2014 ICTC: Topics and Speakers - Insurance-Canada.ca - Where Insurance & Technology Meet

The 2014 Insurance-Canada.ca P&C Technology Conference continues the tradition of content-rich, interactive sessions, presented by a faculty of senior practitioners, consultants, and suppliers.

More sessions are being finalized and additional details added to those listed below. The presentations have been grouped into six categories to help you identify those in your particular interest areas:

Business Transformation
Marketing
Core Systems
Broker Technology
Data & Analytics
Telematics & UBI

Confirmed Sessions

Business Transformation

“Thinking Innovation: How It Will Help You” (Mon. 1:00pm, Centre)
– Moderated by Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Mark Breading, Partner, Strategy Meets Action
– Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, Celent
– Stephen Applebaum, Principal, Insurance Claims Solutions

“The Digital Insurer” (Mon. 1:30pm, West)
– Scott Laiken, Managing Director, Insurance Strategy & Transformation, Accenture
– Steve Livingstone, VP Telematics, RSA

“Driving Innovation: A Deeper Look” (Mon. 1:30pm, Centre)
– Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, Celent

“Mobility, Autonomous Vehicles and Auto Insurance” (Mon. 2:00pm, West)
– Catherine Kargas, Vice President, MARCON

“Using Social Media Search Tools to Improve Operations, Product Development & Customer Service”(Mon. 3:45pm, West)
– Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, Celent
– Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca

Keynote: “Technology Enabling Transformation” (Tues. 8:30am, Centre)
– Michel Laurin, President, Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance

“E-Signature: Top Legal and Implementation Best Practices” (Tues. 3:45pm, West)
– Daniel Fabiano, Partner, Fasken Martineau, DuMoulin LLP
– Yazan Alwaid, Regional Sales Manager, Silanis Technology

“Innovation, Transformation, and Insurance 2023” (Tues. 4:15pm, Centre)
– Moderated by Patrick Vice, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Catherine Kargas, Vice President, MARCON
– Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners, Ltd.; getClarity, Inc.
– George Cooke, President, Martello Associates Consulting

Marketing

“Experiencing the Customer Experience: What Does it Really Mean for Insurers and Brokers?” (Mon. 4:15pm, West)
– Mark Breading, Partner, Strategy Meets Action

“The Path to Customer Centricity: Putting the Customer Front and Center” (Mon. 4:15pm, Centre)
– Salvatore Abano, EVP, Chief of Strategy and Client Services, MajescoMastek
– Peter Smith, Director - Information Technology, Alberta Motor Association

Keynote: “The Future of Marketing in Insurance: “1 + 1 = 3”: CMO & CIO Collaboration Best Practices That Drive Growth” (Tues. 9:10am, Centre)
– Bob Humphreys, Manager, Demand Programs, IBM Canada

Keynote Panel: “Insurance Marketing 2014” (Tues. 9:50am, Centre)
– Moderated by Debra Ambrose, Senior Vice President of Distribution, Aviva Canada
– James Chmiel, President, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.
– Bob Humphreys, Manager, Demand Programs, IBM Canada
– Michel Laurin, President, Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance

“Customer Communication Management: New Revenue; Better Retention” (Tues. 11:45am, Centre)
– Jeff Womack, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, NTT DATA, Inc.
– Glen Foley, Director - Specialty Technology Practices, NTT DATA, Inc.

“Simplifying the Customer Experience from Onboarding to Retention” (Tues. 3:45pm, Centre)
– Trevor Crane, Senior Client Executive, Insurance and Financial Services, GMC Software Technology

Core Systems

“Core Systems: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities” (Mon. 2:00pm, Centre)
– Karen Furtado, Partner, SMA Strategy Meets Action

“Transformation Through Policy Management System Replacement: Key Success Factors” (Mon. 2:15pm, Centre)
– Moderated by Leah English, Regional Vice President - Sales, OneShield
– Karen Furtado, Partner, SMA Strategy Meets Action
– Krystin Sandberg, Director - Program Management, OneShield

“Achieving Your Modern PAS Goals – Upgrades and Evolution” (Mon. 2:45pm, Centre)
– James Harrington, Sr. Director - CSI Policy Program, The Co-operators

“Achieving the End-Game: Executing Legacy Core Systems Replacement to Achieve Self-sufficiency”(Mon. 3:45pm, Centre)
– Chuck Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer, Exigen Insurance Solutions
– Pascal Lavoie, Chief Information Officer, Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance

“The Opportunity of Big Data in the Era of Self-Service Claims” (Tues. 1:30pm, Centre)
– Godwin Liu, Director - Product Management, Audatex Canada
– Darcy Gorchynski, Director - Business Development, Audatex Canada

“Innovating in Claims” (Tues. 2:00pm, Centre)
– Stephen Applebaum, Principal, Insurance Claims Solutions

Broker Technology

“BMS Supporting Broker Growth” (East)
Sponsored by IBAO
“The Broker's Challenge, and Technology” (Mon. 1:30pm)
– Randy Carroll, CEO, IBAO
“How are we addressing your challenges today and tomorrow?”
– Jeff Purdy, Sr. Vice President of International Operations, Applied Systems
– Pat Durepos, President, Keal Technology
– Brock Andrew, Chief Operating Officer, Custom Software Solutions
“Panel: Are the Real Challenges Being Addressed? How do We Get There?” (Mon. 3:45pm)
– Rick Orr, Past President, Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario
– Jeff Purdy, Sr. Vice President of International Operations, Applied Systems
– Pat Durepos, President, Keal Technology
– Scott Andrew, President & Chief Executive Officer, Custom Software Solutions

“Consumer Access Point: Dream or Reality?” (Tues. 11:15am, East)
– Pat Durepos, President, Keal Technology
– Jeff Ives, President and Owner, Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd.

“Innovation Makes Waves” (Tues. 11:45am, East)
– Moderated by Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Susan Capogna, Manager - Business Solutions, Business Insurance, Travelers Canada
– Wendy Watson, President, ORBiT

“Experiences with Broker-Insurer Connectivity: the Brokers' Perspective” (Tues. 1:30pm, East)
– Moderated by Paul Taylor, Vice President - Sales, Brovada
– Judy Bell, Vice President, Beyond Insurance Brokers
– Nicole Gray, Insurance Broker, Orr and Associates

“Addressing the Changing Reality” (Tues. 2:00pm, East)
– Wendy Watson, President, ORBiT
– Jeff Roy, President & CEO, P.A. Roy Insurance Brokers, Inc.
– Bill Morris, Senior Partner, Navicom
– Lorie Smith, VP - Business Operations and Technology, Mass Insurance Brokers Limited
– Steve Wagler, Partner, Josslin Insurance Brokers Limited

“Business Intelligence Tools Help Brokers” (Tues. 2:45pm, East)
– Jeff Purdy, Sr. Vice President of International Operations, Applied Systems
– Joe Pratts, Chief Operating Officer, Hoffman Brown Company

“Addressing the Customer: Leveraging Your Data” (Tues. 3:45pm, East)
– Moderated by Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners, Ltd.; getClarity, Inc.
– Colin Smith, Senior Vice President of Operations, OPTA Information Intelligence
– Chris Hill, Partner, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Big Data, Analytics, and Location Intelligence

“Predictive Analytics: Insuring Better” (Mon. 2:45pm, West)
– Greg McCutcheon, President, Opta Information Intelligence

“Natural Disasters in Canada: How Insurers Can Keep Their Heads Above Water” (Tues. 11:00am, Centre)
– Greg Mortson, Business Solution Architect, Pitney Bowes
– Mark Breading, Partner, Strategy Meets Action

“More Data; Improved Information; Better Decisions” (Tues. 2:45pm, Centre)
– Kevin Paul, Director - Insurance Information Services, CGI
– Adam Evans, Manager - Enterprise Geospatial, Google Canada

Telematics & Usage-Based Insurance

“Telematics Bootcamp 2014: Winning Through Differentiation” (Tues. 11:00am, West)
– Hosted by Blair Currie, Vice President - Business Development, IMS
– George Cooke, President, Martello Associates Consulting
– Lara Ghaddar, Senior Manager - Business Development, IMS
– Christopher Dell, Director - Product Management, IMS
– Dr. Ben Miners, Vice President - Innovation, IMS

“Telematics: More than Usage-Based Insurance” (Tues. 11:45am, West)
– Richard King, CEO, ingenie

“Forget About Hardware and Find Customers” (Tues. 1:30pm, West)
– Steve McKay, CEO, DriveFactor

“Planning for Success with a Telematics Program” (Tues. 2:00pm, West)
– Christine Haeberlin, Business Development Executive, Insurance, IBM Canada

“Telematics/UBI: Think Globally, Insure Locally” (Tues. 2:45pm, West)
– Moderated by Patrick Vice, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Blair Currie, Vice President - Business Development, IMS
– Robin Joshua, Director, Corporate Underwriting & Risk Management, CAA Insurance Company
– Tim Scurry, Group Chief Executive Solutions Division, Quindell
– Christine Haeberlin, Business Development Executive, Insurance, IBM Canada

Stream Leaders

– Richard Meertens, Vice President - IT and Process Improvement, Arch Insurance Canada Ltd.

Presentation Outlines

Business Transformation

Keynote: “Thinking Innovation: How It Will Help You”

– Moderated by Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Mark Breading, Partner, Strategy Meets Action
– Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, Celent
– Stephen Applebaum, Principal, Insurance Claims Solutions

As we grapple with the many insurance pressures – competition, regulation, catastrophes, the new consumer, millenials – this session will look at what “innovation” is all about. How do you define it? What does it really mean? Examine instances in our own environment of what innovation is and what it can bring us.

