Jones, End-User Experience Strategist, Gomez APM, Compuware Corporation

“Paperless Insurance: the Future is Here”
- Oren Friedman, Business Development Manager, TELUS Communications

Topic Descriptions

“Game-Changing Approaches for Insurance: How the Power of Analytics Can Improve Profitability”
- Paul R. Crowder, Lead Consultant - Pre Sales Consulting, Insurance Industry, FICO

As the industry emerges from the economic recession, it is more important than ever for organizations to improve operational efficiency while driving profitable growth. Join FICO as we discuss real case studies on how leading insurers are using advanced analytics to improve performance in two key areas:

Fighting Fraud. For one insurer, it was no longer possible to absorb rising fraud costs and handle increased workloads with its limited fraud management staff. They needed a fraud protection solution to help them identify and deter more fraud with the staff they currently employed. Learn how they're now minimizing fraud losses at the earliest moment possible, from real-time at the point of sale to retrospectively after claims have been paid.

Underwriting Accuracy. In the face of fierce competition and multiple buying channels, this insurer was looking to better identify its most profitable customers and assign the right products and prices. Learn how they have used risk-based modeling methods to drive real bottom line impacts and how the latest analytic methods and insurance scores have given them a winning competitive edge.

Paul R. Crowder, Lead Consultant - Pre Sales Consulting, Insurance Industry, FICO

Paul Crowder is a Sales Consultant for FICO in the Insurance industry, and is based in the Boulder, Colorado area. He has over 25 years of experience as a consultant, project manager, and program manager, with a particular focus on closing measurable performance gaps that drive bottom line results. Since joining FICO in 2003, he has worked with clients and prospective clients in government and private industry to drive results across the customer lifecycle using decision management software, tools and analytics.

“Nova Scotia: A Nearshore Solution for Insurance & Technology Talent”
- Stephen Lund, President & CEO, Nova Scotia Business Inc.

Effective and efficient staffing practices are top of mind for information technology decision-makers throughout the insurance industry. Whether you are an insurer, systems integrator, or software vendor seeking to supplement your existing staff or outsource IT functions, you'll want to hear how Nova Scotia, Canada's experienced talent pool (insurance and technology), and cost competitive business environment stack up as a solution. Also hear how Nova Scotia is working to develop its IT workforce of tomorrow.

Stephen Lund, President & CEO, Nova Scotia Business Inc.

Stephen Lund is a 20-year veteran of the financial industry and brings a broad and professional outlook to Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI), where, as president and CEO, he leads a team of professionals focused on strengthening Nova Scotia's economy. Stephen and his team have attracted a number of world-leading companies to Nova Scotia and they continue to proactively help local, home-grown businesses reach new markets and become stronger global competitors.

Before joining NSBI, Stephen was Vice-President of Working Ventures Canadian Fund, Canada's largest national venture capital firm, where he led investing activities for the fund in Atlantic Canada. His work experience includes running an offshore mutual fund administration company and a lease financing company. He also spent several years in corporate commercial banking.

Stephen is a proud graduate of St. Francis Xavier University, holds an MBA from Queen's University and a designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D). He has also completed a number of executive courses at Queen's and Harvard. Stephen just completed his second term as a member of the board of directors at the IWK Health Centre and serves on several Board committees and a number of business associations. In 2011, he was inducted into Atlantic Business Magazine's prestigious Top 50 CEO Hall of Fame, and was recently recognized by a Dublin-based publication, Financial Centres International, as one of the top 500 most influential people in financial centres worldwide. He and his wife, Sandy, and sons, Connor and Shaun, are active members of the arts and cultural community in Halifax, and are avid sports participants.

“Big Data and the Future of Underwriting”
panellists:
- Mark Cairns, VP & CIO - Intermediated Business, Royal & SunAlliance Canada
- Jamie Rodgers, VP - P&C Insurance Practice Lead, CGI
- Paul MacDonald, VP - Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers
moderator:
- Dan Adamson, Founder, President & CEO, Outside Intelligence

Historically, commercial lines have been consistent performers but are beginning to see increased competitive and economic pressures that are eroding their attractiveness. When investment returns are vanishing, expense ratios have been cut to the bone, and competition is pressuring prices, improving loss ratios is critical to profitability.

Now more than ever, successful insurers are investing in tools and technology to enable them to accurately and individually price risks. Big Data, including external data such as social media, news and legal filings, corporate websites and other sources represents a huge opportunity. But it also poses enormous challenges, and often risks “opening the floodgates” to yet more noise in the decision-making process.

The panel will discuss these new data sources, and the challenges they pose to traditional ways of thinking and existing infrastructures. We will look at the implications of combining freely available external data with internal data, customer and broker-supplied data, and premium sources (such as assessment data) to validate and create more accurate risk models, allowing for truly individualized pricing as well as a more efficient underwriting process and the opportunities this presents for sales teams and claims management.

Dan Adamson, Founder, President & CEO, Outside Intelligence

Dan is a search and business intelligence expert who is the founder, president and CEO of Outside Intelligence. Previously, he was a technical lead at Microsoft for the Bing Health team and Health Solutions Search, and the Chief Architect at Medstory, a vertical search start-up that was acquired by Microsoft.

Dan holds several search algorithm patents.

Mark Cairns, VP & CIO - Intermediated Business, Royal & SunAlliance

Mark is the Vice President and CIO for the Intermediated Business as well as leading the Business Intelligence team at Royal & SunAlliance Canada. Mark carries over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry including with GCAN Insurance Company as Vice President and Chief Information Technology Officer. Prior to joining GCAN Insurance, he worked at ACE INA Insurance as the Vice President, Information Technology and as Director, Information Technology.

Paul MacDonald, VP - Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Paul is a Vice President with the PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting practice and is part of the Canadian Insurance Operations team. He has held a number of senior positions within the insurance industry and was previously a Senior Vice-President and National Director at a large global insurance brokerage where he led large-scale projects in business transformation, product strategy and client segmentation.

