Introducing the 2022 CRF Speakers!

Engaging with the C-Suite: How to translate the value of effective risk management and insurance strategies to your C-Suite & Board

Edward (Ted) Allen is the Midwest Regional Technical Resource Leader for USI. Based in Cincinnati, OH, he oversees the delivery of claims support services, loss control services, property and casualty analytics modeling and complex Executive Risk, International, Property and Casualty insurance placements. Prior to joining USI, Ted spent 10 years specializing in Alternative Risk Transactions. From 2000 to 2010, he was the President and CEO of Environmental Risk Solutions, a Cincinnati-based company that used Alternative Risk Insurance structures as the catalyst to cleaning up large, known polluted sites. 

MODERATOR: Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenges

Robert serves as Regional Chief Sales Officer and member of the Midwest Executive Leadership & Management Team. He is responsible for driving corporate growth, business development, and sales strategies across Hub International’s target client industries, products, and market segments. Robert leads a dynamic team of producers, complex risk and insurance specialists, recruits leading industry talent, and sources strategic M&A opportunities.

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MODERATOR: Risk Manager Only Roundtable

Stacie Bixler, is an Executive Vice President and Senior Account Executive for HUB International. She has 23 years of experience managing complex global clients across a variety of industries, with specific expertise in the retail/consumer goods, manufacturing, technology and financial institutions sectors. Stacie is a collaborative leader who is passionate about partnering with clients to achieve their risk optimization goals as well as building diverse and highly effective teams that deliver exceptional client service.

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Increasing the Value to Risk Management

Gina Brown is the Insurance Partnerships Manager at myCOI. As a 27-year insurance veteran and previous independent Insurance Agency President and Founder — just hosting a birthday party or going out to eat becomes a lesson in risk and exposure! When she isn’t reading and interpreting policy language or researching case law, Gina enjoys spending time with her family. 

Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenges

Courtney Davis Curtis is the Assistant Vice President for Risk Management and Resilience Planning at the University of Chicago, where she provides leadership and direction to senior managers, working to identify, evaluate, and plan strategies for enterprise-wide insurance programs. Her focus is on maximizing the protection of assets at the most economical rates and minimizing the effects of fortuitous loss. She also develops and directs risk management strategies and policies which identify, assess, and mitigate the impact of risks originating from or impacting the enterprise’s portfolio of activities/interests.

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Cyber Threats and Trends in 2022

Anjali Das has been instrumental in the unprecedented growth of Wilson Elser’s cybersecurity & data privacy capabilities in terms of both the number of dedicated cyber attorneys and areas of cyber expertise. She is a recognized authority on the key factors of cyber-defense, including incident response, privacy compliance and risk management, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, and the defense of nationwide Data Breach Class Actions. Co-chair of Wilson Elser’s national Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Practice and a respected member of the firm since 1999, Anjali is in high demand to provide oversight of cyber crisis management and incident response by clients victimized by a data breach, and those that struggle with high-stakes risk.

Navigating ESG: Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and the Board

Don Delves is a Managing Director and Practice Leader for Executive Compensation and Board Advisory, North America for WTW’s Work and Rewards Line of Business. Based in Chicago, Don is a leading expert and highly sought-after consultant and speaker on corporate governance and executive pay and performance, with over 30 years’ experience consulting with major corporate boards and executive teams across the country.

The Emerging Intellectual Property Market During a Recessionary Period

Sean Doyle is senior IP counsel and SVP at Ambridge Partners where he is responsible for creating tailored solutions for clients seeking IP protection either in the ordinary course of business, or in connection with business agreements such as Licensing Agreements, Financings & Investments, or Mergers & Acquisitions. Sean is also responsible for underwriting Ambridge’s IP contingency product which responds to one-off legal, judicial and legislative IP risks. Prior to joining Ambridge, Sean worked in private practice as a patent litigator where he represented both plaintiffs and defendants in complex IP disputes in a broad range of industries. 

