Leader's Edge

Donnacha Smyth, president of global excess casualty for AXA XL, discusses pressure points in the market and his takeaways from brokers. In the newest addition to our AXA XL podcast series, Donnacha Smith, president of global excess casualty for AXA XL, discusses ongoing claims litigation and nuclear verdicts, geopolitical tensions, climate change and renewables, and how to remain relevant for clie...

Creating efficiency and speed for agents and brokers is a major topic in this podcast sponsored by BrokerTech Ventures. Jeff Lobeman, assistant vice president for digital and head of innovation, and Bob Pick, CIO and executive vice president, both at Tokio Marine North America, discuss how they stay on top of brokers’ operational and customer service needs, balancing automation and human interacti...

"I like to be where the rubber meets the road." In this episode we meet Jenni Lee Crocker, President of PCF Insurance Services. Crocker shares how growing up in a small town in Virginia shaped her outlook on life, and how experiences from her local community gave her the tools and can do attitude to tackle whatever her job and the industry demands of her. She also explains what characteristics con...

With a reduction in deals and dollars, insurtech investment going forward will favor companies with a proven track record and products that will be widely usable across the insurance industry, says Kylie Hubbard, director of innovation at Insurica. In this podcast, sponsored by Ascend, Hubbard also provides a broker perspective on the state of data connectivity and discusses whether and how the in...

A conversation on digital evolution with IVANS CEO Reid Holzworth. We discuss connectivity, carriers data evolution and how AI is really being used in the insurance industry.

A discussion with Pamela Wheeler, Chief Diversity Officer at NFP. In this episode we meet Pamela Wheeler, who shares stories about her early career in the sports industry working for the WNBA. Then Wheeler dives deep into why she traded in sports for insurance, and why its important to understand DE&I as a business imperative.

In this podcast sponsored by finance automation platform Ascend, we talk with Andrew Wynn, Ascend co-founder and CEO. In between conversations about digitization, integration and what good looks like, we discuss the nature of relationships, community and the thread between his time in the Peace Corps and insurance.

What kind of knowledge and benefits does a past minor league pitcher wish he had? Slade Smith, Employee Benefits Specialist at Cobbs Allen shares stories about the early days of his career as a professional baseball player, drafted by the Detroit Tigers, and how he pivoted to working in the insurance industry after an injury. The 33-year-old also shares his thoughts on what major trends the employ...

Will Democrats or Republicans flip or flop The House and Senate? The Council’s SVP and VP of government affairs Joel Kopperud and Blaire Bartlett kicks off their Legislative Summit with a run down of today's hotbed of political issues. They talk flipping the house and senate, regulatory issues in the healthcare space, reauthorizing tax cuts, PBM transparency and cannabis.

Keith Schuler, CEO of InterWest Insurance Services shares his background and brokerage history, industry issues, as well as his new focus as Council Board Chair.

art of our AXA XL sponsored podcast series, we talk with Lucy Pilko, CEO, Insurance in the Americas for AXA XL. Just a couple months into the role, Pilko talks about beginning the process of executing AXAL XL’s long and short term strategic visions. She discusses market opportunities and areas of challenge, and learning how to really use the data and technology we now have access to.

Wick shares what he learned from his short comings in brokerage relationships, and how that prompted him to start his own firm. He additionally talks about the importance of vulnerability, the process of change, being a community focused agency and acquisition strategy.

In this podcast sponsored by AXIS, we talk with Jay Hamilton, Global Head of Accident and Health Insurance at AXIS. He discusses the eclectic mix of product lines in accident and health, current lines of interest including employee benefits, pet insurance, and travel, among others. He also discusses market headwinds, the outlook for 2024, and aligning with market and client needs.

In this special podcast episode, the Leader’s Edge art team dissects work created by AI art generator Dall-E. Using our October cover story on artificial intelligence as the basis for our own AI experiment, we gave the same exact instructions to a human illustrator and the AI art generator tool, then compared the results and chose one for our October cover. This conversation is our post-mortem on...

The Council’s SVP of government affairs Joel Kopperud interviews Congressman Pat Ryan (D-NY). Son of an insurance agent, Rep. Ryan discusses his relationship with the insurance industry, the important issues impacting his constituents and global ramifications of national security. Additionally, the team shares exciting news on PBM reform.

A conversation with Steve Sublett, Senior Director of Employee Experience and Engagement, CBIZ, San Diego, California. Sublett shares what it was like growing up on the grounds of an Illinois juvenile state penitentiary where his father was the warden, and how that experience shaped his life. He also discusses what lead him to the insurance industry.

In this episode of our partner podcast series with global insurer AXA XL, we talk Steven Bauman, Global Programs & Captives Director, for the Americas for AXA XL. The conversation covers the unprecedented growth in captives in recent years, new lines forming captives that haven’t before, and how captives play a role in risk management and transfer for systemic risk.

In this episode, The Council’s VP of government affairs Blaire Bartlett is joined by guest host Charlie Daniels, SVP of NFP. The two interview Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY). Their discussion touches on Molinaro’s history of service, farm policy, the importance of inclusion in the workforce and legislation on the hill post Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s reign as House Speaker.

In this podcast sponsored by Nationwide, Mark Berven, president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Property and Casualty, shares his thoughts on range of topics. The conversation incudes uncertainty and inflationary pressures in the casualty market, continued pressure from weather in property, building and pricing for resiliency, and how carriers can improve transparency amid these factors...

A conversation with Olga Collins, CEO, Worldwide Broker Network, Atlanta Georgia. Collins discusses her international background, love for languages, food and travel, and how she became interested in risk management.

In this podcast sponsored by AXIS, Ann Haugh, CEO of Axis Re, digs into current trends in the reinsurance market. She discusses headwinds in the property and casualty markets, as well as areas of opportunity. Also on the agenda are emerging risk and reflections on one year into her role.

In this installment of Politics & Risk, Council SVP of government affairs Joel Kopperud talks with Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL). They discuss the tumultuous path to electing a new House Speaker, clean energy and impacts of the the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

The Council’s SVP and VP of government affairs Joel Kopperud and Blaire Bartlett, respectively,  discuss how a breakdown in negotiations in Congress have led to a pending government shutdown. How will House Speaker McCarthy move forward? How is he working across the aisle while negotiating within his own party? The team also discusses news on the pharmacy benefit manager front and shares exciting...

Since the pandemic, experts have cautioned that the office building market is poised for collapse. In this podcast, we hear directly from Ryan Flanagan, executive vice president and real estate practice leader at Heffernan Insurance Brokers, on how his office clients are coping with post-pandemic workforce changes. He also discusses crime as a growing factor in property rates, along with persisten...

In this episode of Falling Into It, we chat with Mara Blagojevich, a Senior Marine Risk Consultant at Allianz Commercial. Blagojevich attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point New York where she later served in the U.S. Coast Guard early on in her career. The 29-year-old shares how serving during Hurricane Harvey became one of the most momentous challenges of her career, wh...