Jamie Rodgers, VP - P&C Insurance Practice Lead, CGI

Jamie is the Vice President, P&C Insurance Practice Lead at CGI which includes responsibility for the Insurance Information Services business. He is an experienced management and technology consultant with a long track record in the P&C insurance industry. Prior to joining CGI last year, Jamie served as the Executive Director of Product Development at Manitoba Public Insurance.

“Optimizing Online Customer Experience: A Canadian Insurance Context”
- David Jones, End-User Experience Strategist, Gomez APM, Compuware Corporation

The session will discuss how successful on-line, mobile and other customer experience strategies are driven by the end-user experience. The session will specifically focus on challenges for the Canadian Insurance sector.

Business and technology landscapes are becoming more complex due to globalization, cloud computing, mobility, application delivery "ecosystems", and other new developments. These trends are increasing the need for organizations to utilize a framework that maximizes their awareness of performance and optimization.

With the number of smartphones currently being used, it is no surprise that research indicates mobile devices will soon outnumber personal computers on the Internet. This movement brings with it end users who demand that their mobile experience equals – or, frankly, exceeds – that of traditional web applications. That means each business needs to develop a mobile and cloud strategy that will meet these demanding, dynamic and critical customer expectations. The goal must be to provide an exceptional experience for every user, every time. We will detail how a well-defined cloud and mobile strategy can positively impact your end-user experience, and in turn, your business success today and into the future.

David Jones, End-User Experience Strategist, Gomez APM, Compuware Corporation

Mr. Jones joined Compuware from its recent acquisition of Gomez Inc. Throughout his career Mr. Jones has consulted with leading web and mobile technology vendors and dozens of Fortune 1000 global organizations on their web strategies. Mr. Jones has over 15 years' experience working with web technologies, starting with some of the first commercial HTML/SGML authoring software to the latest cutting edge web technologies and providers. While at organizations including SoftQuad, I4I, Interleaf/BroadVision, S1 Corp and Gomez/Compuware, Mr. Jones gained deep experience designing and implementing solutions with capabilities across the entire web application delivery chain, including the latest web standards and most sophisticated enterprise architectures.

“Paperless Insurance: the Future is Here”
- Oren Friedman, Business Development Manager, TELUS Communications

Join TELUS as we explore the new landscape of paperless insurance, and how going paperless can dramatically enhance your bottom line.

We'll begin our journey by surveying the negative impact of paper on distributors and insurers in terms of lost business and internal cost. We will also discuss why previous attempts at going paperless have failed (faxing, scanning, data feeds, portals) leaving brokers and carriers drowning in more and more paper. We will share recent success stories (and real world figures) from leading Canadian brokers and carriers (both P&C and Life) that have gone paperless, and sketch a roadmap for brokers and carriers looking to take the next step.

Throughout we will be reviewing the technology that facilitates paperless straight-through transactions: Electronic signatures, Cloud-based work-flow automation, Smart forms, and Mobile devices.

Oren Friedman, Business Development Manager, TELUS Communications

For the past three years Oren has been helping financial services organizations across Canada to realize the benefits of paperless sales and operations processes. Working with insurance carriers (P&C and Life), brokers, and MGAs, he has been focusing on streamlining insurance sales and new business processes across the entire value chain. Leveraging his business and legal background Oren is a technology evangelist focused on electronic signatures, automated workflows, and elimination of paperwork.

Prior to his role at TELUS, Oren held senior marketing, product management, and business development roles at various technology service providers in Canada, the US, and Europe. Oren holds an MBA degree from the Stern Business School at NYU, and an LL.B.

“Utilizing Your Data to Positively Impact Claims Outcomes”
- Randall Day, Head of Claims Solutions, FINEOS
- Ian Bridgman, Data Analytics Specialist, Claim Analytics

“Turning Social Insight Into Action”
- Brad Worth, Canadian Insurance Delivery Leader, Capgemini

“iClarify Commercial: Redesigning Commercial Property Risk Assessment”
- Jeff Sutton, National Director, iClarify

“How to Benefit from Core Systems in the Cloud”
- Philippe Lafreniere, CIP, VP - Insurance Solutions & Field Marketing, Exigen Insurance Solutions

“Once and Done: Driving Towards the Ideal State”
- Charles Samolczyk, VP - Product Sales, Brovada Technologies Inc.
- Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO, SGI Canada
- Marilyn Russell, AVP - Business Solutions, The Dominion
- Sean Graham, Principal, KTX Insurance Brokers

Topic Descriptions

“Utilizing Your Data to Positively Impact Claims Outcomes”
- Randall Day, Head of Claims Solutions, FINEOS
- Ian Bridgman, Data Analytics Specialist, Claim Analytics

Insurers have traditionally been challenged to obtain the operational insights they need to understand and positively impact claims trends. In today's competitive climate, access to and utilization of this data has become a strong priority for claims executives.

Not only is there a requirement for operational insight, but the need to use the data to improve processes is also desired. Through the use of predictive analytics and modern claims technology, data can be analyzed and scored to predict claims outcomes. For example, for injury claims, scores can be used to generate rehabilitation plans and more accurately predict return to work. Processes can also be automatically generated, improving outcomes and operational efficiency.

Join this session to hear industry experts share the latest uses of predictive analytics and discuss real world examples of insurers using modern technology and claims scoring to positively impact their bottom line.

Randall Day, Head of Claims Solutions, FINEOS

Randall Day is the Head of Claims Solutions for FINEOS Corp. Prior to joining FINEOS, Randall spent 20 years in the claims business. He served as a Senior Manager in Capgemini's North America Insurance practice and as Vice President of Claims Operations and Claims Field Operations at Liberty Mutual Regional Agency Markets.

Randall started his claims career with Safeco Insurance Company in various roles including Director of Auto and Property Claims and as Vice President of Business Claims.