Moderator: Risk Manager Only Roundtable

Jeff Esper is the National Director of Marketing and Business Development at RWH Myers & Company. Jeff works with clients, risk managers, brokers, consultants and attorneys to deliver solutions for insurance claim preparation and business interruption values quantification. In Jeff’s role, he manages RWH Myers’ marketing efforts including advertising, website, blog posts, email campaigns and social media. Jeff publishes industry articles and is a regular speaker at risk management events on various topics including a popular PERK Program on presentation skills which he has presented at chapter meetings, regional RIMS conferences and the RIMS annual international conference.

Increasing the Value to Risk Management

Anne Fentress is myCOI’s in-house Risk & Insurance Specialist. Anne uses her insurance expertise to guide clients on best practices in managing third-party risk. Anne specializes in construction risk management, having managed a multi-billion dollar portfolio of commercial and residential projects across the country as a Project Manager at Paladin Risk Management. She is a self-proclaimed insurance geek who enjoys reading insurance legislation and case law; Anne loves the industry’s ever-changing nature!

Navigating ESG: Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and the Board

Lawrence Fine is the Management Liability Coverage Leader for WTW’s FINEX North America practice, with prior experience at law firms and with AIG. He has more than 30 years of legal and insurance industry experience, particularly in relation to Directors and Officers Liability, Professional Liability, Employment Practices Liability, and Fiduciary Liability. Larry’s experience includes serving as Global Head of Professional Liability and D&O Claims at AIG, and as Claims Chief Technical Officer, Larry helped write all of AIG’s Financial Lines policies and many endorsements which are still in use.

Panelist: Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenges

Mr. Gratz is a Senior Account Manager at Allianz working with Risk Managers and Brokers to access the wide variety of solutions available Allianz. Prior to joining Allianz, Mr. Gratz was the Director of Risk Management and Insurance for nineteen years at Pentair PLC, a global diversified multinational organization. Prior to Pentair, Mr. Gratz worked at Northwest Airlines and a variety of insurance carriers holding various roles in claims management. Tom received his MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a law degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

Navigating ESG: Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and the Board

Chris Hammond is the Global Compliance & Risk Manager for Stepan Company, a manufacturer of specialty chemicals headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and is Chair of the Sustainability Committee for the American Cleaning Institute. He has over 20 years of experience in the chemical manufacturing industry and works at the intersection of insurance risk, enterprise risk management, and ESG for Stepan.

Navigating ESG: Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and the Board

Kelly Harkcom, Ph.D., is a Director in Employee Experience at WTW.  With almost two decades of consulting experience, Kelly specializes in the design and implementation of strategies to optimize the employee experience in order to minimize people risk and, ultimately, impact organizational performance, including the Social aspects ESG. Kelly has led large-scale global employee research initiatives for some of WTW’s top clients in a variety of industries. Some of Kelly’s notable work includes partnering with business leaders and human resource business partners to design agile employee listening strategies; redefine how organizations attract, engage, and retain critical talent for future success; and align organizational culture to support strategic business and people priorities.

Hot Trends Facing the Risk & Insurance Industry

Sean Hickey is a licensed insurance broker and consultant with 34 years of experience in commercial property and casualty insurance, management and professional liability insurance, and employee benefits. He is responsible for leading NFP’s US complex risk, US middle market P&C brokerage, and national risk management service groups, including P&C actuarial, captive solutions (RISC), claims, OHS/ EHS, and NFP’s specialty workers’ compensation practice group. Prior to joining NFP, Sean served as executive vice president and Property and Casualty practice leader of Rose & Kiernan, Inc., a top-50 privately held US broker. He also served in executive underwriting and senior leadership roles within the commercial insurance and national risk management practice groups of several of the nation’s largest insurers.

The Emerging Intellectual Property Market During a Recessionary Period

Peter Holz currently serves as the leader of Commercial IP risk within Aon’s Intellectual Property Practice, with responsibilities for IP risk transfer product development, Vendor Risk Management, IP risk transfer advisory & placement, and business development. Peter also supports Aon IP Solutions’ strategic initiatives and advisory for large & complex clients. Prior to his role with Aon IP Solutions, Peter served as an Associate and Strategic Account Manager for Aon’s M&A and Transaction Solutions Practice, with responsibilities for day-to-day management of Private Equity clients.

