2017 Speakers

Charles Bush
Charles Bush
Zurich Insurance
Head of Property and Energy Claims
In leading a team of 18 people Charles Bush has operational, technical and behavioural oversight ensuring that a consistent level of high performance is maintained for customers and brokers.
Bush and his team adopt a project managed approach to claims handling, ensuring that customers are kept appraised of developments throughout the claims lifecycle. The team engages with customers’ pre-loss through large loss scenario planning; and post-loss, sharing insight and lessons learned. Achieving this consistently across all UK claims functions is facilitated through the Zurich Claims Commitment. This year Bush has chaired the Inter Carrier Agreement workstream as part of the wider Single Claims Agreement Party initiative which seeks to modernise the way the London Market manages lower value claims.
Elie Hanna
Elie Hanna
AXA Global P&C
Global Head of Mid-Market and Broker Engagement
Elie Hanna is the global head of the mid-market segment and broker engagement at AXA Global P&C. He is responsible for developing the relationship globally with AXA’s strategic brokers, in addition to leading the execution of the mid-market strategy. Prior to joining AXA, he worked at AIG for more than 11 years in various regional product and distribution management roles, in addition to managing countries’ operations. Hanna holds a BSc in actuarial science and insurance from Notre Dame University and an Executive MBA from Cass Business School, City, University of London.
Patricia Renzi
Patricia Renzi
Milliman
Principal, Life Technology Solutions & Member of the Board of Directors
Pat Renzi is a principal with the Life Technology Solutions practice of Milliman and functions as its CEO. Renzi, who joined the firm in 1999, has worked in Philadelphia, Seattle, and the United Kingdom. Now in the New York office, she was elected to the firm's board of directors in 2015. Prior to joining Milliman, Renzi spent nine years developing and delivering the PTS software with CHALKE/SS&C. During this time, she was involved in development, support and training, and worked with customers to define the product content and direction. Renzi also used the PTS system to provide consulting support to life insurance companies, including building corporate models and performing cash-flow testing, system customization, and product pricing. Renzi began her career working in the actuarial departments of GEICO Life and Annuity Company and CIGNA as an actuarial systems specialist, and at Reliance Insurance Company, where she assisted in the implementation of an ALM modeling process.
Pierluigi Fasano
Pierluigi Fasano
Swiss Life Holding AG
Business Development Lead and New Partnerships Digital Markets Director
Pierluigi Fasano is currently working in Swiss Re with a double responsibility, one being head of enterprise architecture for reinsurance and the other being practice leader for the internet of things (IoT) competence cluster. His experience spans more than 20 years across international organisations such as Allianz Group, Novartis and The Global Fund. Fasano devotes most of his time to developing and realising the vision of a digital insurance that helps the world to be more resilient. In this context, he lives and breathes IoT, artificial intelligence, hyper cloud, micro services and whatever else can bring insurance into the 21st century. He has a background in business administration and information technology.
Sten Forseke
Sten Forseke
Greater Than
Founder
Sten Forseke founded Greater Than (NASDAQ First North) in 2004. He is a highly regarded serial entrepreneur and business leader in automotive technology and has enjoyed large and small owner and leadership positions across the world. He has run businesses in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. He established Berifors AB 1988 as an MBO out of Ericsson, which reached annual sales of more than €110 million. Forseke merged Berifors—then a leading supplier of technology—with the global truck original equipment manufacturer Stoneridge of Warren, Ohio in the US, which became a global tier one supplier of technology reaching annual sales of $750 million. In 1998 Stoneridge made an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. Forseke is passionately driving change through industries that are unable to address and keep up with customer demands, and is now targeting the insurance sector.
Bob Spencer
Bob Spencer
Direct Line Group
Head of Claims Counter Fraud Unit
Bob Spencer spent the early part of his career in manufacturing, working with fast-moving consumer goods before becoming a consultant specialising in lean and process development across many industries. After a brief spell as an internet entrepreneur, he moved into the finance sector where he began his love for all things fraud. After spells at Capital One, HBOS and Lloyds banks, he moved to Direct Line Group in 2011 and took responsibility for claims, policy and commercial fraud. Whilst there he has tripled their motor fraud performance, set up an acknowledged industry-leading intelligence capability and challenged many of the accepted ways of managing fraud claims.