Ian Bridgman, Data Analytics Specialist, Claim Analytics

As a data analytics specialist, Ian Bridgman has been bringing technology solutions to the insurance market for over 15 years. Starting as a programmer analyst in London the 1980s, Ian learned first-hand how technology improves business processes. He utilizes his technical expertise coupled with his deep understanding of insurance business processes to provide excellent solutions to Claim Analytics customers.

“Turning Social Insight Into Action”
- Brad Worth, Canadian Insurance Delivery Leader, Capgemini

Social Media is changing the world. Are you ready? Turn social insight into action.

The explosion in social media usage means that customers are increasingly connected and empowered. Social Media has now become one of the most powerful channels of consumer feedback, potentially impacting an organization's brand and reputation. Simply by posting the experiences of claims processing or policy purchase experience, a customer can quickly influence the brand perception of thousands or even millions of people online. For most organizations this represents both an opportunity and a threat. In the past, there was no reliable way for an organization to analyze social sentiment and crucially turn that insight into action.

Capgemini will discuss our view of the changing online landscape and its potential impact on the Insurance industry. We will also present our perspective on how Carriers and Brokers can turn social insight into action by leveraging tools that comb social media sites and integrate with an organization's existing CRM and BI systems. This integration can provide the ability to cut right to the core of what customers are actually saying, respond to negative feedback by fixing problems at the source, and identify new sales leads or process improvement opportunities.

Brad Worth, Canadian Insurance Delivery Leader, Capgemini

Brad Worth has been serving the insurance and insurance technology market for over 15 years. He is currently responsible for leading Capgemini's P&C Insurance Practice in Canada.

Prior to joining Capgemini, Brad was Senior Vice President, Product Development at MFXchange Holdings, where he played a key role in the product development, marketing strategy, and direction of MFX's insurance product suite, including one of the industry's first end to end web based straight through processing solutions. Earlier in his insurance career, Brad spent time at Markel Insurance Company of Canada and Fairfax Financial Holdings in both operations and technology innovation roles.

“iClarify Commercial: Redesigning the Commercial Property Risk Assessment Landscape”
- Jeff Sutton, National Director, iClarify

Following the success of the iClarify Residential session last year, Jeff will review the visual and quantifiable intelligence provided by iClarify in the Commercial space, and how insurers and brokers leverage this data in their businesses. A demo of the online commercial risk mitigation tool will showcase the various data offerings available in a single report. Delegates will learn about:

• iClarify's unique data combination and the tool's ability to aid in daily commercial underwriting decisions
• iClarify as a data analytics tool – Insurers and brokers can use the tool to verify that their existing in-force book of business is accurately insured-to-value while also identifying potential risk exposure concerns
• iClarify's innovative intelligence and how insurance organizations use it to drive significant efficiencies including improved risk selection, dramatic time reduction and provide an enhanced customer experience

In conclusion, Jeff will preview the service's evolution in 2012 and beyond. Jeff's remarks will be supported by comments from industry practitioners.

Jeff Sutton, National Director, iClarify

Jeff oversees all aspects of the day-to-day operations of iClarify across Canada. He is responsible for the consistent enhancement of iClarify services along with the overall promotion of new business.

Jeff has provided information services and solutions to the Canadian Property and Casualty, Financial Services and Private Corporation market since 2000. Jeff holds a Business Degree from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University.

“How to Benefit from Core Systems in the Cloud”
- Philippe Lafreniere, CIP, VP - Insurance Solutions & Field Marketing, Exigen Insurance Solutions

What are the business benefits of cloud computing of core systems for your company? Better economies of scale, elastic scalability, more flexible sourcing options and more efficient use of financial and human resources are among the benefits being realized by insurers that already have a policy, billing or claims system deployed as software-as-a-service (SaaS). Speed-to-market for new systems and a low IT footprint are counted as key early-return results of SaaS implementations. And small to mid-size insurers are using it to gain access to modern, competitive, high performance systems.

This session will help insurers arrive at the right strategy, such as SaaS, for core systems. Philippe will use real world examples to outline the benefits and risks, the technological fit, and the strategic business value for your organization.

Philippe Lafreniere, CIP, VP - Insurance Solutions & Field Marketing, Exigen Insurance Solutions

Philippe Lafreniere has been in the insurance and insurance technology field for 18 years. Philippe started his career in insurance sales and underwriting for a national insurer, followed by positions in systems and product development. As a software executive, Philippe has held leadership positions in Product Management, Product Marketing and Sales for various leading software vendors. During his technology career he has worked with both large and small insurers globally to assist them in deploying modern technology solutions and undergoing legacy transformation.

Philippe is a graduate of the Insurance Institute of Canada with the designation of C.I.P. He is an accomplished speaker, having presented at multiple insurance industry conferences. Philippe has also contributed to several print articles on underwriting, legacy-modernization and policy administration in several trade journals.

“Once and Done: Driving Towards the Ideal State”
- Charles Samolczyk, VP - Product Sales, Brovada Technologies Inc.
- Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO, SGI Canada
- Marilyn Russell, AVP - Business Solutions, The Dominion
- Sean Graham, Principal, KTX Insurance Brokers

This presentation will take an in-depth look at the concept of “Once and Done” and the different approaches carriers have taken to achieve it.

“Once and Done” is a buzz-phrase commonly used and frequently misunderstood. It suggests an ideal state of transactional efficiency between brokers and carriers yet provides little indication as to how to achieve it. The broker channel continues to face increasing competitive pressure and is looking towards technology and process to level the playing field.

How do broker-based carriers and their broker partners achieve the efficiency of “the directs” while maintaining the level of service only the broker channel can provide?

One of the key differentiators carriers use to compete for broker business is “ease of doing business” or, more simply put, the processes and technologies a carrier will offer to streamline a broker”s workflow. The competitive nature of the industry will ensure that, though striving for the same end-goal, carriers will look towards different solutions to offer their interpretation of the “Once and Done” approach.

During the presentation, Brovada will be joined by company representatives to discuss their “Once and Done” implementations.

