(Re)thinking insurance

In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Frank Schepers, WTW's Global Leader, Insurance Consulting and Technology and Sina Thieme, Senior Director, Insurance Consulting and Technology, explore the impact of technology and innovation on the insurance industry, particularly in risk modelling, data analysis, and distribution channels. This wide-ranging discussion also probes the challenges and opportunities of closing the insurance gap and the evolving role of capital in the insurance market.

Description: Charlie Samolczyk is joined by Pardeep Bassi and Tim Rourke to discuss the importance of monitoring model health, and how Radar Vision, WTW's automated monitoring tool, is helping to address this problem for insurers. 

Anand Patel, Rajeev Janagal and Jonathan Aubrey-Smith discuss what is risk scoring and how this method helps insurers in making better decisions

In this episode of Talking Tech, Charlie Samolczyk is joined by John Heidelberger and Peter Harrison to discuss what externalised rating is along with some of the key challenges and best practices insurers should consider in this area.

In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, our host Anand Patel is joined by Dr Kennet Otto and Georgy Matov who share their insights on the challenges and opportunities within the growing European cyber insurance market.

In this episode of the (Re) thinking Insurance podcast, experts Caitlynn Greenfield and Stan Roberts cover the pension risk transfer market (PRT), discussing its growth, key trends and challenges. They shed light on increasing transaction volumes, rising plan terminations and the challenges of managing deferred lives. Also, they provide insights on the diverse landscape of U.S. PRT players and the regulatory changes affecting transactions.

In this episode our host, Charlie Samolczyk, is joined by Holly Layton and Joost Wilbers to discuss why there is a need for reserving teams to consider new approaches, as well as some of the recurring challenges they've seen in the market.

In this episode, we explore key aspects of actuarial modeling, including the importance of balancing accuracy and speed, the benefits of simplicity, and the need for effective communication.

In this episode, Sina Thieme is joined by Maria Jesus Guitard to discuss the importance of people in an insurers pricing function.

In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Anand Patel is joined by Paul Higham and Derric Howard to explore the dynamics of the commercial lines and speciality market cycle and how leading insurers are successfully managing the cycle through investments in technical capabilities.

In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Pardeep Bassi, Global Head of Data Science, talks to Mani Heer about overcoming the challenges in deploying open source effectively.

In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Suky Mann is joined by James Tanser to discuss their view on how firms have responded to conduct related regulations across pricing, as well as a look to the future and how things may change in this space over the next 12 months. 

Life insurers have built up large blocks of policies that represent in-force business. They want to manage these blocks efficiently and profitably. A number of factors such as low interest rates, expense pressures, aggressive competition and stakeholder expectations have increased company focus on in-force management. Mark Mennemeyer is joined by Mary Bahna-Nolan, Nik Godon, Nathan Hardiman and Sam Keller to discuss the opportunities for improving performance of in-force portfolios.

In this episode of the (Re)thinking Insurance podcast, Scott Gibson is joined by Laura Doddington and Lauren Finnis to explore advanced analytics in the insurance industry. They discuss findings from WTW's recent advanced analytics survey, highlighting how nearly 50 North American P&C insurers are leveraging analytics. Despite strong leadership commitment, progress has stagnated since 2021 due to IT bottlenecks and data challenges. The discussion covers practical applications of machine learning in document processing and risk assessment, and identifies areas where analytics can enhance operations, such as claims management and distribution strategies. The speakers emphasize the need for a clear roadmap, robust data infrastructure, and collaboration between analytics and business teams, underscoring the importance of sustained effort and strategic planning to fully integrate analytics into organizational culture.

In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Mark Mennemeyer is joined by Gerard Anderson and Muhammad Amjad to take a fresh look at capital risk appetite and internal model calibrations. They examine the challenges and implications of recent dramatic shifts in interest and swap rates, highlighting the importance of robust internal model calibrations and scenario testing to manage potential volatility.

In the second of two special episodes focused on WTW's global IFRS 17 study, Kunj Maheshwari is joined by Kamran Foroughi and Anshul Garg to examine the results of WTW's recent insurance analyst survey. They explore the responses from analysts - both sell and buy side, equity and debt – on aspects of IFRS 17 the analysts liked, did not like and wanted to improve; as well as how IFRS 17 affected their decision making. This episode also discusses the differences seen across various regions and geographies and finally shares some key takeaways for those insurers adopting later on the implementation of IFRS 17.

