Travelers Institute Risk & Resilience

Tucked in the foothills of central Virginia, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) runs a state-of-the-art facility where researchers conduct a range of vehicle crash tests and publish their widely consulted vehicle safety ratings. The Travelers Institute gave a behind-the-scenes look at how this important work, supported by Travelers and the insurance industry, is helping consumers ma...

What is influence and how do we build more of it? Those are the questions behind Laura Cox Kaplan’s weekly podcast, She Said/She Said. Laura joined us to share career and leadership lessons learned from the hundreds of leaders she’s interviewed since she started her podcast seven years ago. From embracing different viewpoints and building resilience to turning failure into growth and having greate...

How do we find hope and resilience when faced with unimaginable trauma or even everyday challenges? In 2015, Geralyn Ritter was returning from a business trip when her train derailed at 106 mph. She was not expected to live. Geralyn spent the next several years undergoing dozens of surgical procedures, on total disability leave from her job, and facing the mental health challenges associated with...

What are the foreign policy and national security issues facing the new administration, and how will they affect U.S. businesses? On this podcast episode, recorded Feb. 5, Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward and Michael Mazarr, Senior Political Scientist at RAND, discuss key geopolitical challenges, global hot spots and takeaways for the business community. Watch the original Wednesdays w...

What lies ahead for the U.S. and broader economy in 2025? On this podcast episode, recorded on Jan. 15, Dr. Mark Zandi joined Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward for an in-depth analysis of important trends impacting the economic landscape. He provided insights into economic decisions facing the White House and Congress that could affect tax rates for U.S. households and businesses. As yo...

From the ‟Great Reshuffle” to the ‟Big Stay,” hiring managers and business leaders have had to constantly adapt to recent labor market trends. On this podcast episode, Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward shares a conversation her colleague and Travelers Institute VP of Public Policy, Jessica Kearney, had with LinkedIn®’s Head of Economics for the Americas, Kory Kantenga, Ph. D. They explo...

On this podcast episode, Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward shares a conversation she had with Peter Miller, CPCU, President and CEO of The Institutes, to hear his thoughts on the transformative potential of the Predict & Prevent® model in risk management and insurance. He explored how this proactive approach could leverage artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies...

Are you looking for strategies to navigate challenges and seize opportunities in today’s dynamic insurance environment? On this podcast episode, Travelers Institute President Joan Woodward revisits a conversation she had with Charles Symington, President and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”), and Sean Ramalho, EVP, Enterprise Distribution Management at...

Why and how should organizations invest in emerging talent? What are the best strategies for recruiting and retaining tomorrow’s business leaders? On this podcast episode, Travelers Institute President Joan Woodward shares a conversation she had with Shawn VanDerziel, President and CEO of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, and Travelers employees Bruce Soltys, VP, Emerging Talent,...

How can organizations leverage technology to drive optimal business outcomes? Travelers EVP and Chief Technology & Operations Officer, Mojgan Lefebvre, joined the InsurTalk podcast to answer this question and more. In this special Travelers Institute Risk & Resilience episode, we’re sharing the conversation Mojgan had with InsurTalk host and Guidewire Software Chief Evangelist Laura Drabik...

From hiring and firing to promotions and workplace culture, businesses face daily decisions that affect their employees and could lead to claims of wrongful employment practices. With over 80,000 U.S. workplace discrimination charges filed in 2023, understanding employment practices liability (EPL) is crucial. On this podcast episode, Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward shares an importan...

What’s keeping Chief Financial Officers up at night?  In May, Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward was joined by Kory Kantenga, Ph. D., Head of Economics, Americas, at LinkedIn, and Eric Divelbiss, EVP and CFO of Orgill, at RISKWORLD® 2024 to examine insights from a new Travelers survey of CFOs. Listen as Kory and Eric discuss how CFOs are approaching risk management, talent shortages, mer...