Charles Samolczyk, Vice President - Product Sales, Brovada Technologies Inc.

Charles joined Brovada in 2009 as Vice President of Product Sales and has been instrumental in the growth and success of Brovada's NexExchange product suite. In his position, Charles works closely with Brovada's insurer clients to understand their vision and add value into their day-to-day operations. Charles is a key driver of the development roadmap and implementation activities to ensure client satisfaction and product adoption.

Charles completed a 5-year Electrical Engineering and Management degree at McMaster University and began his career in telecommunications delivering large-scale service implementations. He subsequently moved into software solution sales providing connectivity for physicians and patients within the North-American healthcare industry.

Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO, SGI Canada

Andrew Cartmell was appointed President and CEO of Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) on August 4, 2009.

Chosen following an extensive national search, Andrew brings a wealth of insurance experience, leadership and innovative thinking to SGI. One of the main factors that contributed to his successful career was learning the insurance business from the ground up. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, he has worked for a number of Canadian property and casualty insurance companies in a variety of roles, including underwriting, actuarial, product management, and regional/branch operations. Andrew is also a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, a Chartered Insurance Professional, a graduate of the Queen's Executive Development Program and a LIMRA Leadership Institute Fellow from The Wharton School.

Cartmell is very active in the industry. He has lent his expertise to various high-profile actuarial, insurance and government committees and boards. He is a proponent of ongoing learning and continuing education as the cornerstone of individual and corporate success.

Marilyn Russell, AVP - Business Solutions, The Dominion

Marilyn Russell is the Assistant Vice President, Business Solutions at The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company. Marilyn's team is responsible for the business leadership and direction of the Ease of Doing Business and implementation of new Policy System portfolios. The Ease of Doing Business portfolio is focused on providing broker partners with innovative solutions to improve processes and reduce duplication of effort between brokers and carriers. Marilyn has been with The Dominion for almost 14 years and has 20 years of experience in the Property and Casualty Insurance Industry.

Sean Graham, Principal, KTX Insurance Brokers

Sean Graham joined KTX Insurance Brokers in 2004 and was appointed as Principal broker in 2007. Sean has been instrumental in leading the growth of Canada's first on-line brokerage, focusing on strategic growth, technology and all day to day aspects of a dynamic brokerage. With a true passion for understanding client demands in a changing marketplace, as well as a strong focus on best in class solutions to support business goals, Sean continues to lead KTX into the future as one of Canada's youngest Principals.

Sean has been an Insurance Industry professional for the past 15 years after receiving his education from Mohawk College's Insurance Program.

“Increasing Need For Data Management”
- Marc Smith, Principal Solutions Specialist - Architecture & Information Management, SAS

“Engaging Astrid Swanson: Communicating with Millions, Engaging Individuals”
- Lorne Gladstone, Managing Partner, Centtric

“‘My Way’: Why the New Landscape Will Require Every Insurance Carrier to Specialize”
- Doug Roller, Growth & Strategy Lead – P&C Insurance, Accenture Software

“Enterprise Mobile Applications”
- Stefan Van Overtveldt, Chief Engineer, MajescoMastek

“Broker Transactions – Measuring Cost Versus Revenue”
- Renee Durepos, Vice President - Client Services, Keal

Topic Descriptions

“Increasing Need For Data Management”
- Marc Smith, Principal Solutions Specialist - Architecture & Information Management, SAS

Data is a critical asset for insurance, impacting all part of the insurance business. In short data is a critical corporate asset and a key factor for productivity. Reliability of this data is paramount. The challenge with managing this data is that it comes in many different formats from many sources - from brokers, third party risk assessors, and third party claims assessors. Data is analyzed in many ways to affect decision on pricing policies, managing risks, controlling claim costs, and detecting and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse. Information governance is about managing data and information as a corporate asset and ensure that it can be used reliability throughout the enterprise. This session will look at the SAS best practices in people, processes and technology that are needed to implement information governance for the insurance industry.

Marc Smith, Principal Solutions Specialist - Architecture & Information Management, SAS

Marc has been with SAS for 10 years and currently he leads the Information Management practice for Canada. Based in Calgary Marc’s area of specialty is in building Enterprise Architecture and Information Management strategies for large businesses. Marc has been in the information management and business analytics space for 20 years and he has experience developing and applying his knowledge in several industries in several provinces across Canada – including banking, insurance, communication, retail, federal and provincial government, healthcare, pharmaceutical, utilities, oil and gas, and mining.

“Engaging Astrid Swanson: Communicating with Millions, Engaging Individuals”
- Lorne Gladstone, Managing Partner, Centtric

Your company is successfully growing and attracting new customers. You have record earnings and a growing product line. But who is the most important person to your organization? Astrid Swanson.

Astrid has been a customer since a time when the Beatles were at the top of the charts and all payments were made in cash. Now Astrid is just one person amidst a sea of thousands of customers. To be successful, you need to make Astrid feel like she is the most important person to your company. How do you continue to maintain a personal connection with Astrid in a time when face-to-face has been replaced by bit-to-bit? How do you keep brand loyalty and trust in the digital era when Customers are demanding information at lightening speed and via multiple channels: paper, email, facebook, twitter, text... At a time when a million emails can be sent out in a matter of seconds, are you remembering that Astrid is an individual? Leave this session with a strategy for how you will engage Astrid Swanson. And David Thompson. And Jean-Pierre Thiessen.

Communicate with millions. Engage with individuals.

Lorne Gladstone, Managing Partner, Centtric

For over 30 years, Lorne Gladstone has helped clients take full advantage of technology, while avoiding the pitfalls.

Lorne founded Centtric in 1994, to bring new technology to an old field – customized and personalized document preparation and delivery. Today, Centtric's Customer Communications Management software enables companies to engage their customers according to each customer's preference.

Lorne is thrilled to offer Scriptura to North America: a best-of-bread CCM platform originating from Belgium. Centtric and Scriptura are able to "Optimize every customer contact" through the creative blending of technology, marketing, efficient workflow and document production.