Whether you represent a solo insurance practitioner, small- or medium-sized business, or large corporation, explore the the continuum of improvement—innovation—disruption and get a taste of tackling “new.”

“The Digital Insurer”

– Scott Laiken, Managing Director, Insurance Strategy & Transformation, Accenture
– Steve Livingstone, VP Telematics, RSA

As the world is moving deeper into the digital age and the next generation is always “switched on,” how should insurers respond to stay current and relevant in the future? Learn how leading companies are leveraging new technologies and combining the talents of the CMO and CIO to reach new audiences with new products and services. The Digital Insurer is more than just Social Media – it's a fundamental shift in the ways that P&C Insurance is sold and serviced over the next decade.

“Driving Innovation: A Deeper Look”

– Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, Celent

The imperative for growth, an increased need for speed to market, the multiplication of distribution channels, increased consumer expectations, the challenge of using new data sources in different ways – these and other business opportunities and threats demand innovations that deliver new corporate capabilities. However, innovation means different things to different people. It is used so loosely that it is quickly losing its meaning. In this session, Celent will present its research on the current state of innovation in financial services firms, offer rigorous definitions that can focus discussion, and introduce a portfolio model concept that clarifies how to manage different types of initiatives. Attendees will gain a clearer view of innovation and a more disciplined understanding of its potential business value.

“Mobility, Autonomous Vehicles and Auto Insurance”

– Catherine Kargas, Vice President, MARCON

The Google car has raised the awareness of everyone about the driverless or self-drive car (SDC). That glimpse into what is coming has brought a tidal wave of activity. Almost every auto manufacturer is moving and has announced plans in the autonomous vehicle field. The field has become much broader as the whole area of mobility of people - public transportation, ride sharing, studies and city test beds, and more.

Explore in this session the trends and directions, and the implications for insurance.

“Using Social Media Search Tools to Improve Operations, Product Development and Customer Service”

– Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, Celent
– Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca

This session will review the results of research regarding the use of social search tools in the operational areas of Property Casualty Insurers. It demonstrates that companies can increase the actual and perceived value of social media tools by extending them beyond marketing departments and into the core processes of their organization. Celent used a social media search tool to extract consumer postings from social sites that mentioned any one of 14 insurance companies. The results analyze over 380,000 social posts at both macro and micro levels. Opportunities were identified to improve insurer performance in the functional areas of claims, underwriting, policy and customer service, and product management.

The research will be supplemented by a question and answer session where examples from innovative uses of social tools will be discussed.

Keynote: “Technology Enabling Transformation”

– Michel Laurin, President, Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance

Michel will discuss the ability of technology to transform insurance strategy and operations when implemented with strong marketing focus. Drawing on his experience leading implementation of the Mobiliz program, which uses telematics-driven usage-based insurance rating to offer products targeting specific segments, Michel will describe the critical success factors for the various parts of his organization, the challenges encountered, and projections for the future.

“E-Signature: Top Legal and Implementation Best Practices”

– Daniel Fabiano, Partner, Fasken Martineau, DuMoulin LLP
– Yazan Alwaid, Regional Sales Manager, Silanis Technology

E-Signature adoption has taken off in the insurance industry. Carriers, agents, producers and solution providers alike are turning to e-sign technology as a key enabler of straight-through processing for new business applications, disclosure delivery, policy servicing and more.

This session will offer a uniquely Canadian look at e-signatures from both a legal and implementation perspective. Daniel Fabiano, lawyer and author of the 2013 CSIO report Electronic Signature and Electronic Delivery of Insurance Documentation, will explain the legal requirements applicable to e-signatures, e-records and e-delivery in the P&C insurance business. He will also provide a legal framework for the design and implementation of a compliant e-sign process.

Having been involved in dozens of insurance implementations over the last decade, Silanis expert Yazan Alwaid will share real-world implementation trends, insights and best practices adopted through North America. He will also define the steps in a typical e-signature process and share options that will help support your current way of doing business. The presentation will close with an e-sign demo.

“Innovation, Transformation, and Insurance 2023”

– Moderated by Patrick Vice, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Catherine Kargas, Vice President, MARCON
– Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners, Ltd.; getClarity, Inc.
– George Cooke, President, Martello Associates Consulting

A study group, organized in 2013 looked at elements impacting the insurance industry in Canada. Preliminary findings focused on demographic, cultural, climate, and technology. Responses from the industry included product changes, use of big data.analytic in underwriting/claims, and technology driven risk profile modifications.

The panel will use the first findings and information from the conference to begin development of its second round of analysis. Join the conversation and become part of the future of insurance.

Marketing

“Experiencing the Customer Experience: What Does it Really Mean for Insurers and Brokers?”

– Mark Breading, Partner, Strategy Meets Action

Many insurers are seeking to improve the customer/broker experience, just as many brokers are also focused on the experience of their customers. There are many technology based IT initiatives underway to improve the experiences of brokers and the policyholder. What form are these initiatives taking? How do portals, mobile, customer communications, e-apps, social media and other projects contribute to improvements in this area. Mark Breading will share SMA research and insights on what insurers and brokers are doing from an organization and technology perspective and where investments are being made to enhance the experience.

“The Path to Customer Centricity: Putting the Customer Front and Center”

– Salvatore Abano, EVP, Chief of Strategy and Client Services, MajescoMastek
– Peter Smith, Director - Information Technology, Alberta Motor Association

Customers expect and sometimes demand speed of service from all their providers – whether banking, retail shopping or insurance. They have high and growing expectations and little patience for anything that fails to impress.

For carriers, putting the customer first is a daunting, but critical task. Digitalization, regulatory requirements, demographic shifts, and economic balance are driving changes to the macroeconomic environment. These drivers create new opportunities, especially in the areas of smart devices, Big Data and analytics, social networking, usability, and gamification. But the opportunities require more data collection, more channels to launch and more products wrapped in the complexities of changing regulations and consumer demands. The task is uphill.

The session will address the customer centricity challenges through the experience of tried and tested paths to customer centricity. You will learn:

Who is the “Customer” in Customer Centricity?

Why is Customer Centricity suddenly the buzz word?

How Core Systems Impact Customer Centricity

What's stopping carriers from being really customer centric?

What is the Path to Customer Centricity

What is The Right Investments to be truly “Customer Centric”?

With a customer-centric mindset, technology, and processing in place, not only will the organization benefit from satisfied consumers and agents, but when opportunities arise, the insurer will be in a position to respond to and capitalize on them.

Keynote: “The Future of Marketing in Insurance: ‘1 + 1 = 3’: CMO & CIO Collaboration Best Practices That Drive Growth”

– Bob Humphreys, Manager, Demand Programs, IBM Canada

Driving growth is top of mind for most CEOs especially in this challenging economic environment. In insurance, differentiation and brand recognition along with trusted relationships between the broker and the client are all important elements contributing to growth. To further the relationships, most companies today are transforming into client-centric organizations focused on delivering value at each touch point to their clients. This can only be done if there are strong partnerships between the marketing organizations which own the client experience and the IT organization which can provide new technologies to enhance and personalize the client and broker relationship.

A new study prepared by the Conference Board of Canada for the Canadian Marketing Association, ‘1+1=3’: CMO & CIO Collaboration Best Practices That Drive Growth, found that building a strong and collaborative partnership between the CMO and CIO is critical if companies are going to successfully compete in this growing digital world. Technology advances are fuelling a dynamic landscape where digital engagement is becoming a primary mechanism to truly differentiate a company and to significantly contribute to revenue growth agendas. For many organizations, this will require new capabilities, new skills and unparalleled coordination between the IT & Marketing organizations.

In this session we will explore the leadership challenges to forge these partnerships. Case studies will illustrate best-practice approaches that CMOs and CIOs are taking [in tandem] to create higher sustainable value through stronger customer engagement.

Keynote Panel: “Insurance Marketing 2014”

– Moderated by Debra Ambrose, Senior Vice President of Distribution, Aviva Canada
– James Chmiel, President, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.
– Bob Humphreys, Manager, Demand Programs, IBM Canada
– Michel Laurin, President, Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance

Insurance marketing is undergoing fundamental change. Consider:

Senior management and boards of directors are looking to Marketing to drive growth and profitability,

Marketing is implementing branding strategies while managing an independent distribution channel which may be skeptical about the longer term motive,

“Customer Engagement” has morphed from being a vague aspiration to a set of defined metrics in the rapidly changing digital world.

As a result, Marketing is rapidly becoming a large consumer of technology and data in many insurance companies. Analysts predict that marketers will take increased control over the budget and direction of technology in insurance companies.

“Customer Communication Management: New Revenue; Better Retention”

– Jeff Womack, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, NTT DATA, Inc.
– Glen Foley, Director - Specialty Technology Practices, NTT DATA, Inc.

In this session the speakers will address how Customer Communication Management is a tool which can help improve customer retention and at the same time propel an increase in revenue. As many companies are travelling down this road today, the session will focus on scenarios, best practices and common pitfalls.

“Simplifying the Customer Experience from Onboarding to Retention”

– Trevor Crane, Senior Client Executive, Insurance and Financial Services, GMC Software Technology

Today's consumer is both highly cost-conscious and discerning when it comes to the products they purchase as they seek to cover risks at the lowest possible cost. Nevertheless, they still desire an individual approach tailored to their unique needs. From client onboarding to clearing the path to purchase, the quality of the customer experience is critical in attracting and retaining your customers. This session will walk through the current challenges faced by insurance organizations and demonstrate how a single customer communications platform that spans all channels of delivery, including mobile, can provide a unified experience to your customers.

Core Systems

“Core Systems: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities”

– Karen Furtado, Partner, SMA Strategy Meets Action

Core systems regeneration has been a big industry challenge for a few years. Some insurers have completed the task, some are in the midst of it, others have yet to start. Regardless of your current state, this perspective of the “state of the nation” will give you food for thought and ideas for where to next.

