Innovation Roadmap

As technology demonstrates its potential to transform the insurance industry, some insurers and startups are realizing it’s not a zero-sum game: they are stronger together than alone.

The wave of technological advancements has the potential to alter the insurance industry profoundly by extending its reach, supporting the development of new and more relevant products, improving the customer experience and helping to close the protection gap that exists across all sectors and markets. Technology is a considerable investment, particularly in legacy environments, and is critical to survival in the current data driven marketplace where innovation can be effectively applied in both transformational ways to redefine products and distribution chains as well as incrementally to build operational efficiencies and enhanced customer experience. In seizing the opportunity that technology presents, it is important for insurers to consider the competitive landscape both within the industry and further afield, where external forces are shaping consumer expectations. This panel, moderated by ITL Editor in Chief Paul Carroll, will examine case studies of success models through a retrospective lens by those who’ve pioneered successful innovation models.

Date: August 23, 2022

Time: 1:00 pm EDT

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About the Speakers

Louis Gagnon

Louis Gagnon was appointed President and CEO of Foresters Financial™ in January 2022. Previously, Louis was with Mercer for more than 30 years in various senior roles across different cities (Montreal, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Toronto and New York City). Most recently, he was President, U.S. & Canada Region, leading more than 5,000 colleagues.

Louis holds a Bachelor of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science from Concordia University. He is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, and a member of the Business Council of Canada. He takes pride in serving his local community, notably through his work with the United Way and Le Pignon Bleu in Quebec.

Peter Ohnemus

Peter Ohnemus founded the dacadoo Health Score/dacadoo ag, in Zurich, Switzerland in 2010. The patented dacadoo Health Score & AI-based Lifestyle Navigation Platform is being licensed to key Life & Health Insurance companies (Payers) and global healthcare operators (Providers). Peter has been involved in high-tech and bio-tech investments over the last 25 years and this led to four IPO’s and multiple trade sells.

Peter is a frequent speaker and has spoken at World Economic Forum (WEF), Fortune Brainstorm Health, Google Tech Talks, McKinsey’s Life Leaders CEO Forum, International Insurance Summit(IIS), Geneva Association (GA), The Royal Society of Medicine, Stanford LIGHT Conference, CommunicAsia, Mobile World Congress, European Health Forum by the EU, Economist Global Healthcare Forum, Mobile Health Summit DC, European Tech Tour, Red Herring, WWW/Digital Disease Detection, etc.

Peter occasionally teaches digital innovation & entrepreneurship at Universities such as ETH, HSG- Switzerland, Bocconi - India.

Andy Cohen

Andy is a transformational expert focused on leveraging technology to drive results, responsible for the overall customer experience, engagement, and execution of Snapsheet’s strategic initiatives. Over his twenty-plus years in the insurance industry, Andy has led growth and change strategies by leveraging technology at CNA and Travelers to improve operational efficiencies and achieve profitable growth. Andy holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University - Bloomington and has authored articles and white papers for the Wall Street Journal, Best Review Magazine, and Carrier Management.

Outside of Snapsheet, Andy serves on the advisory board for Mylo, a Lockton-backed digital insurance broker. Additionally, Andy enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids and playing golf poorly :)

Andrew Robinson

Andrew is the Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Skyward Specialty Insurance Group. Skyward Specialty is a property and casualty insurance holding company with nearly a billion dollars in premium and $2BN in assets. The company has highly respected businesses in specialty lines including management and professional liability, healthcare professional liability, medical stop-loss, surety, E&S property and liability, large commercial property, programs, as well as multi-line solutions for the energy, trucking, and construction industries.

Andrew previously was a Senior Advisor at Oak HC/FT, a premier venture growth equity firm investing in healthcare and financial service technology, where his focus is on Insurtech. During that time, he was the CEO and Chairman of Oak portfolio company Groundspeed Analytics and Chairman of Oak portfolio Clara Analytics, two SaaS technology companies serving the insurance industry. Andrew was President Specialty Insurance, EVP Corporate Development. and Chief Risk Officer for The Hanover Insurance Group [NYSE:THG], with oversight of all aspects of management and P&L of the company’s six US specialty businesses with revenues of $850 million. He led the development and execution of the company’s business portfolio strategy and completed ten acquisitions. Previously, Andrew was Managing Partner for the Global Insurance Practice at Diamond Consulting (now PwC Consulting) and was Global COO and EVP for Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD-A & CRD-B), Andrew oversaw Crawford's four businesses with revenues of $1.1BN and 8000 employees.

Andrew also serves on the board of McLarens, a Lee Equity Partners portfolio serving the insurance industry and PLNAR, a VC-backed Insurtech company. Andrew has also served on the Board of Directors of Chaucer (top 10 Lloyds of London Managing Agency) and Breckenridge Insurance Services (formerly Arsenal Capital portfolio company).