“‘My Way’: Why the New Landscape Will Require Every Insurance Carrier to Specialize”
- Doug Roller, Growth & Strategy Lead - P&C Insurance, Accenture Software

The New Landscape is continually raising the bar for insurance carriers. They can no longer think of themselves as 'general insurers' but must instead consider how they will address their chosen markets - even if the markets are numerous and varied - with the right combination of product and delivery options to satisfy increasingly sophisticated and demanding buyers. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that service quality data (including satisfaction with claims settlements) is now up front and centre during the buying process. Choosing how and where to compete in this marketplace will become increasingly important to carriers of all sizes. This presentation will discuss the scope of this challenge and present a simple framework for developing a strategy to address it, incorporating the speaker's background in insurance technology as well as his personal experiences – some of them humorous – in buying both insurance and non-insurance products.

Doug Roller, Growth and Strategy Lead – P&C Insurance, Accenture Software

Doug has been in the insurance industry since 1979, beginning his career as an independent insurance agent. Early in his career, he developed a deep interest in the emerging personal computer industry. As a result of this interest, he developed a comparative rating software package for his insurance agency. Interest of other agents ultimately motivated Doug to launch Micro-Magic Systems, a comparative rating and marketing software company.. Doug served as the CEO of Micro-Magic from its foundation in 1981 until it was acquired by AMS (now part of Vertafore) in 1986, where he remained on board as a senior manager for the next ten more years.

In 2000, Doug and six other AMS veterans founded Duck Creek Technologies, a software company focused on enabling insurance carriers to design, develop, sell and service insurance products in the emerging world of ecommerce. Doug served as CEO of Duck Creek from its foundation until 2008, when he became Chairman of the Board of Directors, a role from which he focused his attention on growth and strategic opportunities. Duck Creek was acquired by Accenture in August 2011. Doug now serves as Growth and Strategy Lead for the Property and Casualty Insurance arm of Accenture Software, a role in which he continues to focus on applying software solutions to the most critical areas of need within the P&C insurance industry.

“Enterprise Mobile Applications”
- Stefan Van Overtveldt, Chief Engineer, MajescoMastek

From concept to deployment, implementing a successful strategy for Enterprise Mobile Applications has little to do with the mobile apps, devices or technology, Success has everything to do with a clear set of business objectives, a mobile device strategy and the right approach that provides data, security management and integration with the rest of the business.

Stefan Van Overtveldt, Chief Engineer, MajescoMastek

Stefan is the Chief Engineer at MajescoMastek. He is responsible for product management and product development, both for MajescoMastek's insurance products and horizontal solution capabilities. He combines this with a CTO function which includes the ownership of architecture & frameworks and other reusable Intellectual property that are core to our business, as well as the investments in select technology areas such as Mobile Applications, Cloud Services and Application Security.

Stefan has 20+ years of IT experience in a variety of roles including product management, product development and professional services across Europe and the US. He brings a wealth of experience in driving repeatability and structure in large, complex solution development programs. He is a thought leader in the areas of Web Services, Cloud Computing and Mobile Applications, and a frequent speaker at large IT conferences.

“Broker Transactions – Measuring Cost Versus Revenue”
- Renee Durepos, Vice President - Client Services, Keal

Pure policy change activities account for 25 to 40 percent of all broker transactions. Unfortunately, on average these transactions tend to be the lowest revenue and in some cases revenue neutral.

What is the cost that a broker incurs today to do these various types of transactions? Pat Durepos will present the results of a Keal Broker survey which will demonstrate the numbers – time consumed and associated costs – for the various transaction types. He will also present a summary of the types of transactions which have been fully or partially automated today, and what is undergoing development and is coming just around the corner.

By comparing the cost of transactions versus the revenue each transaction generates and applying the relative frequency of each, a broker can see the impact on his bottom line for applying more automation. It will also illustrate where more efforts should be made and will help ensure that brokers, insurers and their technology partners are working towards automation which can bring the biggest impact.

Renee Durepos, President, Keal

Growing in an entrepreneurial family where her parents built from scratch what is now one of New Brunswick’s largest insurance brokerages, Renee established her own private swimming lesson business at the early age of fifteen. After working in the family’s insurance brokerage for several summers and getting a degree in Commerce, Renee decided to part ways with the insurance industry and joined a Tier 1 Canadian Food Company, Maple Leaf Foods. For 7 years, she held diverse positions in the Finance, Production, Operations and Human Resources areas. In 2006, while at Maple Leaf Foods, Renee was awarded the President Award, which is given annually to an individual who demonstrates outstanding leadership.

Positioned with general management experience, Renee decided to re-enter the insurance industry, this time on the Information Technology side. In November 2006, Renee joined the Keal Team, partnering with Pat Durepos to help Keal become the Best Broker Management System in Canada as defined by their clients.

Renee’s philosophy on life is to play hard by loving what you do and doing what you love. This drives passion which always leads to success.

“2012: The Age of Digitalization for Insurance”
- Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst, Gartner

Topic Descriptions

“2012: The Age of Digitalization for Insurance”
- Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst, Gartner

The insurance industry is in the midst of transformation. Key highlights of this change is increased consumerization and digitalization. Embracing new technologies and business models will be a requirement to stay competitive in the next 5 years. This presentation will present industry trends in Canada and provide insight into the shifting market through 2017.

Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst, Gartner

Kimberly Harris-Ferrante is a Vice President and Distinguished Analyst in Gartner Research, where she is responsible for monitoring the business and technology trends within the global property and casualty and life insurance industries. She specializes in strategies and technologies to support distribution, customer relationship management, exception-based underwriting, policy administration, claims management and administration, business process management, and back office processing and optimization, as well as strategies around improving insurance IT architectures using services oriented architectures and business process management. She is an active participant in Gartner's outsourcing community where she leads on trends and best practices in IT outsourcing and business process outsourcing in the industry.

