Breakout Sessions

Breakout #1 - Impact of regulatory changes on products...now and in future!

10:00AM – 11:00AM and 2:45PM – 3:45PM ROOM 201b

Regulatory changes have significant impact on the products offered in the market. This session will look at the recent changes in life insurance products to address changes in the tax exempt rules, as well as speculate on changes from future regulatory changes, such as LICAT, fee disclosure, genetic testing, and IFRS 17.

Insights will also be shared from other markets (e.g. European countries under Solvency II or genetic testing restrictions) as well as approaches that reinsurers could take to support their clients.

Moderator:
Gaurav Upadhya
Managing Director, Actuarial Services
PwC

Speaker:
Rohit Thomas
VP & Chief Pricing Actuary
BMO Life Assurance

Alex Lucas
SVP and Head of Canadian Retail Insurance
Manulife

Brian Louth
Senior Vice President
RGA

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Breakout #2 - Innovation Process - Note this breakout will be run one time in the afternoon only.

2:45PM - 3:45PM ROOM 104C

The digital revolution is felt to be a threat by many in the insurance industry, especially following the increase of innovative new entrants and new to world business models that we have seen as of late. This session will continue the dialogue from the main stage presentation by Chris Forrest, Innovation Strategist, Doblin Canada and Mukul Ahuja, Insurance Strategist, Monitor Deloitte and share perspectives on the nature of competition in the insurance industry, the changing demands of customers and the implications for insurers from capital raising to customer experience and business operations.

Moderator:
Blake Hill
AVP & Head of Manulife Vitality program
Manulife

Speaker:
Chris Forrest
Innovation Strategist
Doblin Canada

Mukul Ahuja
Insurance Strategist
Monitor Deloitte

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Breakout #3 - Underwriting Requirements

10:00AM – 11:00AM and 4:15PM – 5:15PM ROOM 201D

Comparisons of Traditional Underwriting Requirements and their Impact on Mortality for Canada and similar countries
A&A requirements differ between markets but do they have the same impact on mortality per Country?  What is the real evidence of protecting values - are we simply "protecting" the local practice? Lessons to be learned for other countries and how innovation is impacting A&A requirements.

Moderator:
Ellen Dicker
Underwriting Risk Relationship Manager
RBC Life Insurance Company

Speaker:
Colin Kearney
Chief Underwriter
SCOR Global Life Canada

Damien Lapointe Nguyen
Senior Assistant Actuary, Research and Development
RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada

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Breakout #4 - Life insurance on a small screen… for increased customer engagement
2:45PM – 3:45PM and 4:15PM – 5:15PM ROOM 104A

How can the insurance industry leverage mobile platforms and small screens to increase customer engagement? As we seek ways to transform our industry, by accelerating the underwriting process and the integrating of big data, the customer experience needs to be at the forefront of our business mindset. This session will explore technology and risk management tools at our disposal.

Moderator:
Marc-André Melançon
Vice President, Business Development
RGA

Speakers:
Paul-André Savoie
Baseline Telematics

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Breakout #5 - How Predictive Modelling is Transforming Insurance

11:30AM – 12:30PM and 2:45PM – 3:45PM ROOM 202B

How Predictive Modelling is Transforming Insurance
Every insurance company is now using predictive models, or is looking to. Our panel of speakers will share their hands-on experience, encompassing insurance, reinsurance, consultancy and other industries. We will cover some lessons learned on modelling techniques and resourcing. We will also include real examples of how predictive analytics have changed the P&C landscape and are now being adopted in the L&H space, simplifying the underwriting journey and seeking to improve claims outcomes.

Moderator and Speaker:
David Moss
SVP, Head of Client Markets
Swiss Re

Speaker:
Richard Boire
Senior Vice President
Environics Analytics

Patrick Sullivan
SVP, Integrated Analytics
Munich Re

Jayne Olsen
SVP, Head Digital & Smart Analytics Americas
Swiss Re

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Breakout #6 - Simplifying Contracts

Simplifying Contracts
Simplifying Contracts…..Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. – Confucius

11:30AM – 12:30PM and 4:15PM – 5:15PM ROOM 202D

In today's world, we are often exposed to information overload. Complex information, coming at us too quickly! Insurance contracts are not spared from this problem and may contribute to client misunderstanding, disputes and inadequate insurance. Why? Because insurance contracts can be riddled with complicated language, lengthy wording, exclusions and exceptions. To have a full understanding of what insurance is exactly being purchased requires the client to invest a significant amount of time to read and interpret…as well as an MBA!

But what if, we were to simplify our contracts, would we sell more insurance? Could we also have a better relationship and reputation with our clients?

Please join our session that will explore these questions and address how contract simplification can enable business success. Participants will also learn about proactive actions that have been taken to create simpler, more user friendly contracts through product or presentation to improve the client experience.

Moderator and Speaker:
Natalie Culshaw
Manager, L&H Contracts
Swiss Re

Speaker:
Johnathan Bondy
Senior Actuarial Associate
Manulife Financial

Cathy Preston
Head Life Product and Pricing
RBC Life Insurance Company

Rory Unsworth
Head Contracts Centre
Swiss Re

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Breakout #7 - Do You Know What Your Claims Department is Doing?