On this podcast episode, Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward sat down with Bill Zielinski, SVP of Personal Insurance Product at Travelers, and Karen Eckert, SVP of Agent Distribution, Personal Insurance at Travelers. They explored trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the personal insurance landscape and the indispensable role insurance agents and brokers play in this rapidly evolv...

Ever wonder what it’s like to attend one of the Travelers Institute’s in-person cybersecurity symposia? Check out this conversation from our April cyber symposium in San Antonio, Texas. Listen as Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute®; Ernesto Ballesteros, Cybersecurity State Coordinator at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); Rehman Khan, AVP of Cyber Risk Ma...

On this podcast episode, veteran diplomat and respected international relations scholar Dr. Richard Haass joined Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward to discuss the current global landscape. He shared insights on geopolitical risks and what they might mean for society, including the business community. He also reflected on the state of American democracy and its international implications....

In Part 2 of our two-part podcast series on distracted driving, we continue to share the conversation we had at the 2024 Lifesavers Conference on Roadway Safety. Listen as Johnathon P. Ehsani, Ph. D., M.P.H., from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Kit Delgado, M.D., M.S., from University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine; and Ryan McMahon, from Cambridge Mobile Telematics,...

Many of the world’s top golfers are at this year’s Travelers Championship®, which is one of the PGA TOUR®’s Signature Events and the only PGA TOUR event in the Northeast this year. Nathan Grube, Tournament Director of the Travelers Championship, and Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers, sat down with Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward to g...

Distracted driving has historically been an underreported traffic safety issue. However, advancements in technology, data modeling and AI are providing innovative solutions, such as telematics programs, to help better identify and curb risky driving behaviors. In Part 1 of our two-part podcast series on distracted driving, we’re sharing a conversation we had at the 2024 Lifesavers Conference on Ro...

Kenneth R. Feinberg, renowned mediation expert and Special Master of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, sat down with Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward to discuss his experience overseeing high-profile victim compensation funds, including for 9/11, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Boston Marathon bombing. Feinberg discussed the personal and professional challenges of taking on th...

How should businesses prioritize emerging technology? How does a company successfully adopt AI? Travelers EVP and Chief Technology & Operations Officer Mojgan Lefebvre recently joined the Enterprise Software Innovators (ESI) podcast to answer these questions and more. In this special Travelers Institute Risk & Resilience episode, we’re sharing the conversation Mojgan had with ESI hosts Eva...

Professional and financial lines insurance are increasingly important to carriers and brokers. On this podcast episode, Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward revisits a conversation she had with Travelers’ Jeff Klenk, Aon’s Christine Williams and Marsh’s Michelle Sartain as they drilled down into industry trends and shared strategies to address pain points in lines of coverage. --- Visit th...

Are you retiring soon or just curious about the process? Wondering what you’ll do with your days after decades spent building a successful career and business? Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward recently sat down with Mark and Jody Rollins, two former top insurance industry executives who are now retirement coaches. They shared their personal journey navigating the post-career world and...

How do you feel about your business network these days? If traditional networking strategies just aren’t cutting it or are feeling too transactional, it may be time for a new approach. “Serial connector” and communications expert Susan McPherson, author of "The Lost Art of Connecting," joined the Travelers Institute® for a primer on building authentic and meaningful business relationships. Referen...

Whether it’s a high-stakes corporate takeover or simply your kids’ bedtime, life is filled with negotiations. What are the best strategies for increasing negotiating confidence, maximizing success and losing the fear that holds many of us back? Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward sat down with Dr. Victoria Medvec, a renowned expert in negotiating and executive decision making, to talk abo...

If your organization hasn’t implemented cyber-readiness practices, or doesn’t know where to start, this episode is for you. Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward spoke with Mullen Coughlin’s Carolyn Purwin Ryan and Travelers’ Tim Francis to get a deep dive into five key cybersecurity practices you can begin implementing today. Referenced in the show: Visit the Travelers Institute® Cyber Rea...