Ms. Harris-Ferrante has been an insurance analyst with Gartner since 1998 and has been active in the research field since 1992 in areas such as social sciences, healthcare, law and information technology. In these positions, she supported quantitative research projects, including focus group support, survey creation, data entry, programming, statistical analysis, and report writing.

Ms. Harris-Ferrante earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master's degree in sociology from East Carolina University. She has completed coursework for a Ph.D. at North Carolina State University. Her key areas of concentration included research methodology and statistics.

“Fraud Detection and Prevention for Insurance”
- Gordon Alexander, Insurance Industry Architect, IBM Canada

“Going Mobile and Being Social: Insurer Progress and Plans”
- Mark Breading, Partner, SMA

“The New Landscape of Claims Handling”
- David Himes, Claims Program Manager, Gore Mutual Insurance
- Sean Cassidy, Vice President - IT and Support Services, Uniban Canada

“Ensure You Are Insuring The Right Address”
- Steve Sigal, Director - Product Management, DMTI Spatial

“The Top Technology Investments to Improve Broker Competitiveness”
- Glen Piller, President and CEO, iter8 Inc.
- Jeff Ives, President and Owner, Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Topic Descriptions

“Fraud Detection and Prevention for Insurance”
- Gordon Alexander, Insurance Industry Architect, IBM Canada

The Insurance Research Council estimates that at least 10 cents out of every dollar paid go to fraud. Fraud and other forms of claims leakage can lead to significant overruns in payments. Despite their best efforts insurers across the world are faced with increasingly high rates of fraud - especially during financially troubled times. Early in December IBM sponsored a roundtable discussion along with Canadian Insurance Top Broker on this topic with some of the top Canadian P&C Insurance industry experts sharing their opinions and views on this subject.

This session will build on the key points called out during that discussion and focus on IBM's Fraud Detection and Prevention Point of View and solutions for Insurance. We will discuss how business analytics and optimization can be your most powerful allies in fighting the growing threat of insurance fraud. A smarter fraud management strategy based on predictive analytics provides a timelier and more complete view of data to the decision-maker and drives operational and technology cost savings.

Gordon Alexander, Insurance Industry Architect, IBM Canada

Gordon Alexander is an Industry Architect for Insurance within IBM Canada based out of Waterloo, Ontario. He has over 23 years of experience in the IT industry (13 years with IBM, 10 years working in IT for insurance and financial services). Gordon acts as a trusted advisor to his insurance clients by providing innovative thought leadership in the selection, architecture, development and recommendation of technology solutions and strategies to address business opportunities and challenges within the industry.

As an Industry Architect, he also authors Points of View on trends and directions that he sees among his various clients and areas of innovation for insurance. Gordon specializes in infrastructure architecture with a focus on the discipline of systems engineering and integration.

“Going Mobile and Being Social: Insurer Progress and Plans”
- Mark Breading, Partner, SMA

What is the insurance industry really doing regarding mobile technologies and social media? There are lots of stories and discussions around these two technology topics – but are they gaining traction in the industry? This session will share recent research and insights on the current state and future plans for implementing mobile apps and leveraging social media.

Mark Breading, Partner, SMA

Mark has over 25 years of insurance and information technology experience in a variety of leadership roles. He leads the research program at SMA and has exceptional knowledge and experience across the insurance value chain.

Mark has held both technical and business roles in sales, consulting, marketing and business strategy, including roles as IBM’s Global Insurance Strategist, Global Insurance Marketing Leader and Director of Global Insurance Executive Conferences.

“The New Landscape of Claims Handling”
- David Himes, Claims Program Manager, Gore Mutual Insurance
- Sean Cassidy, Vice President - IT and Support Services, Uniban Canada

Modern technology can be used to advantage to comprehensively address the claims handling process for the 21st century.

• More information and data is available to an insurance company than ever before. A key challenge is effective management and analysis of this data in a manner which increases knowledge, and in turn generates tangible results.
• The full claims process can be securely operated in an on-line environment. Improved efficiency and effectiveness can be derived from automated business rules and workflow engines. These both assist an adjuster to virtually manage a claim and to automatically update status. Such a system can communicate a steady stream of appropriate real-time information filtered and formatted for each of the claim participants.
• As a bolt-on for any new or legacy claims system, this modern technology allows an insurer to securely extend the reach of their internal system outside their own firewall, while minimizing any risk.
• Modern technology will handle mobile users and encourage interactive communication, thereby reducing claim cycle time and improving customer service.

This new modern technology can improve claims processing efficiency and customer service while reducing both indemnity costs and administrative costs at the same time.

Sean Cassidy, Vice President - IT and Support Services, Uniban Canada

Sean Cassidy is employed as the Vice President of IT and Support Services at Uniban Canada Inc. Uniban Canada is a vertically integrated company that provides both automotive services and IT services to the P&C Insurance Industry. Uniban is also the proud owner of the Conversense Insurance Suite of Products which is an online claims communications and workflow system that currently handles all lines of business from glass claims through to AB claims. Mr. Cassidy has been in the insurance industry for the past 15 years and started off as a claims call centre supervisor and progressed to becoming a member of the first team to introduce Internet based claims handling services to the insurance industry in 1999. Mr. Cassidy has consulted with various insurance companies on streamlining their claims workflows and has remained active in this space and has managed the implementation of the Conversense Insurance Suite at numerous companies over the past number of years. Mr. Cassidy holds an Honours B.A. from The University of Waterloo.

David Himes, Claims Program Manager, Gore Mutual Insurance

David Himes is employed as a Claims Program Manager at Gore Mutual Insurance in Cambridge Ontario. Mr. Himes is responsible for the organization and promotion of corporate quality improvement projects as well vendor management and claims procurement. Prior to his current role, he held management positions at State Farm Insurance (Auto, AB/BI and Catastrophe Supervisor) and Desjardins Insurance where he was the Director of Field Operations. Mr. Himes holds an Honours B.A. from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo Ontario.