David Hughes
David Hughes
Century Underwriting
Chief Operations Officer
David Hughes has over 20 years of experience the insurance industry, working at large multinationals such as AIG, syndicate at Lloyd’s and now a small niche insurer: Century. He started from an actuarial background and grown into leadership roles. He remains hands-on in analytical and actuarial development, building thought-leading models and processes.
Century is implementing a new technology platform, leveraging data, analytics and IFTTT processes to improve efficiency. Hughes will talk through the challenges of process change and implementation of AI and highlight mistakes he has made and things he has learned.
Guilhem Marijon
Guilhem Marijon
Caarea - Scor Group
Chief Operating Officer
Guilhem Marijon joined CAAREA in 2013 as chief operating officer. He leads the underwriting, after sales and claims departments and is responsible for developing the international partnerships, especially in Asia. He develops the technical and commercial strategy of CAAREA and monitor its implementation.
He works on the development of new insurance and brokerage solutions around the automotive industry.
Marijon joined CAAREA from Icare (Cardif Group) where he managed the actuarial department (pricing and reserving).
Alan Hickman
Alan Hickman
LV=
Head of Digital Capability & Delivery
Alan Hickman is the head of digital capability & delivery at LV and has over 15 years’ experience within personal and commercial lines insurance. He started his career at AXA Insurance in 2000 prior to joining Highway Insurance as an underwriter in 2001. LV acquired Highway Insurance in 2008 and Hickman has gained significant business experience in multiple business functions across general insurance.
His professional passion is insurtech: he’s on the #Instech Club 20/20 advisory board and is a frequent contributor within the insurtech space, chairing panels, judging awards and presenting.
With roles spanning digital, operations, finance, underwriting and claims as well as an insatiable appetite for improvement, Hickman is well placed to support the evolution of the insurance industry with personal goals of improving trust, providing complete transparency and removing friction.
Steven Wlkins
Steven Wlkins
Hiscox
Head of Underwriting Insight
Steven Wilkins started his career as a catastrophe modelling analyst in the reinsurance team at Hiscox before applying his technical and analytical background to the broader company strategy space. In his current role of head of underwriting insight he supports the group CUO in driving profitable underwriting decisions. His work covers all areas of analytics and he has a keen interest in the insurtech movement.
Cristian Mesiano
Cristian Mesiano
PerceptoLab
CEO and Founder
Cristian Mesiano is head data scientist at Swiss Re. In the last 15 years his work has been dedicated to improving business performances by applying machine learning algorithms in the context of document automation (text mining), automotive and market trends modelling.
In 2016, this long experience led Mesiano to found, in parallel to his work in Swiss Re, Perceptolab (www.perceptloab.com) of which he is the CEO. Perceptolab is a startup aimed to develop proprietary predictive models for time series and cognitive solutions for knowledge representation.
He holds a Master’s degree from Politecnico di Milano (Italy), five scientific publications and one patent in the area of shared economy. His hobbies are combinatorial mathematics and information theory.
Suman Palit
Suman Palit
Exari
Director, Artificial Intelligence Solutions Engineering
Suman Palit is an enterprise architect with extensive knowledge and experience in application, data and business architecture development, natural language processing, machine learning and data extraction technologies for complex documents. Palit has broad experience across various industries, such as insurance, commercial banking, pharmaceutical, life sciences, e-business, maintenance, repair and operations, retail, food industry and not-for-profit sectors.
Palit specialises in enterprise integration architecture, IT strategy, product management, solution architecture and design, machine learning, natural language processing, integration and application architecture.
Andrew Tsonchev
Andrew Tsonchev
Darktrace
Director of Cyber Analysis
Andrew Tsonchev
Andrew Tsonchev is a technical specialist in cyber security and threat analysis, advising Darktrace’s strategic Fortune 500 customers on advanced threat detection, machine learning, and automated response. Before joining Darktrace, he worked as a security researcher at Cisco Systems, analysing vast datasets to uncover new trends and developments in the threat landscape. His findings have been reported in many media outlets, including PC World, CRN, SecurityWeek, TripWire, and The New York Times.