“Transformation Through Policy Management System Replacement: Key Success Factors”

– Moderated by Leah English, Regional Vice President - Sales, OneShield
– Karen Furtado, Partner, SMA Strategy Meets Action
– Krystin Sandberg, Director - Program Management, OneShield

Policy Administration Systems provide the foundation for transformation by enabling underwriting efficiency, speed to market, ease of doing business, reduced operating expenses and business intelligence/data analytics. Core system replacement is a journey presenting many technological and organizational challenges.

Attend this interactive session to hear Karen Furtado, Partner at SMA Strategy Meets Action and OneShield share real-world experiences and insights about successful PAS replacement. The session will help you develop a better understanding of:

The importance of change management and related strategies for success;

Implementation best practices.

“Achieving Your Modern PAS Goals – Upgrades and Evolution”

– James Harrington, Sr. Director - CSI Policy Program, The Co-operators

Selecting a policy admin system that will provide the platform for your future success can be somewhat daunting. You need to consider not only what it delivers today, but how it will fulfill on promises to remain a vibrant solution for many years to come.

To ensure that its policy administration system continues to perform as a “best-of-breed” system, an insurer needs to take advantage of the enhancements delivered by the system vendor. The Co-operators will discuss their upgrade project, including the size, scope, and goals of the upgrade, and the valuable lessons they've learned as they have continued to expand their core systems replacement initiative.

Learn about the important criteria to evaluate in a solution that will enable it to remain “best of breed” and enable you to achieve your goals, both short-term and long.

Gain insight from an insurer who will share their upgrade experiences.

Explore and share knowledge on core system replacement projects and the lessons learned along the way.

This session will be valuable if your property/casualty insurance company is looking to modernize their core systems, working on an implementation project now, or you have a system in place that you are looking to upgrade. The speaker will share valuable insights to help your efforts.

“Achieving the End-Game: Executing Legacy Core Systems Replacement to Achieve Self-sufficiency”

– Chuck Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer, Exigen Insurance Solutions
– Pascal Lavoie, Chief Information Officer, Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance

Legacy core systems replacement is a complex and risky operation. Being able to manage implementation in real time to ensure that objectives are meet that deliver the greatest benefit to the organization down the road is no mean feat.

This session will examine what it takes to execute an implementation that puts an insurer on the path to achieve self-sufficiency with the ability to develop and manage products and processes and directly manage upgrades, without always turning to a solution vendor's support staff. There are clear advantages in cost savings and business agility with this approach. To achieve it requires excellent project and resource management and bench strength on the part of the insurer.

The result is the ability for customers to conduct business via any channel – and to seamlessly move between these channels – and the end-to-end automation of everyday business processes that saves time and reduces operational costs. The case study offered is a full core systems suite implementation of policy admin, billing and claims.

Hear about:

Conducting project management that delivers maximum benefits;

Engaging both vendor and insurer staff to ensure knowledge transfer;

Using a lean methodology to manage the risks associated with complex core systems replacement projects.

“The Opportunity of Big Data in the Era of Self-Service Claims”

– Godwin Liu, Product Development, Audatex Canada
– Darcy Gorchynski, Director of Business Development, Audatex Canada

“Big data” refers to the analysis of large datasets, and has been described as the next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity by McKinsey, a renowned global management consulting firm. Business leaders in every sector will need to understand big data's implications and potential if they are to stay ahead of the competition.

Insurance companies that can service customers using real-time analytics will come out on top in the increasingly data-driven claims technology space.

Learn about the a generational shift occurring: younger generations are becoming the dominant “crashers”;

Learn about the trend in claims towards self-service: younger generations interact differently, they choose differently, they communicate differently, their expectations are different;

Learn what new technologies are available to address the shift in customer interactions and deliver a better customer claims experience.

“Innovating in Claims”

– Stephen Applebaum, Principal, Insurance Claims Solutions

This presentation will address how and where P&C insurers can achieve greater innovation in Claims by leveraging vendor solutions. It will draw from and extend information in a recent study, 10 Startups Transforming P&C Claims: A US$36 Billion Opportunity.

In this session Stephen will examine several claims innovation projects, how they transformed significant portions of the claims process and share insight into the challenges, obstacles and the ultimate success of these projects from the senior claims professionals who championed and implemented them.

Broker Technology

“BMS Supporting Broker Growth” (Sponsored by IBAO)

“The Broker's Challenge, and Technology”
– Randy Carroll, CEO, IBAO

“How are we addressing your challenges today and tomorrow?”
– Jeff Purdy, Sr. Vice President of International Operations, Applied Systems
– Pat Durepos, President, Keal Technology
– Brock Andrew, Chief Operating Officer, Custom Software Solutions
“Panel: Are the Real Challenges Being Addressed? How do We Get There?”
– Moderator Rick Orr, Past President, Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario
– Jeff Purdy, Sr. Vice President of International Operations, Applied Systems
– Pat Durepos, President, Keal Technology
– Scott Andrew, President & Chief Executive Officer, Custom Software Solutions

The competition is not standing still. They are seeking new ways to attract and engage prospects, to better service clients, to strengthen their team, to operate more efficiently and to monitor the business with greater precision.

A common thread through all of these is the use of technology.

As a broker, the core of your business is embedded within your BMS. As you too address the challenges today and tomorrow, is your BMS in synch with your needs?

These consecutive sessions are designed to help you as a broker, with your insurer partners, better understand what the BMS technology can today, and will tomorrow, offer you to place you in a superior competitive position.

“Consumer Access Point: Dream or Reality?”

– Pat Durepos, President, Keal Technology
– Jeff Ives, President and Owner, Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Consumers have spoken through surveys - IBM earlier this year and Deloitte more recently - and they want a broker for the "Trusted Advisor and Choice" aspect. However, they prefer to do simple transactions at the time of their choice and using their own technology, whether Web, Smart Phones, call centers, etc.

The Consumer Access Point (CAP) is here today. This utility attaches to a broker's website and allows the consumer to access the Broker Management System. For the broker, resources can be freed up and deployed to more productive purposes, and the consumer gains 24/7 access.

Some challenges:

regulatory issues;

legal considerations with respect to electronic transactions;

change management in a broker's office.

Learn how this extended technology is working today.

“Innovation Makes Waves”

– Moderated by Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Susan Capogna, Manager - Business Solutions, Business Insurance, Travelers Canada
– Wendy Watson, President, ORBiT

Not long ago Travelers Canada announced a small-commercial processing environment which brought together a number of concepts. Many of these have been seen elsewhere in the broker channel for other products and services. Perhaps some have implemented similar functionality in this same business space already.

This solution as an ICTA nomination earned Travelers Canada a “finalist” position in this year's technology competition.

Following the ICTC theme of “re-energize, refocus, realign,” and the exploration of the continuum of improvement—innovation—disruption, join us to examine the components of this modern processing environment (is the whole greater than the sum of the parts?) and the implications to the insurer and to the broker. Then take with us an exploratory walk over the horizon into what may come, sooner or later.

“Experiences with Broker-Insurer Connectivity: the Brokers' Perspective”

– Moderated by Paul Taylor, Vice President - Sales, Brovada
– Judy Bell, Vice President, Beyond Insurance Brokers
– Nicole Gray, Insurance Broker, Orr and Associates

All connectivity solutions are provided with the best of intentions and an expectation to a simpler, faster, smoother workflow. Many of the provided solutions fall short of this expectation however. Panelists will discuss the various insurer connectivity solutions each of them are using in their brokerage and discuss the good and the bad elements of each. Through the conversation, we hope to identify the best practices and avoidable pitfalls of connectivity solution designs. If insurers are considering developing a connectivity solution or reconfiguring their existing systems, this session will provide direct insight from the users and businesses who will utilize them.

“Addressing the Changing Reality”

– Wendy Watson, President, ORBiT
– Jeff Roy, President & CEO, P.A. Roy Insurance Brokers, Inc.
– Bill Morris, Senior Partner, Navicom
– Lorie Smith, VP - Business Operations and Technology, Mass Insurance Brokers Limited
– Steve Wagler, Partner, Josslin Insurance Brokers Limited

Change is occurring ever faster, and there is nothing in sight which suggests that it will soon slow. Whether your organization is a carrier, broker, supplier to the industry or IT vendor, reality is changing; organizations need to change with it. Few would disagree.

The panelists will discuss how their internal and external focus has changed to enable them to deal with the changing reality as they see it:

What approaches, techniques and tools they are using to realign and respond to the changing needs they see;

If the promise of their brand has been part of the refocus, how and why it has changed;

Most importantly, what did it take to reenergize their people be a part of the solution addressing the changing reality rather than the anchor holding the business back.

Join the discussion; see how some organizations are tackling the challenge and resolving the issues.

“Business Intelligence Tools Help Brokers”

– Jeff Purdy, Sr. Vice President of International Operations, Applied Systems
– Joe Pratts, Chief Operating Officer, Hoffman Brown Company

One use of business intelligence tools is to provide critical information to brokers, a great way to view performance measurement within the brokerage. From this base, brokers have a myriad of perspectives which they can turn into business performance insights, in turn enabling them to manage their business more efficiently and profitably.

Jeff Purdy will highlight the business gains of business intelligence tools and the benefits of extending reporting capabilities and presenting data in multidimensional ways including:

Client Management and Retention – Effectively market to customers and build stronger relationships

Productivity and Profitability Management – Prioritize business activities and allocate resources more effectively

Opportunity and Growth Management – Measure success and profitability of insurer relationships with visibility into client growth and new areas of opportunity

Cross Company Information sharing – Share business insights across departments and facilitate faster more informed business decision making

It is intended that Jeff will be joined by a broker who can provide details on how business intelligence solutions have helped his team make faster more informed business decisions and capitalize on new opportunities.