“Ensure You Are Insuring The Right Address”
- Steve Sigal, Director - Product Management, DMTI Spatial

Location Intelligence is quickly becoming a must have technology within the insurance industry. The New Landscape consists of assembling the complete risk picture enabling greater underwriter productivity, ratings accuracy and avoidance of unnecessary exposures to accumulation, perils, and fraud. In this session you will learn best practices of enterprise Location Intelligence and how your organization can immediately start realizing the benefits while building towards a location smart enterprise.

Steve Sigal, Director - Product Management, DMTI Spatial

Steven Sigal is Director, Product Management for DMTI Spatial where he is responsible for driving DMTI's product strategy and execution to establish the strategic vision and lead the execution of new features and products. Steven leads the Product Management team's mandate of gathering and prioritizing product and customer requirements, working with the Technology Group to define the product vision and to deliver products that enable our customers to harness the benefits of Location Intelligence.

Steven has over 13 years experience working for a variety of software vendors serving the Insurance marketplace specializing in Document Generation, Content Management, Policy Administration, Rating, Underwriting, Product Development and Location Intelligence.

“The Top Technology Investments to Improve Broker Competitiveness”
- Glen Piller, President and CEO, iter8 Inc.
- Jeff Ives, President and Owner, Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Insurance Carriers and their independent brokers engage in a continual dialogue about where technology investments are needed to improve new business development, enhance customer service and effectively compete.

This presentation identifies and discusses the top areas for technology investment. It will draw upon the first hand experiences of iter8, the market leading provider of broker connectivity solutions in Canada, and Ives Insurance Brokers, an award winning personal, commercial and specialty lines brokerage recognized for its business excellence nationally by Profit Magazine. The presentation will help insurance carriers and their brokers identify priorities, and provide an assessment of the value of several technology investments.

The discussion explores new innovative solutions emerging in 2012 and also discusses technologies already in place, and examines how they can and should be used.

Jeff Ives, President and Owner, Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Jeff Ives officially entered insurance industry 29 years ago. Growing up with the family brokerage in the back yard, he has really been in the business his whole life, handling at one point or another virtually every job in the office.

Jeff became a partner in the family business in 1992 and began taking over full management in 1995 at that time the brokerage had one office handling mainly personal lines business. Today Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd has 5 offices in Ontario, they are fully licenced and operating in 4 states and today Jeff is the sole owner of Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd. Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd is a leading commercial insurance broker in Southwestern Ontario and their commercial business accounts for seventy percent of the business written through Ives. Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd is also a Lloyds cover holder.

Jeff holds his CAIB designation and has participated on many insurance carrier advisory committees.

Glen Piller, President and Chief Executive Officer, iter8

Glen is the President and CEO of iter8 Inc. He serves as company spokesperson and provides vision, and direction for all areas of the company, and has overseen the company's strong market growth.

Glen is a graduate from the University of Western Ontario with a double major in Economics and Finance and a graduate of the Columbia University Senior Executive program. Glen is a broadly experienced insurance executive with over 18 years directly involved in the Life and Property Casualty Insurance industries.

“The Link Between Lapse Rates and the Customer Experience”
- Patrick Surry, Global Solutions Owner for Customer Analytics, Pitney Bowes Software

“Enhanced Risk Management: The future of insurance and cyber security”
- Salim Hasham, Leader of the GTA Information Security Practice and National Security Leader, PwC Canada
- Allan Buitendag, National Insurance Consulting Leader, PwC Canada

“Benchmarking The Way It Was Meant To Be: Detailed, Insightful, and Easy”
- Margaret Bodman, Manager - Claims Systems, TD Meloche
- Eugene Lee, Director - Value Consulting, Guidewire

“The Choices You Make: Core Systems Selection”
- Bill Garvey, Founder, Eastern Shore Consulting Inc.
- Mark Breading, Partner, SMA

“Commercial Lines Processing: Today's Challenges & Future Directions”
- Kevin Campbell, President, Policy Works

Topic Descriptions

“The Link Between Lapse Rates and the Customer Experience”
- Patrick Surry, Global Solutions Owner for Customer Analytics, Pitney Bowes Software

A Session on How Top Insurance Organizations Are Winning

Improving the customer experience continues to be top priority for the Canadian Insurance Industry. The customer experience is closely linked to retention, and given that a 1% reduction in lapse rates equals millions of dollars in revenue, improving customer experience can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

This session will focus on how successful insurance companies are using analytics to deliver relevant, 1:1 customer communications across the policy holder's preferred channel, be it mobile, web, print, social media or phone. This ability, now coined as Cross Channel dialogue, is a powerful method for connecting the dots and gaining a 360-degree customer view. Cross channel dialogue integrates contact histories across both inbound and outbound communications – as well as ensuring that customers are contacted via the channel of their choice, not necessarily that of the organization.

Learn more about the importance of gaining a single view of the customer; how to tap into the conversation economy; and becoming channel agnostic.

Patrick Surry, Global Solutions Owner for Customer Analytics, Pitney Bowes Software

Dr. Surry is an expert on uplift modeling, with a wealth of experience in real-world delivery of customer insight, predictive analytics and behavior modeling. One of the founders of Quadstone (acquired by Portrait Software), he has been responsible for many of our high profile success stories with blue-chip clients spanning applications such as response, risk, attrition, value, customer profitability, and targeting for direct marketing. He is currently involved in guiding the development of our next generation of visual insight and analytics applications.

Patrick holds a PhD in mathematics and statistics from the University of Edinburgh, where he studied optimization based on evolutionary algorithms, following an HBSc in continuum mechanics from the University of Western Ontario.

“Enhanced Risk Management: The future of insurance and cyber security”
- Salim Hasham, Leader of the GTA Information Security Practice and National Security Leader, PwC Canada
- Allan Buitendag, National Insurance Consulting Leader, PwC Canada

Increasing customer sophistication and demands are spurring technology innovation across the insurance industry. Insurers and their distribution partners alike are seeking to embrace new technologies to service their customers, expand markets, deliver new channels to market and respond to competitive pressures. Increasingly, leaders are leveraging "big data" to drive marketing, sales, underwriting and claims performance enhancements.