Moderator: Risk Manager Only Roundtable

Based in Chicago, Chris oversees the Midwest Region for Liberty Mutual’s Global Risk Solutions Group. Global Risk Solutions include the operating units of Liberty Mutual Large Commercial, North American Specialty (Ironshore), Surety, and Liberty Specialty Markets’ US underwriting teams. Chris has 20 years of Insurance Underwriting and Leadership experience. 

Hot Trends Facing the Risk & Insurance Industry

Based in New York, Chris is responsible for driving profitable growth and innovation while maintaining AXA XL’s industry-leading service, creativity and nimbleness. The Americas portfolio includes US Risk Management, Multinational Casualty, Excess and Surplus Lines Primary Casualty, US-Incoming Global program Primary and Excess Casualty and Canadian Primary & Excess Casualty.  

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The Emerging Intellectual Property Market During a Recessionary Period

Ian Lewis has over 30 years experience in helping businesses – from start-ups to multinational corporations – to protect themselves against the financial impact of IP-related exposures, such as litigation costs and expenses, liability and business interruption, and other financial losses. He established and leads One Underwriting’s IP team which works on behalf of Lloyd’s Syndicates and Insurers to assess and transfer clients’ IP exposures on a global basis.

Engaging with the C-Suite: How to translate the value of effective risk management and insurance strategies to your C-Suite & Board

Marcia Linton is a Senior Vice President and National Casualty Analytics Practice Leader for USI Insurance Services. The casualty analytics practice provides casualty analytical consulting for risk management clients. 

Marcia has over 20 years of experience with USI Insurance Services and its predecessors and has been a risk management featured speaker to a number of groups, including several presentations on Actuarial Reports and Collateral Analysis to the national Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) annual conference. She currently serves as a faculty member for the National Alliance Certified Risk Manager Program (Analysis Course)

Navigating ESG: Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and the Board

Jonathan Little is WTW’s Midwest Growth Leader for the FINEX business. He has over 17 years’ experience providing risk management solutions to public and large private companies, and non-profit organizations, specializing in marketing, consulting and negotiating management liability insurance, and advising clients on insurance coverage issues including ESG.

Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenge

Joyce is Senior Vice President of National Sales for CorVel Corporation. She has been with CorVel for over 20 years and has vast experience working with carriers, brokers, employers as well as numerous state funds to assist in designing and implementing comprehensive claims administration and managed care programs. With a focus on delivering quality results, clear communication, and exceeding customer expectations, Joyce is a tremendous asset to CorVel and the industry as a whole.

Streamlined Disaster Planning for Risk Managers

Cal McCarty is a Vice President of Commercial Sales and Response for ServiceMaster Recovery Management, an Atlanta based national disaster restoration company. Cal has 10 years of experience in writing, installing, and consulting on disaster planning for Risk Managers in large national and global companies.

Matthew Meldrum is an expert in the RMIS and GRC spaces where he brings valuable solutions and partnerships to his customers. As a 10-year veteran of Riskonnect’s implementation and customer service teams, Matthew combines a wealth of real-world insights and best-practices knowledge with a deep understanding of the technology behind the platform. Outside of work, Matthew is an Eagle Scout and a US Army Reserve Veteran. 

Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenge

Michael Rivas is the Executive Vice President of Risk Services at Assurance. He oversees the company’s risk services department, which includes compliance, wellness, risk transfer, safety, and claims. Michael is responsible for integrating risk management services that provide a more holistic approach to minimizing risk and maximizing health. To accomplish this, Michael meets with clients in a collaborative manner, determines their needs, and develops a solutions-based service plan.