“Addressing the Customer: Leveraging Your Data”

– Moderated by Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners, Ltd.; getClarity, Inc.
– Colin Smith, Senior Vice President of Operations, OPTA Information Intelligence
– Chris Hill, Partner, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.

The size, scope complexity of big-‘M’ Marketing is daunting to small, medium, even larger brokers – and many others too. Combine that with a term that most of us seem to use (or may wish to avoid using) – i.e., “analytics” – and we have a ready excuse for not wanting to go there.

At the same time that the need for yet more technology is biting us, the pundits all seem to be telling us that the age of the consumer is indeed here. Addressing your clients and prospects is getting more demanding and complex. Cutting through the clutter, engaging the customer, building a relationship – all things we are told we need to be doing to get a competitive edge, or at least remaining competitive.

This discussion will explore approaches and examples, from ultra-simple that many (how many?) are doing to others that some might well be doing today, but almost certainly will be part of plans – perhaps not too far in the future – for others.

Data & Analytics

“Predictive Analytics: Insuring Better”

– Greg McCutcheon, President, Opta Information Intelligence

As an industry in possession of large amounts of data and deeply invested in the events of the future, the insurance industry has seized the opportunities offered by predictive analytics – especially to improve its underwriting practices. In the mid-late 2000s, Canadian insurers began exploring ways in which they could use predictive analytics to empower all other aspects of their business, including distribution strategies, claims management, product and pricing development, marketing, branding, consumer research, and customer experience. Today, market leaders have successfully employed predictive analytics to better understand the customer life cycle and to identify opportunities to improve customer retention levels, opportunities for cross-selling, and even fraud detection.

In this TED-Talk style session, Greg will lead the audience through a look at how technology is enabling improved information throughout the industry while juxtaposing the P&C industry against other industries such as major-league baseball to see how predictive analytics has helped shape competitive success.

In 2002 the General Manager of the Oakland Athletics professional baseball team used Sabermetrics to help recruit and field players undervalued and passed over by teams, and become a much more than competitive team. In this session, Greg will look at how key players in the P&C industry are utilizing these unprecedented levels of data and efficiencies to their advantage in the game.

“Natural Disasters in Canada: How Insurers Can Keep Their Heads Above Water”

– Greg Mortson, Business Solution Architect, Pitney Bowes
– Mark Breading, Partner, Strategy Meets Action

Natural catastrophes are on the rise globally. Earthquakes, hurricanes, fires and floods are happening with greater frequency and resulting in heavier damage and more costly claims payouts.

Canada is not immune to this trend – in the last few years, the warming climate has created more frequent and severe weather events with heavy, intense rain storms and flash flood events. The record-setting Calgary and Toronto flood events are just two examples of the severity of these events. And it is becoming more apparent that insurance carriers must prepare for more water damage claims.

This session will discuss these trends, outline their impacts and costs, and offer insurance carriers a geo-analytics framework to help better manage flood – and other risks – across Canada. Insurers will learn how to:

Increase their understanding of a policy in context to their company's book of business;

Better understand probable maximum loss to evaluate the impact of a catastrophe on their business;

Gain an easily consumable near-real time perspective on their company's exposure.

“More Data; Improved Information; Better Decisions”

– Kevin Paul, Director - Insurance Information Services, CGI
– Adam Evans, Manager - Enterprise Geospatial, Google Canada

Increasing losses from un-modelled risk events are challenging insurers to find new methods of assessing risk and policy exposure. The impact of climatic, demographic and infrastructure changes in the marketplace have created the imperative for insurers to adapt and evolve the tools and processes which they use to assess risk.

Insurers need more useful and actionable information derived from disparate data sources to improve decision making and drive profitable growth in this changing environment. To address this challenge, Insurance companies are increasingly turning to mapping technology to expedite claims, streamline underwriting processes, and improve customer satisfaction, retention and sales. In this session we will explore innovative use cases from the Insurance industry and beyond to discover how location intelligence is being used to:

Increase efficiency in operations and improved productivity

Create accurate policies and quotes with minimal onsite presence

Effect map based data modeling for better decision making and insights

Google Maps is ubiquitous on the web for consumer based mapping applications, with a scale and scope extending to all corners of the earth. Join us to hear how Google believes mapping will continue to transform the insurance industry, unlocking the vast potential which lies in enabling businesses to view and discover their own contextual data as easily as consumers already can.

Telematics & UBI

“Telematics Bootcamp 2014: Winning Through Differentiation”

– Hosted by Blair Currie, Vice President - Business Development, IMS
– George Cooke, President, Martello Associates Consulting
– Lara Ghaddar, Senior Manager - Business Development, IMS
– Christopher Dell, Director - Product Management, IMS
– Dr. Ben Miners, Vice President - Innovation, IMS

Insurance Telematics and Usage-based Insurance programs are rolling out in Canada quickly in 2014. With a rapidly changing and complex Canadian telematics environment, the challenge is to select the correct business model and strategy to ensure success.

In this educational session, insurers, brokers and the supporting partners will learn how to navigate the Canadian ecosystem and develop a business model and differentiation strategy based on an analysis of the market's highest potential segments. It's your opportunity to learn the essential information so your organization is equipped with an insurance telematics strategy that reaches your target audience successfully.

During this interactive bootcamp, you will learn:

UBI success factors;

Telematics in the context of the Canadian insurance ecosystem;

Segmentation strategies and keys to success;

Uncovering commercial lines and other “flavours” of UBI;

Emerging UBI technology and data visualization.

Take the On-Demand UBI Bootcamp 101 Refresher – For insurance professionals who are new to insurance telematics, or for those that simply want a refresher on UBI, IMS has pulled together a video version of their popular Telematics Bootcamp 101 for UBI. Not only with this prepare you for the information being shared in the new 2014 sessions, but it will also arm you with the bare essentials to help you plan a successful UBI program launch in Canada. Watch now.

“Telematics: More than Usage-Based Insurance”

– Richard King, CEO, ingenie

Telematics usage is quickly expanding in Canada, as insurers, policy holders & regulators realize the benefits of collecting accurate risk information on each telematics consumer. Insurers are particularly excited about the opportunity to forge better relationships with their customers and to deliver more relevant products and services.

Quindell Solutions, the leading UBI and BBI (Usage-Based Insurance and Behavioural Based Insurance) vendor in the UK, and fastest growing in Canada, has spent the past several years helping insurers inspire and educate their vehicle owners so that they can stamp down the cost of claims, beat back rates, and transform the relationship between insurer and consumer.

Attend this session to hear from Quindell, as well as Insurance carriers that have BBI programs underway to learn more about behavioural based insurance. Hear how BBI is used to influence driving behaviour for key user segments that can lead to favourable pricing, safer driving practices, the reduction of motor vehicle accidents and ultimately lower rates.

Understand how providing regular useful feedback to young drivers and incentives for good driving can reduce crash frequency and result in lower premiums, an attractive loss ratio and give parents peace of mind.

Learn how telematics can be used beyond usage-based insurance;

Hear how telematics can be used to segment customers, and strengthen the ties between insurer and customer;

Understand how technology, marketing & product development can work in tandem to build a powerful, profitable business.

“Forget About Hardware and Find Customers”

– Steve McKay, CEO, DriveFactor

Consumers are adopting new and innovative connected technology every day, Stop focusing on the hardware and data collection, start focusing on customer experience, engagement and segmentation. Capitalize by organizing around customer segments not technology. Find groups of customers who engage, retain and are profitable. Differentiate products based on segments. Focus on platform flexibility and a segmentation, enhancing your program with mobile offering are opportunities to uniquely position your telematics program for growth and profitability.

“Planning for Success with a Telematics Program”

– Christine Haeberlin, Business Development Executive, Insurance, IBM Canada

Driven by increased interest from a marketing and operational perspective, and the decreased costs for use, Telematics for usage-based insurance (UBI) has become more prevalent in Canada. In 2013 alone, there have been 8 announced telematics projects or pilots.

There are a number of options for what and how telematics data can be used by insurers. IBM's experience supporting insurers' projects involving data, analytics, and systems integration provides a unique perspective on the telematics/UBI environment. This presentation will describe an approach to incorporate enterprise wide support and understanding in preparing for and executing a successful program.

“Telematics/UBI: Think Globally, Insure Locally”

– Moderated by Patrick Vice, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
– Blair Currie, Vice President - Business Development, IMS
– Robin Joshua, Director, Corporate Underwriting & Risk Management, CAA Insurance Company
– Tim Scurry, Group Chief Executive Solutions Division, Quindell
– Christine Haeberlin, Business Development Executive, Insurance, IBM Canada

Canada is entering the Telematic/UBI movements at an interesting time. Insurers in countries around the world have approached Usage-Based Insurance using Telematics to address a range of business drivers, from fraud detection in claims to behavioral-based underwriting and market segmentation. New entrants in Canada have the opportunity to hear the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches in developing their own strategies.

The panel brings substantial international and Canadian expertise. We will look at the global landscape and specific approaches that have been undertaken in Canada.

Speaker Bios

Salvatore (Sal) Abano, EVP, Chief of Strategy and Client Services, MajescoMastek

Sal is the Chief of Strategy and Client Services at MajescoMastek. Previously he has held management and executive information technology positions at insurance carriers including Tower Group, QBE the Americas, Kemper Insurance Companies, Munich Re America (formerly American Reinsurance Insurance Company), AT&T Credit, and American International Group.