The changing nature of cyber threats spans geopolitical risk, terrorism, crime, espionage, and hacktivism -- continuously presenting new challenges. To stay competitive in the globalized economy, insurance companies must embrace the future and rethink their approach to balancing risk and reward to protect their reputation, financial integrity, customer confidence and critical information assets.

Allan Buitendag, National Insurance Consulting Leader, PwC Canada

Allan is a Partner with the PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting practice and our Canadian Insurance Consulting Leader. Over the past 15 years, Allan has assisted clients in large scale transformation, cost reduction, project management and governance, IT strategic planning and implementation, strategic sourcing and vendor management, process re-engineering, and outsourcing. Allan has consulted extensively with clients in the insurance and financial services sectors within Canada, the US, Australia and the Caribbean.

Salim Hasham, Leader of the GTA Information Security Practice and National Security Leader, PwC Canada

Salim has over a decade of experience in technology and business consulting, including the delivery of complex large scale transformational engagements spanning the areas of security, strategy, governance, organizational design, M&A, performance and cost management, information management, and risk and regulatory matters.

Originally from the PwC UK firm, Salim led engagements across financial services, technology, telecommunications, government and defence industries, having worked extensively in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East.

Salim is leader of the GTA information security practice and national leader for security strategy and management, emerging security technology, cyber security and the identity management practices. Working closely with executives, he assists them in enabling business transformation in the cyber age, developing security as a competitive advantage, managing risk, protecting personal and corporate reputation, brand and financial integrity and crisis management.

“Benchmarking The Way It Was Meant To Be: Detailed, Insightful, and Easy”
- Margaret Bodman, Manager - Claims Systems, TD Meloche
- Eugene Lee, Director - Value Consulting, Guidewire

External benchmarking is an important tool to support continuous improvement. By comparing empirical data across carriers, accurate claim comparative analysis can offer insight into key issues that drive financial and operational performance. But the promise of accurate and detailed comparative benchmarking has yet to be fully realized, hampered by poor underlying data quality and the significant effort required to conform to a common set of business definitions.

Guidewire has initiated a Claims Comparative Analysis program aimed at providing customers with claim benchmarking data to a superior level of accuracy and granularity. In this presentation you will hear about how Guidewire customers are gaining more detailed comparative insight into their operations by leveraging the common and robust data model they all share.

Margaret Bodman, Manager - Claims Systems, TD Meloche

Bio forthcoming.

Eugene Lee, Director - Value Consulting, Guidewire

As Guidewire's Director of Value Consulting, Eugene leads a team of experienced consultants to help Guidewire's current and prospective customers formulate their business cases, measure their projects' impacts, and promote continuous experimentation and improvement. Eugene is primarily responsible for the development of Guidewire's Value Consulting methodology and tools while also personally leading many individual customer projects. He brings more than fifteen years enterprise software consulting expertise to this role, with previous experience at companies such as Accenture, IBM, and Hitachi where he oversaw multiple implementation projects and developed countless business cases. Eugene was trained as an engineer and graduated with a B.S. from UC Berkeley. He spent a summer at NASA studying microgravity flame spread and speaks from experience when he says that "technology-related business change initiatives are not 'rocket science' – they are far more complex."

“The Choices You Make: Core Systems Selection”
- Bill Garvey, Founder, Eastern Shore Consulting Inc.
- Mark Breading, Partner, SMA

The replacement of core underwriting, policy, and claim systems continues to be an important focus for insurers. Join this session to learn about insurer plans and spending for these systems, and advice on determining which vendors would make the best partners for the long haul. Mark Breading from SMA will share research on insurer's plans and priorities in the core space. Bill Garvey from Eastern Shore Consulting will provide insights into selecting vendors, considering not just the functional capabilities but also the intangibles that make for trusted partners.

Mark Breading, Partner, SMA

Mark has over 25 years of insurance and information technology experience in a variety of leadership roles. He leads the research program at SMA and has exceptional knowledge and experience across the insurance value chain.

Mark has held both technical and business roles in sales, consulting, marketing and business strategy, including roles as IBM's Global Insurance Strategist, Global Insurance Marketing Leader and Director of Global Insurance Executive Conferences.

Bill Garvey, Founder, Eastern Shore Consulting Inc.

Bill Garvey has over three decades of Insurance Operations and IT executive and management experience. He is the founder of Eastern Shore Consulting, Inc.

Bill works out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Eastern Shore Consulting assists insurers in building the business case for legacy system replacement, selecting the best software, and enabling a successful implementation.

“Commercial Lines Processing: Today's Challenges & Future Directions”
- Kevin Campbell, President, Policy Works

There are thousands of apps for smart phones and iPads that give tech-savvy customers a wide range of functions – from booking a flight to making a dinner reservation to conducting bank transactions. Does this mobile access have a future in commercial lines insurance?

Kevin will discuss the challenges facing the independent broker distribution channel, and how mobile technology may enhance the channel's value proposition.

Kevin Campbell, President, Policy Works

When Kevin Campbell co-founded Policy Works® Inc. with his father in 1991, the two had a mission to link brokers and insurers electronically and a vision to provide brokers with a single tool to manage all of their commercial lines business. As President, Kevin provides leadership to his exceptional team to help make this vision a reality through Policy Works, Canada's premier Commercial Management System (CMS). A long-time vocal supporter of commercial lines standards, Kevin actively promotes the adoption of industry-wide standards in Canada.

Policy Works Inc., a pioneer and leader in developing Commercial Management Systems, builds solutions to meet the needs of commercial brokers and underwriters alike. Policy Works technology streamlines the commercial lines process to allow for the efficient and effective management of the entire policy lifecycle. Policy Works is fast becoming the industry standard for commercial lines management and is integrated with Broker Management Systems (BMS's) throughout Canada.