In the first of two special episodes focused on WTW's global IFRS 17 study, Kamran Foroughi is joined by Teresa Murphy and Urvi Nagda to examine key findings from the global disclosure analysis for the full year 2023. In addition to sharing how the analysis of the disclosures for 89 insurers and reinsurers globally was conducted, they explore key takeaways, and provide their perspectives of what actions organisations should be taking moving forwards.

In this episode, Steve Cox joins our host for this episode, Sina Thieme, to discuss some of the key factors and challenges affecting the UK household insurance market.

What's driving the growth in the current MGA market and should insurers allow underwriters to write both direct and delegated authority business? In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Anand Patel is joined by Jonathan Aubrey-Smith and Paul Higham to discuss the impact on MGA growth in a fluctuating market.

In this episode, Chris Halliday is joined by James Clark, a partner at DLA Piper, to discuss AI regulation and the impact it will have, and is already having on insurers.

In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Jenelle Cherrie is joined by Donna Cowell and Jonathan Richards to discuss the implementation of Consumer Duty and the obligations that insurance companies have to ensure good customer outcomes. They explore the changes they've seen in the market so far, some of the challenges insurers are facing complying with the Duty as well as the benefits that instilling a customer centric culture can bring to organizations.  

In this episode, Charlie Samolczyk is joined by Laura Doddington and Lauren Finnis to discuss the topic of the moment for insurers; AI and machine learning.

In this episode, our host, Charlie Samolczyk, is joined by Mark Brown and David Pond to discuss the challenges that insurers are currently facing in the financial modeling space and what actions can be taken to address them.

As regulatory pressures and scrutiny from stakeholders continues to grow, having an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy in place has become more and more important. What steps can insurers take to develop an ESG strategy that aligns with their overall business goals, as well as incorporate ESG factors into their wider risk management frameworks and investment portfolios? In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Sina Thieme is joined by Niamh Carr and Mike Wilkinson to discuss how insurers can develop and implement an effective ESG strategy, as well as share their advice on getting started.

In this episode, recorded live on stage at the European Insurance Leaders Forum, Charlie Samolczyk is joined by Iain Whittingham and Magdalena Ramada to discuss what ‘Dynamic Products' are, and how they impact insurance.

In this episode, our experts take a comprehensive look at registered index-linked annuities.

As the global life insurance industry continues to undergo significant change, Chief Risk Officers (CROs) have an increasingly pivotal role to play in ensuring their organizations adapt. With new regulation being introduced, arising external environmental changes and evolving risks – what are the biggest issues facing the risk function in 2024? In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Mark Mennemeyer is joined by Philip Tervit and Niamh Carr to explore the top ten key challenges for CROs in the year ahead; from Climate risk and Model risk, to making sense of IFRS 17 and ensuring their risk framework is operating effectively.

In this episode, Charlie Samolczyk is joined by Chris Bird and Charles Carwin to discuss the trends and themes they have seen in the P&C capital modeling market.

Organizations with effective portfolio management are able to bring together all the functions under a cohesive strategy to deliver against their business plans. And critical to this is portfolio managers turning data into meaningful insights to support better underwriting decisions. In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Hjoerdis Gerke is joined by Paul Higham and Anand Patel to discuss how commercial insurers can implement portfolio management strategies and empower underwriters in making informed decisions in line with that strategy.

In this episode, Charlie Samolczyk is joined by Louise Smith and Taffy Jo Mayers to discuss the future of digital trading and distribution. 

In this episode, Holly Layton is joined by Alessandro Pesci and Friederike Gutjahr to discuss how reserving functions differ across Europe, and what trends and observations they have seen in their respective regions. 

In this episode, Kartina Tahir Thomson and Pardeep Bassi talk about the risks and challenges an insurer faces when embedding data science into their organisation.   They discuss what we are currently observing in the market and what firms should be considering and/or doing when integrating data science, as well as some of the pitfalls that many have run into.  

Insurers recognize that analytics have the power to add value across their organizations. Companies that maximize the use of analytics will win in the marketplace and gain a competitive edge. In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Ravi Sharma is joined by Pardeep Bassi and Laura Doddington to discuss the future of insurance and how analytics will transform insurance.