Tsonchev holds a first-class degree in physics from Oxford University, and a first-class degree in philosophy from King’s College London.
Herman Eggink
Herman Eggink
Asysco
Chief Commercial Officer
Herman Eggink is responsible for Asysco’s global sales, marketing and business development function. Prior to joining Asysco, he was responsible for Hewlett Packard’s platform transformation business in EMEA which included HP’s Mainframe Alternative Program. In addition, Eggink has had various sales, sales management and project management roles in Oracle and Logica. He has a degree in computer sciences.
Bernd Sakulski
Bernd Sakulski
Asysco
Sales Director
Bernd Sakulski is responsible for Asysco’s EMEA sales. That includes managing the global sales and channel team, as well as positioning Asysco Migration Technology (AMT) as the unique solution for mainframe users. Before joining Asysco, Sakulski held various positions at Altia, Vanderlande Logistics, Oracle EMEA, and British Petroleum International. Early in his career, he also worked as a trainer for software development on IBM mainframes at the Control Data Institute. He studied computer science and translation & interpretation and has a degree in mainframe programming.
Twan Hoste
Twan Hoste
Roundcube
Head of Product Management
Twan Hoste started his insurance career with CIGNA in 1993 running its Benelux business, which expanded into heading up the European direct marketing centre. Following business development at GE Capital Financial Insurance he moved to AIG where he spent over 16 years in senior regional leadership positions. Key responsibilities included European direct marketing management and EMEA process standardisation & optimisation.
As the product roadmap ‘owner’ of Roundcube, Hoste uses his extensive management experience within the insurance industry to ensure that market trends, customer needs and developments are incorporated into RCIP’s vision. The result: customers get a ‘fit to market’ solution. Scenarios regarding managed migrations, enterprise connectivity as well as future proof orchestration and connectivity can be improved via RCIP and insurer/insurtech co-development.
Hoste has a passion for engaging with customers to find the optimal benefits of leveraging existing value and unlocking new potential.
Luigi van Geest
Luigi van Geest
Roundcube
Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing
Luigi van Geest has more than 20 years of experience in the information and communications technology industry during which he held various management positions in sales & marketing. As the vice president of sales & marketing, he is responsible for the expansion of Roundcube’s Insurance Solutions Suite. This allows him to globally monitor the trends in the insurance market.
Van Geest is CAMS-certified and a well-known keynote speaker in the areas of financial crime and customer experience management. He has appeared on national television as an expert of the insurance industry.
Maurits Basters
Maurits Basters
Roundcube
VP Sales EMEA
For 20 years Maurits Basters has worked at a variety of insurance firms in a number of commercial roles. Acting as a change agent, he has applied his industry domain knowledge to drive transformation at insurance firms in a way that significantly improves business performance. As a director at Roundcube he helps insurance firms meet these transformation challenges and revitalise the capability of their back office for competitive advantage.
Matthew Jones
Matthew Jones
Anthemis
Principal, Investments
Matthew Jones is an investor at Anthemis, a fintech-focused venture capital firm, where he is focused on early stage insurance-related investment opportunities in the UK, Europe and the US. He was previously at Swiss Re, first in property-casualty reinsurance business development in London. Later, he worked in strategy and corporate development in Zurich, Switzerland, followed by time as part of the life capital customer engagement team in London, focusing on innovation and technology.
Karen Sinden
Karen Sinden
CoVi Analytics
Business Development
Karen Sinden is head of business development at CoVi Analytics. She has had 30+ years in the insurance market, with time spent as a CEO of a managing agent, Lloyd’s auction manager and various other roles. When she is not making compliance simple, she is part of the volunteer team at England Golf.
Dylan Bourguignon
Dylan Bourguignon
So Sure
CEO
so-sure has redesigned the insurance value chain to offer consumers cheaper insurance—up to 80% less. The business started with mobile phones in the UK and is now seeking to enter new lines. Its capacity is provided by Munich Re and Salva. Prior to so-sure, Bourguignon was a private equity investor with a focus on insurance.