Sal was named one of Insurance & Technology's Elite 8 in 2012 which each year recognizes outstanding senior insurance carrier technology executives. In addition to his insurance-related experience, he had a distinguished military service spanning more than 25 years serving in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and United States Army Reserve Component during which time he was awarded the Bronze Star.

Yazan Alwaid, Regional Sales Manager, Silanis Technology

Yazan Alwaid, with Silanis now for 11 years, has held a number of senior roles, all focused on helping customers identify and prioritize target applications, document technical requirements and map out a strategic enterprise e-signature plan. Through his involvement in dozens of engagements with financial services organizations, Yazan has gained a wealth of e-signature best practices and lessons learned. He holds a bachelor of science in computer science from McGill University.

Debra Ambrose, Senior Vice President of Distribution, Aviva Canada

Debra Ambrose is the Senior Vice President of Distribution for Aviva Canada. Her varied career includes developing strategic marketing plans, business development, sales management, operations, research and insights; and the management of multi-functional work teams.

Debra has substantive executive experience – managing large marketing organizations and sales professionals. Prior to joining Aviva Canada, Debra was the Head of Product Development and Financial Services for American Express Canada. During this time, Debra developed several cobranded credit card products and successfully managed large corporate partnerships.

Debra describes herself as a passionate marketer with a keen eye for progressive and innovative marketing. Some of her favourite brands include Aviva and American Express, Apple, and President's Choice Financial.

Brock Andrew, Chief Operating Officer, Custom Software Solutions

Brock joined Custom Software Solutions in July 2001 after a 12-year career as an officer in the Canadian Forces. He obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba in 1989 with a major in both finance and computer information systems. While with the Canadian Forces, Brock demonstrated his strong operations management capabilities through progressive advancement, including positions held as the officer in charge of operations of an Operational CF 18 Fighter Squadron. He brings with him a strong background in programming, personnel management, task management, and leadership.

Scott Andrew, President & Chief Executive Officer, Custom Software Solutions

As a fourth-generation insurance professional managing Andrew Agencies Ltd. in rural Manitoba, Scott realized the need for a fully integrated automation system in a broker's office. In his role of President and CEO of Custom Software Solutions, Scott made the development of a true industry SEMCI solution a reality. Scott provides overall strategic leadership and management direction for Custom Software Solutions and, at the same time, he continues as President of Andrew Agencies Ltd., a family-owned brokerage business in Virden, Manitoba since 1913. Over the past few years, Andrew Agencies Ltd. has grown to include 18 offices in two provinces and provides an invaluable testing ground or "reality therapy" for the Custom Software Solutions product.

Stephen Applebaum, Principal, Insurance Claims Solutions

Stephen Applebaum is a subject matter expert and thought leader in the Property & Casualty Insurance ecosystem including insurance information technology, claims, innovation and supply chain solutions.

Mr. Applebaum was most recently Senior Analyst, Property & Casualty Insurance at Aite Group prior to which he was President of ClaimForce, a leading web-based insurance claims technology, supply chain management, and outsourcing company, serving North American P&C insurance clients and their trading partners in the automobile and property segments. He was also a Senior Vice President at ADP Claims Services (now AudaExplore, a Solera company) and previously enjoyed a successful career with CCC Information Services where he was a key member of the management team which grew the company to over $250M.

Mr. Applebaum is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry conferences and contributor to major insurance industry publications and has a strong passion for coaching, mentoring, business process innovation, applying disruptive technology, and managing organizational change in the property & casualty insurance industry and trading partner community.

Judy Bell, Vice President, Beyond Insurance Brokers

Judy Bell's dream became reality when she started Beyond Insurance Brokers in April 2008. With 35 years of experience in the industry, Bell knew her career needed to take a different and improved path. To offer customers her best, she needed to create a different type of company.

Mark Breading, Partner, Strategy Meets Action

Mark is a Partner at Strategy Meets Action, a strategic advisory firm offering a unique blend of advisory, research, and project-based consulting services to both insurance companies and solution providers. Mark is well known for his perspectives on innovative uses of technology in insurance and the future of the insurance industry. Mark leads the research program at SMA, and has exceptional knowledge and experience in all aspects of advanced technologies and solutions that provide value across the insurance enterprise – including data and analytics, customer communications, enterprise content management, and mobile technologies.

Mark has held both technical and business roles in sales, consulting, marketing and business strategy, and has advised insurers around the world for almost 30 years. His roles have included IBM's Global Insurance Strategist, Global Insurance Marketing Leader and Director of Global Insurance Executive Conferences.

Mark is often quoted in major insurance publications and speaks frequently at leading industry conferences. He holds a BSBA in Accounting from Bucknell University and is a graduate of IBM's Systems Research Institute with a major in Software Systems. He also holds an MBA in International Business from Liberty University.

James Chmiel, President, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.

James is a Partner at Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd., and has served as President of the firm since 2006. Established in 1919, Erb and Erb provides independent professional advice on a broad suite of Personal and Commercial Insurance coverages, as well as Life Insurance and Financial Services products.

An active volunteer, James feels very fortunate to be involved with the United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo and Area, originally as a Loaned Representative, then an Account Executive, and then as the 2011 Campaign Chair. He is a Governor General's Queen Diamond Jubilee Award winner, a Waterloo Region 40 under 40 recipient; former Chair of the Downtown Kitchener Business Improvement Association; sits on various Insurance Company advisory councils; serves on various local boards; and is an occasional Guest Speaker at the University of Guelph and Conestoga College. He was named as one of Kitchener Centennial's 'Top100 People Past, Present, Future making a difference in our community'. James is also pleased to serve as a Regional Reviewer for the Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards.

James was born in Hamilton, began his insurance career in Mississauga, and has been calling Kitchener-Waterloo home since 2004. In 2009 James completed the New York City Marathon, running with “Team Fox” to raise funds for Parkinson's research.

Susan Capogna, Manager - Business Solutions, Business Insurance, Travelers Canada

Bio forthcoming.

Randy Carroll, CEO, IBAO

Randy joined the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) in 2002 as Director of Operations and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer on May 1, 2005 where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Association.

At the Annual General Meeting of the Association held on April 4th, 2007, Randy was promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer and still oversees the day-to-day operations of IBAO, our not for profit association, and is currently President of Independent Broker Resources Inc. (IBRI), a wholly owned subsidiary of IBAO.

Randy is definitely no stranger to IBAO or the insurance industry having spent over 20 years as a RIBO licensed Broker in the Property & Casualty business as a brokerage owner and later a Personal Lines Manager in London, Ontario prior to joining the IBAO Team.

As a broker volunteer, Randy represented the London area brokers for three years as President of the London Insurance Brokers Association (LIBA) before taking a seat on the IBAO Board of Directors as a Territory Director. Randy sat on the Education Group in 2001 serving as Chairman of the Education Committee from October of that year until April of 2002.

When Randy joined the association in 2002, membership was just over 8,470 with a staff of twelve. Today, IBAO serves over 12,500 members with seventeen full time staff and considerably more outsourced support providing increased services to its members.

As Chief Executive Officer, Randy is involved in various committees of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO), Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), Facility Association (FA) and sits on the Auto Insurance Stakeholder Advisory Committee. In addition he liaises with RIBO, Insurers and Industry Stakeholders on a regular basis. He also works on behalf of the independent broker heading our Political Action Committee.

George Cooke, President, Martello Associates Consulting

In 1992 Mr. Cooke was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, and Executive Vice President of E-L Financial Corporation Limited. On August 9, 2012 he announced his retirement as President effective immediately, Chief Executive Officer effective December 31, 2012 and Executive Vice President of E-L Financial Corporation Limited effective June 30, 2013.

In July 2013 Mr. Cooke created Martello Associates Consulting, a business strategy firm. Since August 2013 he has been an advisor to the CEO of Intelligent Mechatronic Systems (IMS).

Trevor Crane, Senior Client Executive, Insurance and Financial Services, GMC Software Technology

Trevor Crane is a Senior Client Executive for the Insurance and Financial Services industries in North America at GMC Software Technology. Trevor works closely with leading insurance and financial services clients in the U.S. and Canada. By identifying their customer communications management requirements, Trevor proposes and implements effective technology solutions that drive customer growth and retention while reducing operational expenses and inefficiencies.

Prior to GMC Software Technology, Trevor worked at IBM, where he helped enterprise clients to evaluate and deploy key technology strategies based on the IBM portfolio of hardware, software and services.

Blair Currie, Vice President - Business Development, IMS

Blair Currie brings a wealth of global marketing knowledge and experience to IMS. A digitally advanced global marketer known for his innovation and creativity, Blair's twenty five years of experience in both client side and advertising agency roles has lead him to work with Fujitsu, McCann Erickson, Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB, TBWA and Aegis Media. He is highly knowledgeable about IMS UBI Intelligence and leads a team of creative professionals in the development of marketing initiatives to make IMS the world leader in connected car technology.

Blair holds an MBA in marketing and international business from the Rotman School of Business as well as a bachelor of science, from the university of Toronto. He has devised marketing initiatives for Coca-Cola, Mars, Nestle, P&G and Pepsi across the globe, from bases in Canada, the United States, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam and the UAE (Dubai).

Christopher Dell, Director - Product Management, IMS

Christopher Dell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience bringing new products to market, having held numerous marketing & product management at IMS, BlackBerry (formerly RIM), NCR Corporation and Celestica, Inc.

Chris is responsible for Product Management, working closely with both strategic partners, customers and IMS' emerging technology and engineering groups to execute the IMS Strategic Vision.

Chris holds an M.B.A. with a major in Strategic Marketing from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Business Economics from Brock University.

