For hundreds of years the insurance market known as Lloyd's of London has played a notorious role in the world of risk and finance. To understand how this market started, podcast producer Zach Ewell spoke with Geraldine Morgan, a history enthusiast who gives tours in London England around the history of Lloyds and insurance. Morgan takes us on a tour from the great fire of London of 1666 to the establishment of Lloyd’s Coffee Shop.
Sep 23, 2024•18 min
One year into the newly created role of head of North America, AXIS' Mike McKenna joins the Leader’s Edge podcast to discuss how he plans to execute on opportunities in the market as Axis dives deeper into specialty lines. McKenna drills down into where the opportunities are in the difficult casualty market, discusses the company’s new Lloyd’s syndicate focused on the energy transition, and talks about serving the lower middle market effectively.
Sep 17, 2024•13 min
As Fall conference season gears up, BrokerTech Ventures’ John Jackovin, Executive Director of the BrokerTech Ventures Accelerator, shares some insight into the upcoming BrokerTech Connect, a broker-focused mini-event held during InsureTech Connect in Las Vegas in October. Jackovin discusses the evolution of the conference over the years and what’s hot in Insurtech right now.
Sep 03, 2024•16 min
Can we fix the polarization that has engulfed our politics and government? According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, public trust in government has edged near all-time lows in recent years. The nonpartisan organization She Should Run believes part of the answer to fixing this problem includes increasing the number of women in public office. To understand how increasing women’s participation in public office could improve public trust in government, podcast producer Zach Ewell spoke with Tr...
Aug 12, 2024•36 min
In this edition of our AXA XL podcast series, chief client and distribution officer Matt O’Malley sits down with Leader’s Edge after taking on this newly created role for the insurer. He explains the interconnected risk that drove AXA XL to create this position and what he hopes to achieve in the role. He also talks market trends including the early Atlantic storm season, cyber risk, and opportunity in casualty.
Aug 05, 2024•20 min
In this episode of Politics & Risk from The Council’s government affairs team, SVP Joel Kopperud interviews Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney, who represents Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District. The congressman discusses his party’s new excitement surrounding the presidential ticket after President Joe Biden’s withdrew from the 2024 election, possible running mate picks for Vice President Kamala Harris after she became the Democratic Party candidate, and what’s at stake in November.
Jul 31, 2024•23 min
For over 34 years Mike St. Lawrence traveled the United States selling alien abduction insurance on local TV news and radio shows. With nearly 7,000 coverages sold at a $24.95 asking price, the Florida resident offered a $10 million payout for proof of abduction. The catch: The payout would come at $1 annually for 10 million years. Following our 2021 interview with St. Lawrence, podcast producer Zach Ewell recently attempted to reach the self-proclaimed comedian insurer to see how his business w...
Jul 22, 2024•13 min
In this episode we meet Dan Horton, CEO of the Horton Group Horton shares how he made the career jump from airline pilot to insurance executive, the influence that family has had in his life, and the importance of company culture.
Jul 15, 2024•16 min
How is artificial intelligence shaking up the film industry? Sinead Murphy, managing director at carrier MiC Specialty, discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the film and media industries. With over 12 years of underwriting experience, Murphy shares how AI risks will impact E&O, cyber, and other policy coverages. She also discusses how this new technology is affecting the relationship between brokers and carriers. This conversation comes nearly a year after the Screen Actors...
Jun 17, 2024•20 min
In this edition of the Politics & Risk podcast, The Council’s government affairs team is onsite at the Employee Benefits Leadership Forum (EBLF) with Council VP of health policy & strategy Katie King. King oversees the Council of Employee Benefits Executives’ agenda and reveals new insights presented to the group by McKinsey, including findings from McKinsey’s brand new 2024 employer survey. The team also discusses what potential federal budget and tax code decisions could mean for emplo...
May 29, 2024•11 min
Blake Watts, channel partnerships leader for Ochsner Health, has a busy agenda for The Council’s Employee Benefits Leadership Forum [EBLF] this year. Speaking with Leader’s Edge on the first day of the meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Watts said he was looking forward to conversations with his peers on healthcare point solutions and partnering with the consulting community. In this podcast, Watts dives into “point solution fatigue” and research that has thrown the value of these services i...
May 29, 2024•27 min
In this episode we meet Belen Tokarski, President and COO of Mylo. Tokarski shares inspirational stories of family members who inspire her, how she fell into the insurance industry. And why she’s sticking around.
May 26, 2024•21 min
In the latest episode of Politics & Risk from The Council’s government affairs team, SVP Joel Kopperud interviews Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who has represented Colorado’s 7th Congressional District since 2023. Having served in the Colorado state legislature for a decade prior to becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Pettersen shares the top issues for Coloradans, including housing and climate change. As a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Pettersen also dives ...
May 24, 2024•17 min
This Spring has seen protests pop up on college campuses all over America. As a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, student organizations have been demanding action from their universities to divest from Israel. Meanwhile counter protests have also occurred. While some protests have stayed peaceful, others have broken out in violence. Lucy Straker, Focus Group Leader of Political Violence & Deadly Weapons Protection at Beazley, and Matthew Westhoff, Head of North American Commercial Prop...
May 20, 2024•20 min
A conversation with GameStop’s Co-founder Video games, eccentric personalities and past presidential candidates have all made their way through Gary Kusin's career. The entrepreneur and business mentor is the former CEO of FedEx Office and co-founded the company now known as GameStop. Kusin shares how he started the first large-scale video game retailer, why GameStop surged in the financial market during the meme stock craze of 2021, and how a summer internship at an insurance company changed hi...
May 01, 2024•30 min
In this episode we meet Tim Hall, CEO of Relation Insurance Services. Hall shares how he got his start creating a business in high school, what life is like in his home state of Nebraska, and how the insurance industry needs to sell itself to a younger generation.
Apr 30, 2024•15 min
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 clients dealing with these pressures.
Apr 22, 2024•30 min
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 interaction, and what’s next for insurers and the internet of things.
Apr 10, 2024•27 min
"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 contribute to good office culture.
Apr 02, 2024•18 min
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 insurance industry will use technologies such as blockchain and AI.
Mar 25, 2024•24 min
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.
Mar 08, 2024•28 min
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.
Feb 28, 2024•21 min
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.
Feb 26, 2024•23 min
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 employee benefits space could see in the near future.
Feb 12, 2024•23 min
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.
Feb 04, 2024•13 min
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.
Jan 24, 2024•27 min
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.
Jan 23, 2024•28 min
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.
Jan 22, 2024•18 min
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.
Jan 16, 2024•19 min
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 process. Contributors include Leader’s Edge creative director Brad Latham, associate art directo...
Dec 21, 2023•9 min