Ben Allen
Ben Allen
Laka
Co-Founder & CTO
Ben Allen is the co-founder and CTO of London-based insurtech startup Laka, introducing a new business model for insurance based on claims settled, rather than policies sold. He has been building software teams and systems for more than 17 years, delivering pioneering cloud-based services to various industries including recruitment, big data analytics, tax and accountancy, and fintech. At Laka, Allen oversees technical design and delivery, using emerging technologies to drive true disruption in the insurance industry.
Jimmy Williams
Jimmy Williams
Urban Jungle
Co-Founder & CEO
Jimmy Williams is the co-founder and CEO of Urban Jungle. He founded Urban Jungle after one too many bad personal experiences with insurance, with a resolution to build the insurance provider he’d want to buy from. He has spent several years consulting to insurance businesses, and saw first-hand how slow the industry has been at deploying modern technology. He is a former associate partner at OC&C, and a Cambridge graduate.
Matt Hodges-Long
Matt Hodges-Long
TrackMyRisks
Co-Founder
Repeated and sustained experience supporting business owners through disasters such as 9/11, Buncefield, the 7/7 London bombing, Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Sydney siege and hundreds of other smaller incidents over the past 15 years has given Matt Hodges-Long unique real-world insight and experience in the world of business continuity, risk, resilience and crisis management. Most significantly, he knows what approaches do and don’t work.
Stuart Taylor
Stuart Taylor
Turnkey IS
Co-Founder
Stuart Taylor formed Turnkey IS at the end of 2016, after working in the insurance industry for over 15 years. He has held a variety of senior roles within the industry and has led and delivered numerous business change initiatives during his time in the City and in Europe, including the implementation of new systems, regulatory changes, outsourcing and business process improvements. Taylor is passionate about utilising the power of modern technology to improve how the insurance industry works and understands its application to improve overall operational efficiency. He brings a detailed operational knowledge of how the various functions of an insurance company operate.
Matthew Wardle
Matthew Wardle
Kasko
Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder
Matthew Wardle is the co-founder and chief technology officer at KASKO, a digital insurance platform for on-demand insurance products enabling agile product development for insurers. He has more than 10 years of experience in technology, has led large teams as a technology consultant at Accenture and has three years of startup experience.
Craig Hollingworth
Craig Hollingworth
Concirrus
Co-Founder, CDO
Over the past 20 years, Craig Hollingworth has built up a wealth of experience and expertise across a number of different industries. His career to date has been one of successful entrepreneurship from the age of 19, followed by several years in senior positions with O2, France Telecom and Masternaut, pioneering M2M, mobile technology and connectivity. As an entrepreneur, board director, technology startup, venture capital and private equity advisor, and finally as a founder of Concirrus, Hollingworth has forged his expertise in many fires and is enjoying his biggest and most exciting challenge yet: simplifying the internet of things.
Ryan Jones
Ryan Jones
Threatinformer
Co-Founder
Ryan Jones’s mission, as co-founder and CEO of ThreatInformer, is to get the very best data to brokers and underwriters for cyber insurance decision-making. He has more than 10 years in cybersecurity, building specialist forensic teams and helping financial organisations respond to sophisticated cyber attacks. Before founding ThreatInformer, Jones spent the previous two years consulting into multiple cyber underwriters, helping develop their products and supporting operations.
Shruthi Rao
Shruthi Rao
Adapt Ready Inc
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
As CEO, Shruthi Rao is responsible for running all facets of the business and brings a proven track record with over 15 years of combined management & software engineering experience. Prior to founding Adapt Ready, she served as a management consultant across industries, and received acclaim at the Green Enterprise IT Awards. Rao holds a BE in electrical engineering and an MBA in global management, and she has lived on four continents.
Morten Bremild
Morten Bremild
Anyware Solutions
Co-Founder
Morten Bremild is the co-founder of Anyware Solutions with more than 15 years of international executive experience within the consumer IoT/Smart Home/data analytics industry. He has successfully developed innovative business models and customer engagement strategies in both corporate new ventures and innovative tech startups.