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Cyber Threats and Trends in 2022

David Ross has worked with clients to prepare and implement a comprehensive defense strategy in response to state and nationwide class actions and mass actions, other complex litigation or demands, or investigations by government regulators or prosecutors. He represents clients in all aspects of complex civil litigation before federal and state courts and in alternative dispute forums. David has advised clients in advance of and while defending individual and class actions involving product liability issues such as defective vehicles, improperly labeled food products, medical testing and improper packaging, and class actions involving privacy and improper care. He also has worked on recall procedures and served as the NHTSA-approved auditor for a manufacturer as part of a resolution with the government.

Hot Trends Facing the Risk & Insurance Industries

As Senior Vice President of Sales, Annette Sanchez directs ESIS’ national sales and distribution strategy, ensuring that the organization’s business development goals and tactical plans drive profitable growth and market share. Annette also leads our sales team in developing sales strategies and creative solutions that align with each prospective client’s needs, as well as building effective relationships with brokers, carriers, prospects, and key accounts. She has also held a variety of executive positions with responsibility for marketing, national practices, product development, and managed care for several Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) and carriers.

Moderator: Risk Manager Only Roundtable

Michael is a Senior Manager in EY’s Insurance & Federal Claims Services practice out of Chicago, Illinois. He has over twelve years of experience providing policy holders with preparation of claims related to property damage, extra expense, business interruption, cyber, fidelity, special event coverage and multiple other claims as well as litigation support. Throughout his career he has assisted clients in the higher education, automotive, manufacturing, hospitality, retail, food and beverage, chemical, healthcare, and telecommunications industries, as well as the public sector.

Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenges

Theresa Severson is the vice president, insurance and risk at Kite Realty Group – a publicly traded REIT that owns and operates high-quality open-air shopping centers, including properties with a mixed-use component. In her role, Ms. Severson oversees the insurance risk management and insurance program for operational and corporate exposures, claims management, and Business Continuity Plan. In addition, she has led the formation and management of captive insurance companies.

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Hot Trends Facing the Risk & Insurance Industries

Hemant Shah is the CEO of Archipelago, a risk data platform that connects and transforms property risk data for large commercial property owners and enables brokers and insurers to view and analyze customer portfolios to deliver optimal insurance outcomes. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of RMS, the world’s leading catastrophe modeling company. Hemant’s been a pioneer in the application of data analytics to risk management, helping to shape the modern re/insurance industry.

Hemant is passionate about risk and resiliency, and he serves on the board of the social venture, Build Change. Hemant holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s of Science in Engineering from Stanford University.

MODERATOR: Hot Trends Facing the Risk & Insurance Industries

Gavin Souter is the editor of Business Insurance, where he leads the editorial operations of the magazine and website. He has worked as a financial journalist for more than 30 years. After working at financial magazines in the United Kingdom, he joined Business Insurance’s London office as a reporter in 1991. He transferred to New York in 1993, held various roles, and moved to Chicago in 2004 after being named managing editor. He was promoted to editor in 2011.

Cyber Threats and Trends in 2022

Jennifer Stegmaier is experienced at representing clients in data privacy class-action litigation and regulatory investigations. She has defended third-party claims brought by individuals throughout the country whose personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI) has been compromised in a data security incident. In addition, she has handled numerous investigations by law enforcement and state and federal regulators, including state attorneys general and HHS/OCR for HIPAA violations. Jennifer advises clients on cybersecurity and data privacy breach response following a cybersecurity incident, assesses overall risk and compliance, and helps to remediate cybersecurity issues.

Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenges

Andrew Tait is a 32-year global risk leader who has guided some of the most complex companies on their risk management journeys.  With a foundation as an FM property risk engineer, Andrew spent time as a property broker and risk control engineer before joining the risk management team at Sanofi and predecessors Aventis and Rhone Poulenc.  With 2 major mergers and a management team that supported a holistic approach to Risk Management, Andrew was able to guide industry-leading ERM, BCM, Supply chain risk/resiliency, integrated captive deployments, and deep Risk management engagement across the business.   For the last 16 years, he has been building fit-for-purpose risk management solutions using the most current methods and approaches.  He is a member of the Temple University and SUNY Oswego Risk Management ERM program advisory panels.