Pat Durepos, President, Keal

Pat Durepos has been in the insurance industry for over 40 years as a broker since 1971, and President of Keal Technology since 2004. Pat is the Chairman of Alliance Assurance Inc., a brokerage that employs 53 people with annual revenues of $34,000,000 in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. Keal Technology is the second largest provider to the Canadian independent broker channel as measured by the number of brokerage management software users. Keal employs 80 people with clients in every Canadian province, develops four products and maintains numerous alliances to fulfill its client needs. As a Canadian broker, Past President of the NB Broker Association and IBAC (Insurance Broker Association of Canada), Pat is intimately aware of the sophisticated nuances of the Canadian insurance industry and effectively leads the Keal Technology team in exclusively supporting the Canadian independent broker distribution channel.

Pat has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Atlantic Canada Brokers' Man of the Year in 1987, Broker of the Year in 1992 awarded by Atlantic Canada Brokers as well Business of the Year presented by the New Brunswick Economic Council in 1998. In 1999, he was the recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for New Brunswick. In 2006, Durepos was honoured as the recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Atlantic Provinces with a national leadership citation.

Pat's other businesses include Broadway Place Ltd., Advantage Financing Inc., and GRD Air Inc.

Leah English, Regional Vice President - Sales, OneShield

Leah English is a Regional Vice President of Sales at OneShield. She has been in the insurance industry for 9 years, focused on helping insurers maximize their company profitability and IT investments. Leah joined OneShield to assist carriers with strategic decisions related to their core systems – policy, billing and claims. Prior to OneShield, Leah was a Director at the Ward Group, leading benchmarking engagements across Canada, United States, and United Kingdom.

Adam Evans, Manager - Enterprise Geospatial, Google Canada

With over 15 years of leadership in Geospatial software and systems, Adam is an enthusiast of all things maps.

As manager of Google's enterprise geospatial business in Canada, Adam is a passionate advocate for making Geographic Information Systems easy to use for non-experts – the other 95% of the workplace. Based in Toronto, Adam helps Canadian businesses and government agencies to leverage Google's Mapping platforms in their own work.

Google Maps is ubiquitous on the web and mobile for consumer mapping applications. But the real potential lies in enabling businesses to discover and understand their own data as easily as a consumer can.

Daniel Fabiano, Partner, Fasken Martineau, DuMoulin LLP

Daniel Fabiano is a partner with the law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, and practices in the areas of technology, information protection, procurement and contracts. Daniel frequently advises on the intersection of e-commerce and information protection / privacy, and assists financial sector and other clients with privacy risk mitigation strategies, privacy compliance documentation, data transfers and data breaches. Daniel also advises on e-commerce platforms and software licensing arrangements ? and drafts and negotiates a wide range of related contracts. Daniel is the author of ?Electronic Signature and Electronic Delivery of Insurance Documentation? a report published by CSIO, and is a contributor to the Laws of .Com E-Business, Privacy & Technology Law Journal.

Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, Celent

Mike Fitzgerald is a Senior Analyst in Celent's insurance practice and is based in Cary, North Carolina. He has specific expertise in property/casualty automation, operations management and insurance product development.

Mr. Fitzgerald's research focuses on billing, business process and operations, social media use in insurance, and distribution management.

Mr. Fitzgerald brings extensive industry experience to the analyst role. Prior to joining Celent, he was Vice President of Enterprise Underwriting Solutions at Zurich North America, where he led the evaluation of technology alternatives to support a new underwriting product development process. He held a number of positions at Royal & Sun Alliance, including a field operations regional executive role. His technology implementation experience includes the installation and maintenance of billing, automobile policy administration, and workers compensation automation. In the 1990s, Mr. Fitzgerald led an initiative which delivered one of the first global online technical underwriting and claims learning platforms in the industry.

Mr. Fitzgerald has a B.A. in economics from Davidson College, Charlotte, North Carolina and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. He is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Glen Foley, Director - Specialty Technology Practices, NTT DATA, Inc.

Glen Foley has been designing and implementing solutions for the Insurance Industry as an NTT DATA consulting architect for the last fifteen years. He has a unique perspective on delivering real world business value with an in-depth understanding of systems architecture and IT service delivery. In 2006, Mr. Foley established a dedicated practice specializing in document composition and generation with a focus on delivery to Insurance clients. Built from the ground up, his practice has established NTT DATA as a key provider of document generation solutions to the Insurance industry. Mr. Foley continues to direct NTT DATA's Document Generation practice today and has expanded NTT DATA's focus to establish key integrations with leading policy administration, claims, and billing systems.

Karen Furtado, Partner, SMA Strategy Meets Action

Karen Furtado, Partner at Strategy Meets Action, is a well-known expert in core systems. Insurers turn to Karen for modernization guidance because of her expertise on the most effective uses of technology in policy administration, rating, product configuration, billing, and claims. With deep understanding of emerging technologies, including cloud and collaboration, Karen helps insurers innovate for competitive advantage.

Karen's leadership experience includes Insurance Practice Director at Collaborative Consulting and Vice President of CGI's Insurance Practice. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Springfield College. Karen is often quoted in major insurance publications and speaks frequently at leading industry conferences.

Lara Ghaddar, Senior Manager - Business Development, IMS

Lara Ghaddar is an experienced global business development and technology leader, having held various positions and international roles with GE-Water, BlackBerry, Geotab.

At IMS, Lara has spearheaded our Wireless Carrier Partnerships as well as our Canadian business development and growth. Lara holds a Masters of Entrepreneurship & Innovation and a Bachelor in Software Engineering from McMaster University.

Darcy Gorchynski, Director - Business Development, Audatex Canada

Darcy Gorchynski has a combined total of 32 years experience in the auto insurance industry, having worked with the Manitoba Public Insurance Company and most recently, 23 years with Insurance Company of British Columbia (ICBC). Having managed claims portfolios varying in size from 15 staff to 600 staff, Darcy has extensive knowledge of the end to end process of auto physical damage and personal injury claims. In his most recent position as Director of Material Damage Services at ICBC, Darcy was accountable for a wide span of control functionally and geographically with responsibility for supplier contracts, stakeholder relations and collision repair technical training. Darcy recently transitioned to a senior role at Audatex Canada as Director of Business Development, where he will continue to apply his years of insight into leveraging technology to enhance service delivery and improve the overall claims experience.

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.

Nicole Gray, Insurance Broker, Orr and Associates

Bio forthcoming.

Steve Livingstone, VP Telematics, RSA

Steve Livingstone is currently the VP - Telematics for RSA Canada. With over 20 years of personal insurance experience, his work has involved underwriting & portfolio management, strategy development, and business management and operational roles across Canada. He has worked in a number of market segments, including retail, group, and specialty, and in both broker and direct distribution businesses.

Christine Haeberlin, Business Development Executive, Insurance, IBM Canada

Christine is IBM Canada's insurance industry leader, where she is responsible for developing integrated industry solutions that achieve targeted business outcomes for insurers. Christine brings business acumen and over 25 years experience working with IT and business professionals to develop business specific needs assessment, justification and solutions that bring value to the insurance industry. She leverages capability from IBM investments in analytics, mobility, social business and cloud to support insurance business imperatives. By bringing industry practitioners from across IBM sales, software group, global business services consulting and global technology services, Christine is helping IBM's teams increase the value of IT within the industry.

Christine is also active in the community and is a board member of Ability Online, which gives children and youth with disabilities or chronic illness, the gift of independence with a safe, nurturing and supportive online connection to each other and the world around them.

James Harrington, Sr. Director - CSI Policy Program, The Co-operators

Bio forthcoming.

Chris Hill, Partner, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Chris Hill is a fifth generation owner and the Principal Broker at Erb and Erb, in Kitchener. He joined the firm in 2002. Chris is keenly aware of the need for independent brokers to embrace and adapt to rapidly changing consumer expectations and an increasingly competitive marketplace. His priority at Erb and Erb is to develop bold new strategies based on innovation, collaboration and "beyond best in class" principles to ensure the continued success of the independent brokerage channel.

Chris is active in the insurance industry and the community. He has been a Director with IBAWR, currently sits on the Working Group Committee for IBAO and is an active member of ORBiT. He is also Director at Chicopee Ski &Summer Resort and a youth baseball coach.

Bob Humphreys, Manager, Demand Programs, IBM Canada

Bob Humphreys is IBM Canada's Country Leader for Demand Programs & Digital Strategy where he is responsible for driving the business pipeline across all of IBM's lines of business.

Bob has a 20 year history in leading marketing teams across IBM & the consumer packaged goods industry. He has worked in roles as a brand marketer, category management, consultant, strategic planner, market researcher & customer experience evangelist. Bob has focused on the application of predictive analytics & Big Data to help optimize & transform how his team generates marketing yield & builds its future competence. Bob has been referenced in a number of articles, the latest being a discussion of IBM's use of advanced analytics in Eric Siegel's book Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die. In addition to his IBM responsibilities, Bob is also the chair for the Canadian Marketing Association's CMO CIO Collaboration Task Force whose mandate is to define the Canadian governance & partnership best practices occurring today between the Marketing & IT functions.

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.

Chuck Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer, Exigen Insurance Solutions

Chuck Johnston is responsible for market strategy and execution, including marketing communications, product marketing and product management. Chuck brings more than 25 years of expertise in insurance and information technology and joined EIS from analyst firm Celent, where he served as research director, focused on insurance technology and business strategies, specializing in life insurance and group. Prior to joining Celent, he held several roles at Oracle Insurance including vice president of Global Insurance Strategy and Solutions. He previously served in senior management roles focusing on go to market strategy and execution at Siebel and Callidus software. Prior to this, he was vice president and director of Insurance Information Strategies at META Group. Johnston also has held technology and business leadership positions at Phoenix Home Life Mutual Insurance.