10:00AM – 11:00AM and 4:15PM – 5:15PM ROOM 104C

Unless a denied claim hits the CEO's desk or gains the attention of the media, not much attention is paid to the claims department. You may be surprised to hear what we have been up to. Paying claims without proof of death, accepting a scanned proof of death or reforming a policy are just a few processes that have gained traction over the last few years. What will be more of a headache to your claims team – dealing with gender identity or assisted dying? What impact will predictive modeling for claims and using optical character recognition have on the skill set requirement for your claims team? The future is NOW.

Speaker:
Christina McWatt
Claims Manager, Vice President, Life & Health Business Management
Swiss Re

Lucie Cossette
Director, Group & Individual Claims
RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada

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Breakout #8 - Reinsurance Administration - The Guardians of the “Data” Galaxy

11:30AM – 12:30PM and 2:45PM - 3:45PM ROOM 104D

When it comes to data, (re)insurance has an abundance of it, and, if we can unlock its potential, the possibilities are endless. Obtaining, mining, and strategically utilizing it will be the difference between industry laggers and leaders.

The key to our success will depend on the accuracy, timeliness, and reliability which are of paramount importance. If data is to be relied on, it must be airtight.

Achieving data integrity in (re)insurance requires in-depth knowledge of products, treaties, concepts, and systems as well as unwavering dedication to the timeliness of administration. There are many challenges which can make it difficult not only to achieve but maintain data quality. Evolving products such as Post-Level Term, policy conversions/exchanges, retention management, and system upgrades (to name a few) increase the complexity of the administration which is further amplified as the data flows from cedant to reinsurer to retrocessionaire.

Panelists from the Reinsurance Administration Professional Associations (RAPA) will discuss challenges, best practices, and tools used to improve processes, analysis, and quality.

Moderator and Speaker:
Dalia Khoury
Assistant Vice President, Individual Administration
Optimum Reassurance

Speaker:

Laura Gray
AVP, Operations
Munich Re

Eddie Martinez
Director, Reinsurance Administration
AXA Equitable

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Breakout #9 - Corporate Culture Shifts with Innovation

10:00AM – 11:00AM and 11:30AM – 12:30PM ROOM 104B

Corporate cultures respect Newton’s laws. They like to remain at rest, comfortable in their inertia, and will remain that way until acted on by a powerful force. Actions are more powerful than words. Shifting a culture requires significant action and commitment from senior leadership, but also buy-in from the people who are keepers of the culture. Recognition, rewards, evaluation, training and recruiting are activities that require much greater attention as behaviors, attitudes and values must be re-shaped to shift culture.

Panelists from RBC will discuss real initiatives and actions undertaken by the bank to drive the innovation culture. Another RGA panelist will highlight the importance of talent management in accelerating innovation in your organization and will explore the concept of organizational agility - how do you keep your organization nimble to respond to all of its challenges in this new world?

Speaker:
Tom Sakoulas
Head of Human Resources
RGA Canada

Elfreda Pitt Hetherington
Senior Director, Applied Innovation & Development
RBC | Royal Bank

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Breakout #10 - The Future is Now: Medical Advances & Individualized Life Insurance Solutions

11:30AM – 12:30AM and 2:45PM – 3:45PM ROOM 201F

The speed of the life insurance industry, like science, can be excruciatingly slow.  However, in the last few years Medicine has made striking advances in both knowledge and practice. The future is here and it’s exciting and promising!

In parallel with medical progress new and agile players in the life insurance industry globally, are connecting with consumers in unique ways, moving away from the ‘cookie-cutter’ traditional life product.

The speakers will provide their unique perspectives of what new medical and product innovations are in the market and how we can adapt to them.

Moderator and Speaker:
Carmela Tedesco
VP, Underwriting & Claims
LOGiQ3 Corp.

Speaker:
Dr. Tim Meagher MD
Vice President & Medical Director
Munich Re (MLMC)

Elliott Dickson
Senior Underwriter
LOGiQ3 Corp.

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Breakout #11 - Longevity de-risking, A global opportunity with local challenges

10:00AM – 11:00AM and 4:15PM – 5:15PM ROOM 201F

The global perspective, the attractiveness of this risk and the factors influencing the markets' growth. The local view, Canada, a market in evolution, how did we get here and what challenges lay ahead
New research into Canadian pensioner longevity and how it can help bridge the knowledge gap.

Moderator and Speaker:
Rupen Shah
Head of Global Longevity Solutions
SCOR Global Life

Speaker:
Ian Edelist
Principal Pensions and Benefits of Eckler
CEO of Club Vita Canada

Jeffrey Gomes
Managing Director, Longevity
Sun Life Financial

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Breakout #12 - Wearables

10:00AM – 11:00AM and 11:30AM – 12:30PM ROOM 104A

Wearables, including Apps, have become popular with consumers, helping us understand and take control of our health. Insurers recognize both the engagement and information potential presented in these technological innovations. In this session, our presenters will give a view of the current landscape, share the experience from some initiatives underway, and look forward at the evolving uses of wearables and sensors.

Moderator:
Binni Rana
Client Manager, Vice President
Swiss Re

Speaker:
JJ Carroll
SVP, Head New Solutions Group Strategy D&R
Swiss Re

Mark Hardy
Senior Manager, Direct Life and Health
TD Life

Dr. Matthew Smuck
Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilition
Director, Wearable Health Lab
Stanford University

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