Following the introduction of automatic enrollment into workplace pensions in 2012, there has been increasing focus within the UK on delivering value for savers. And with the government's recent proposals for a common framework for assessing Value for Money (VFM) for Defined Contribution (DC) schemes, developing product and services which help customers to and through retirement has never been more important. In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Hjoerdis Gerke is joined by Phil Tervit and Kris Black to discuss the UK Accumulations and Savings business and why Value for Money in the context of workplace pensions can be beneficial for both customers and shareholders, not only for the UK but also across borders.

Insurers in the Florida homeowners' market have had a tough time in recent years. Population booms, economic development, natural disasters and a highly litigious market make it challenging for carriers doing business in the state. In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Ravi Sharma is joined by Klayton Southwood and Trevar Withers to discuss the Florida homeowners' insurance market, tales of the past, where we're today and where we're heading.

In this episode, our host, Charlie Samolcyzk is joined by Andrew Harley and John Heidelberger to discuss the benefits of ecosystems and partnerships within an organisation. 

Across the insurance industry, many firms are increasingly looking towards software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions to address issues of limited internal resource, as well as to automate and streamline their business processes. In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Ravi Sharma is joined by Kunal Patel and Scott Gibson to explore the benefits of SaaS solutions and how organisations can ensure they gain maximum value from these technologies.

Faced with the challenges and risks of climate change and a warming planet, insurers have strong foundations in place with the catastrophe models developed over recent decades. But the forecasting horizons of such models tends to be quite short. So, as an industry, we need to be thinking about how we better project the potential longer-term effects on exposures, underwriting and investment strategy, taking into account not only physical risks, such as severe storms, but also the transition and liability risks of climate change. In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Sina Thieme is joined by David Singh, WTW's Head of Climate Analytics and Exposure Management, to discuss ways forward, touching upon topics ranging from industry and academic collaboration, the need to capture primary and secondary perils, and the whys and wherefores of scenario testing and sensitivity analysis.

For insurers, climate transition risk has two distinct, but related, aspects. On the one hand is what they do in their own operations, in areas such as reducing emissions and reporting. On the other is the increasing awareness of and attention on what the transition to net zero means for underwriting, claims, products and, potentially, reputation. For (re)insurers, climate transition risk has two distinct but related aspects. First, the assessment of their own climate transition across their operations, with a particular focus on emissions reduction and reporting, which has gained particular attention this year following the publication by the Net Zero Insurance Alliance of the first Target-Setting Protocol, which includes target setting for insurance associated emissions across underwriting portfolios. Secondly, the need to understand and assess what the global transition to net zero means for areas including underwriting, claims, products and potentially reputation. In this podcast, Michelle Radcliffe joins Sina Thieme for this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance to discuss the challenges and opportunities for insurers of contributing to an orderly transition.

Carrie Kelley is joined by Nik Godon, Karen Grote and Nick Komissarov to explore hot topics in the U.S. life insurance industry. They discuss perspectives on managing in-force blocks, M&A transactions and the pension risk transfer (PRT) market.

In this episode, Rachael McNaughton and Madeline Main discuss the practical applications of GBMs.

Ravi is joined by Magda Ramada to discuss crypto assets and related technologies. Magda explains key terms and explores how the insurance industry can play a part in this evolving ecosystem.

With Merger and Acquisition (M&A) activity in the Middle East continuing to increase, the implications for insurers, people, processes and systems can be significant and far-reaching. However, it simultaneously presents unparalleled opportunities for businesses to drive growth, deliver faster decision-making, free up capital and create new opportunities in unexplored markets. In this episode of (Re)thinking Insurance, Matthew Facey is joined by M&A experts Roshail Khalid and Darragh McHugh, who explore what is happening in the Middle East market in terms of M&As and what it means for insurers operating in the region.

Peter is joined by Joshua Wald and Holly Layton to discuss how RenaissanceRe (RenRe) transformed its reserving process. They explore the challenges RenRe faced, the objectives of the project, the benefits gained and what other organizations need to consider when undertaking a similar transformation.

Sina Thieme is joined by Kenny McIvor and Anthony Plotnek, who explore the proposed reforms to Solvency II in the UK, as set out by the HM Treasury and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), and what the potential implications could be for insurers.

In this episode: Carrie is joined by Amanda Hug to discuss what data democratization is and how sharing data benefits customers and helps insurance companies advance their businesses.