Robin Joshua, Director, Corporate Underwriting & Risk Management, CAA Insurance Company

A seasoned insurance professional, Robin's experience spans a wide variety of disciplines over the last 25+ years 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 product development, business analytics and business solutions along with underwriting.

He has a Bachelors degree in Mathematics as well holds the designations Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) and Canadian Risk Manager (CRM).

Catherine Kargas, Vice President, MARCON

Catherine Kargas, MBA, is a business strategist with over 20 years of experience providing consulting advice to executives in the insurance, transportation (with an emphasis on alternative propulsion technologies) and energy sectors. She is the Vice President of the management consulting firm, MARCON, and the Vice Chair of Electric Mobility Canada.

Catherine has worked with numerous players in the P&C space, including insurance carriers and brokers. She is a member of the Insurance 2023 group and an Insurance-Canada.ca collaborator.

Richard King, CEO, ingenie

Richard is the founder and CEO of ingenie, a company that – in less than two years – has established itself as one of the leading insurance brands for British young novice drivers. He is currently leading ingenie into the North American market, where the brand will seek to replicate its home success.

As one of the few insurance brands to exclusively insure under-25s using black box technology, ingenie and Richard have developed innovative ways in which to reach their young target audience, engaging them as a digital community all committed to becoming safer drivers and therefore lowering the insurance premium they pay.

He is passionate about road safety; dedicating his time and resources to supporting initiatives and charities that help educate young people and make them safer drivers. Starting out as a noted commentator on twitter, Richard's now become a regular talking head on Sky News and BBC News sharing his expertise on road safety issues, and is a prominent social media contributor. His company has recently been awarded a Prince Michael Road Safety Award.

While he is now a pioneer of telematics insurance, Richard has always been a technology innovator. He has a successful track record in the technology and insurance industries spanning more than a decade having previously co-founded the Innovation Group, which developed technology systems for the insurance industry and listed on the London main market, achieving a valuation of £1 billion.

Philippe Lafreniere, SVP, Insurance Solutions, 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.

Pascal Lavoie, Chief Information Officer, Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance

Pascal Lavoie joined Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance (IAAH) team in 2007 and now serves as a Chief Information Officer. In addition to be a member of the team leading IAAH's largest-ever technology project, the replacement of the insurance system, Mr. Lavoie is in charge of projects related to technological orientation and selection of technological solutions. Mr. Lavoie has 14 years of work experience in technology. Previously, Pascal worked for companies such as Nurun and was trusted with consultation mandates at Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) and Canadian National (CN). He completed two Bachelor degrees: one in Computer Science at the University of Sherbrooke, and another one in French literature at the University Laval.

Scott Laiken, Managing Director, Insurance Strategy & Transformation, Accenture

Scott Laiken leads Accenture's insurance management consulting activity in Canada. He has spent the last 18 years helping P&C insurers create profitable growth, transform their organizations, and better use information to compete more effectively. His current work focuses on telematics and building digital businesses that create engaged customer relationships.

Michel Laurin, President, Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance

Michel Laurin was born in the region of Lanaudière and completed his High School studies at the Joliette Seminary and his College studies at the College of L'Assomption. Later, he obtained his Bachelor Degree in Actuarial Science from Laval University in 1985 and began his career in property and casualty insurance.

From 1985 to 1992, he worked for Les Coopérants, compagnie d'assurances générales, first as Actuarial Analyst and, in 1988, he was Supervisor of the Actuarial Department. During those 7 years, Michel was actively involved in all aspects of the job of actuary in IARD Insurances, such as pricing and segmentation, product development, assessment of actuarial reserves, statistical analysis, strategic planning and reinsurance.

In 1992, Michel joined the team of Meloche Monnex Inc. as Assistant Actuary, he was in charge of insurance pricing for individuals in all provinces of Canada. In 1994, he obtained his title of Fellow from the Casualty Actuarial Society and Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

From 1995 to 1998, he worked as Director of the Actuarial Department for L'Union Canadienne, compagnie d'assurances, and he established and managed a strong team of actuarial experts. Michel's greatest achievement during that period was the creation of a micro-segmentation of pricing as well as a complete and efficient operating system of statistical information.

From 1998 to 2002, Michel returned to Meloche Monnex as Vice-President, Actuarial and Insurance Techniques, to manage both actuary and underwriter teams. Michel also contributed to the development of the company and its data processing systems by his active participation in the elaboration of company business strategies.

In March 2002, he accepted a colossal challenge, which is the presidency of Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance Inc., in order to achieve the ambitious growth plan initiated by the Main Head Office, Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. Under the Chairman of the Board, Michel Laurin was entrusted the responsibility to make Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance Inc. become a leader in direct distribution of auto and home insurance in province of Quebec.

Godwin Liu, Director - Product Management, Audatex Canada

Godwin Liu, Director of Product Management, is a recent addition to the Audatex Canada team, joining in 2014. He has held strategic leadership roles over the last 16 years both in successful startup and in leading global organizations, spanning a breadth of industries, from medical imaging at Visualsonics, to consumer electronics at Logitech. Godwin leads product innovation at Audatex Canada, and is a passionate advocate of data-driven insight, detail oriented execution, and, above all, customer focus.

Greg McCutcheon, President, Opta Information Intelligence

Greg has more than 18 years of experience servicing Canada's Property and Casualty industry. During his career, Greg has managed several business units offering online underwriting services and solutions to the Canadian Insurance Industry.

Greg is a Certified Risk Manager and holds a Bachelor's Degree with Honours from Queen's University.

Steve McKay, CEO, DriveFactor

Prior to founding DriveFactor, Steve spent eleven years in P&L roles at Progressive Insurance, where he worked on their usage based product, today called Snapshot. Steve also has experience in consumer lending at Capital One and in consulting.

Richard Meertens, Vice President, IT and Process Improvement, Arch Insurance Canada, Ltd.

Richard has been a project and IT leader as CIO and Vice President at Arch Insurance Canada and Gore Mutual Insurance, and as a strategy and project consultant to other financial institutions. He is currently managing multiple projects with various stakeholders, with virtual teams in several locations, with a focus on business process design, systems implementations and change management. Richard has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and an informatica engineering degree from the Netherlands. Richard volunteers as a triathlon coach and also participates in triathlons and half marathons.

Dr. Ben Miners, Vice President - Innovation, IMS

Dr. Ben Miners provides innovation leadership to guide next-generation solutions, strategic technology initiatives, and beneficial partnerships that deliver continuous value and high quality experiences far into the future. Innovation and emerging concepts are embraced and catalyzed across the connected vehicle ecosystem and beyond to define and realize solutions over the horizon. Untraveled paths are cleared to drive continuous innovation, realize increased value for all stakeholders, and exceed future expectations. Current activities and areas of interest include technology innovation evangelism, intelligent transportation systems, data intelligence and analytics to deliver enhanced contextually-relevant value and enable intelligent decisions, understanding human intent, and intuitive user-centric solutions.

Dr. Miners holds a Doctorate in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Science from the University of Guelph, and is a licensed professional engineer.

He believes that the keys to unlocking revolutionary advancements lie along untraveled paths created through innovation, and is in agreement with Theodore Levitt's observation, “Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.”

Bill Morris, Senior Partner, Navicom

Bill is a Senior Partner at Navicom and has executive responsibility for Navicom's insurance and hospitality business. Navicom's goal is to help its clients understand customer decision making, create differentiation and build competitive advantage.

Bill has been extensively involved in a variety of different market research and customer measurement initiatives within the Canadian Insurance Industry for over 20 years. He has been working closely with IBAO and Ontario brokers since 2001.

Most recently Bill has played a leadership role in the development and facilitation of the Beyond Best in Class Transformational Change Workshops and worked closely with IBAO to develop Understanding the 21st Century Consumer and Connecting in the 21st Century workshops.

Bill and Navicom remain committed to working diligently with key insurance industry stakeholders to develop new strategies and tactics to ensure the ongoing success of the broker distribution channel.

Greg Mortson, Business Solution Architect, Pitney Bowes

Greg Mortson has been working in the Location and Customer Intelligence industry for over 15 years. Most recently he has acted as a Business Solutions Architect servicing the Canadian market. In this role he has helped a number of Insurance clients apply Data Quality Practices and Location Intelligence to solve critical business issues. In addition, his experience with a wide variety of client initiatives has given him a broad perspective on how Location-based applications can help businesses Understand, Locate and Communicate more effectively to improve Customer Experience and Operational Efficiency.

Rick Orr, Past President, Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario

Rick joined Orr Insurance Brokers in 1992; he and his brother Jeff are fourth-generation owners of Orr Insurance Brokers Inc., in Stratford.

Rick is active in both the industry and the community. He is Chairman of the Board 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 by working together to create meaningful solutions we can drive costs out of the channel allowing Brokers and Insurers to remain the best distribution model for consumers.

Kevin Paul, Director - Insurance Information Services, CGI

Kevin is a senior product manager and Partner in CGI's Property and Casualty Insurance Information Services practice group. With a specific focus on addressing emerging strategic business challenges, Kevin brings over 20 years of client experience to CGI's national insurance client base, developing and implementing technology programs to bridge the gap between market opportunity and business results.

Prior to joining CGI, Kevin was the founder and managing partner of a US based business services firm focused on providing cross channel data analytics and market intelligence to the insurance and financial services industries.

CGI is the leading supplier of Risk Information Products, and of consulting and IT services to the Canadian P&C industry, delivering end to end services ranging from Management Consulting, IT Strategy and Application Development, to Systems Integration of leading Commercial Software Solutions, Application Management Services and full IT Outsourcing.

Joe Pratts, Chief Operating Officer, Hoffman Brown Company

Joe is the COO at Hoffman Brown Company in Sherman Oaks, California. Hoffmann Brown is a boutique agency with more than 50 employees and it recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Joe is the guru of the condo association class of business. He insures many important associations and participated on several committees for the CAI-GLAC (Community Associations Institute of Greater Los Angeles Chapter). Have a question about condo insurance? Joe's your man. He, of course, handles a variety of other types of accounts, condos has just become a special strength.

Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners, Ltd.; getClarity, Inc.

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 the founder of the Canadian Insurance Strategy Group, which can be found on LinkedIn.

Jeff Purdy, Senior Vice President of International Operations, Applied Systems

Jeff is responsible for Applied's Canadian and UK operations. Purdy began his Applied career in the company's Canada operations in 1989. In 1993, he was named president of Applied Systems Canada, assuming responsibility for Canada product development, sales, implementation and customer support. In 2002, Purdy relocated to Applied's U.S. headquarters as vice president of Diamond Implementation and Account Services, departments within the carrier division then operated by the company. Since 2004 Purdy has been in charge of primary sales and in June of 2012, Purdy returned to the Canadian marketplace as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Applied Systems Canada.

Jeff Roy, President & CEO, P.A. Roy Insurance Brokers, Inc.

Jeff is the founder and chair of the Excalibur Insurance Group with 4 offices and 15 employees in rural Ontario. He has been an insurance broker since 1989. He completed his business degree at Brock University in 1994, his CAIB in 1995 and his Canadian Insurance Professional designation in 1997. He and his wife Una just wrote their first insurance book last year, 24 Things you need to know to protect your Assets. Jeff is a founding member of Orbit ( Organization of Real Time Brokers Implementing Technology ) and is a member of the Ibao education committee.

The Excalibur insurance group has completed the IBAO's beyond best in class program in 2013 and is actively trying to slay the dragons of conformity in the insurance industry. Follow jeff on twitter: jroy5.

Precksha Saksena-Sood, Managing Director, Telematics Update

Precksha Saksena-Sood is the Managing Director of Telematics Update, an influential business intelligence organisation within the connected car industry. Telematics Update's mission is to serve the burgeoning mobile, CE and digital industries as they converge with the automotive industry. Telematics Update currently provides cutting-edge industry news, analysis, reports and senior-level B2B conferences.

Precksha has been with the organisation for seven years and has been managing the group for four years. During her tenure, she has trebled the business, making it the foremost centre of business intelligence in the telematics industry.

Her time within the telematics industry has given her the opportunity to develop a 360 degree view of this rapidly expanding segment. Precksha has an MA in International Journalism from City University in London. She lives with her husband near the historic Tower of London. When not working, Precksha spends her time reading on various subjects, with a special interest in continental literature.

Precksha has withdrawn from participation in ICTC2014.

Krystin Sandberg, Director - Program Management, OneShield

Krystin Sandberg is Director of Program Management at OneShield. She has been with OneShield since 2007 and has over 15 years experience in the insurance information technology field, including 12 years of program and project management and 3 years in business application development positions.

Krystin has held various program and project management positions across a wide variety of applications including data warehousing, asset management systems, billing systems and policy administration systems at Hanover Insurance Group, Sun Life Financial and Commerce Insurance Company.

Tim Scurry, Group Chief Executive Solutions Division, Quindell

Tim has extensive experience in the sale and delivery of enhanced products and services in the software development and solutions fields, specializing in insurance. He successfully managed information technology consulting and project execution practices and has acted in a project management and consulting capacity for organizations such as Western Australian Tax, Allstate Insurance, Libbey Glass, Bank of America, Kmart Corporation and Statistics Canada.

In 1999 he co-founded iter8, a software solutions provider to the Property and Casualty Insurance Industry. At iter8 he led sales efforts, professional services and headed the consulting division. He is responsible for taking the company from start-up to multi-million dollars in annual revenue, generating consistent annual profits, and driving international growth. Quindell acquired iter8 in April 2013 and Tim was appointed as head of Quindell Group's software and consultancy operations outside of the UK. In January of this year his role was expanded to Group Chief Executive Solutions Division, overseeing all activity for the Quindell Solutions Division.

Tim is an expert in building companies, securing growth while managing expenses, and constructing strong corporate brands.

Colin Smith, Senior Vice President of Operations, OPTA Information Intelligence

Colin has more than 18 years of experience in business planning, execution, operations and information technology in continuously progressive management positions. He is recognized for his creative, innovative and collaborative approach to business and brings a well-rounded perspective to the value of information in the insurance industry. Colin currently holds the position of Senior Vice President of Operations at Opta Information Intelligence, an SCM company dedicated to helping drive profitable growth for clients by creatively deriving and delivering business value through information and innovation.

Lorie Smith, VP - Business Operations and Technology, Mass Insurance Brokers Limited

Lorie has 24 years' experience in the broker distribution channel, starting as a service and sales broker. She changed direction in 2002, moving into Operations with a focus on technology and finance.

Joining the Mass Insurance team, responsible for Operations in 2007 opened up a path for personal growth. She is now leading a team responsible for financial monthly reporting, budget creation and reporting, payroll and benefits, and technical troubleshooting.

Lorie has further added four (4) successful acquisitions, executing the merging of BMS and data, phone systems, vendors, transition of processes, applications and financials to her tool box. On top of that, she is Compliance Officer.

On the education front, Lorie achieved her Unrestricted RIBO license in 2012 an her CAIB designation in 1996.

Peter Smith, Director - Information Technology, Alberta Motor Association

Peter is the Director of Information Technology with the Alberta Motor Association Insurance Company. Peter's strength is ability to recognize the importance of IT alignment with the business. He effectively broaches topics that many others either simply don't – or don't know how to. It's his combination of business and IT skills that make him extremely successful and allow him to successfully work with a broad spectrum of client needs.

Peter has 20+ years of technology experience in multiple business sectors including Insurance, Financial Services, Agriculture and Health. Peter is a Certified Engineering Technologist (C.E.T.) and holds diplomas in Electronic Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Computer Systems.

Paul Taylor, Vice President - Sales, Brovada

Paul Taylor is Vice President of Sales at Brovada Technologies. Paul's career focus has been on strengthening the independent broker and assisting in ensuring their distribution channel is effective and competitive. At Brovada, he works to develop connectivity networks of insurers and brokers, introducing or improving workflow and communication systems to minimize time required and maximize efficiency of data movement and integrations.

Patrick Vice, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca

Patrick is a founding partner of Insurance-Canada.ca with more than 20 years of experience enabling technology and electronic commerce in the risk management and insurance communities. He currently serves as Director - Information Technology for the Frank Cowan Company Limited, Canada's premier provider of public entity risk management and insurance services, where he carries management responsibility for all information technology development, infrastructure, and support. Prior to his current role, Patrick held positions of increasing scope and responsibility with insurance companies, consulting firms, and technology solution providers. Read a more extensive biography here.

Steve Wagler, Partner, Josslin Insurance Brokers Limited

Steve Wagler has been working in his family's brokerage for 23 years. He and his brother Scott have been shareholders in the brokerage since 1999 and today operate 7 branches with just over 70 employees.

Steve is a graduate of Economics from the University of Waterloo and in addition to completing his CAIB studies in 1993 he completed the Best Practices Companion series in 1999 and in 2010 completed the Beyond Best In Class program created by the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario.

Steve and his brother Scott have been long time members and supporters of the IBAO and the Centre for Family Business in Waterloo.

Wendy Watson, President, ORBiT

Wendy has been in the insurance industry for more than 30 years, covering both the direct writer and brokerage sides of the business. Having garnered experience in underwriting, developing system user requirements and conducting systems testing with a direct writer, Wendy made a move to the brokerage side, where her abilities landed her as Vice President of Operations for a highly regarded full-service brokerage.

Wendy has represented brokers as a Beta broker for Applied Systems, then as an active member on the Canadian Interface Ad Hoc Committee of ASCNet for Applied Systems. Playing an active role in the Real Time Broker Expo hosted in Cambridge on September 16th, 2008 lit a fire to really drive real time in Canada. This passion to continue educating brokers on what is possible through the use of Real Time functions resulted in the birth of ORBiT.

As President of ORBiT, Wendy has facilitated a significant increase in collaboration amongst participants in the broker distribution channel. This collaboration is key to the ongoing development of Real Time best practice workflows, which in turn enable the education of brokers and other stakeholders. Turning what could be into what is!

Jeff Womack, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, NTT DATA, Inc.

Jeff Womack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at NTT DATA, Inc., a Global IT Innovator delivering technology-enabled services and solutions to clients around the world. He is responsible for integrated marketing, external and internal employee communications, analyst relations, alliances, and portfolio governance. Mr. Womack oversees day-to-day marketing plans and activities for NTT DATA in North America and collaborates on strategic market positioning and brand collaboration with NTT DATA's parent company in Japan as well as sister organizations from the NTT Group. Mr. Womack and his team led the NTT DATA brand introduction for North America in 2012.

Mr. Womack brings years of experience leading global marketing organizations and helping to drive both strategic and tactical marketing and sales growth plans. Prior to NTT DATA, Mr. Womack served as vice president of worldwide product marketing for Hewlett-Packard (HP) Enterprise Services. In this role, he was responsible for guiding and supporting a $25 billion dollar business unit by providing portfolio development, sales enablement, and marketing across all three service lines, including Applications Services, Business Process Outsourcing, and Infrastructure Outsourcing Services.

Before HP, Mr. Womack held various executive positions at EDS leading marketing and communications for the consulting, alliances and global offshore delivery teams. He directed the operations for EDS' global consulting business unit comprised of 4,000 professionals delivering application development, integration, and packaged application services. Jeff Womack holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Texas Tech University.