Speakers

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Steve Anderson, MA, is a trusted authority on Risk, Technology, Productivity, and Innovation and has over thirty-five years of experience in the insurance industry. He holds a master’s degree in Insurance Law.

Anderson is a professional speaker, writer, and “futurist.” His speaking portfolio includes presentations on the future of technology, the influence of social platforms, how businesses can leverage the internet, and how they can assess and use risk to their advantage. He was chosen as one of the original 150 LinkedIn Influencers and has more than 340,000 followers.

ABOUT THE SESSION

The Bezos Letters lays out the fourteen growth principles that Amazon uses every day by examining Jeff Bezos’ personal letters to shareholders.

Jeff Bezos created Amazon, the fastest company to reach $100 billion in sales ever, making him the richest man in the world. Business owners marvel at Amazon’s success, but don’t realize they have the answers right at their fingertips as Bezos reveals his hidden roadmap in his annual letters to shareholders.

For the first time, business analyst Steve Anderson unlocks the key lessons, mindset, principles, and steps Bezos used, and continues to use, to make Amazon the massive success it is today. Steve shows business owners, leaders, and CEOs how to apply those same practices and watch their business become more efficient, productive, and successful—fast!

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

The best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books, Ross Bernstein is a hall-of-fame peak performance business speaker who's keynoted conferences on all seven continents, and has been featured on CNN, ESPN, Fox News, and “CBS This Morning,” as well as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Ross' session is based on a critically acclaimed book he wrote in which he was able to
interview more than 500 captains and coaches in order to answer one question: What is it that makes the great ones great? In an engaging, provocative, and visually entertaining style, Ross will use inspirational stories and poignant life lessons from the world of sports — as well as from some of the biggest brands in corporate America — to show attendees how to:

• Lead with integrity in order to achieve success
• Create buy-in to connect with millennials, boomers and challenging co-workers,
• Generate momentum through leading by example and mentorship of others,
• Create a winner’s mindset in order to stay self-motivated through good times and bad.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Paul Laufer is Executive Vice President of Gorst & Compass, a full-service wholesale brokerage organization, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, focused on mutually beneficial relationships with its agents and insurance companies. He is currently a Board Member and Past President of the California Insurance Wholesalers Association and is a Legislative Committee Member of the Surplus Lines Association of California.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Paul will participate in a panel discussion of insurance experts on the California excess and surplus lines marketplace as they discuss and explain: 

• How non-standard and non-admitted insurers are responding to the affordability and ability crisis in residential and commercial property insurance;
• Whether underwriting tools now being used by non-admitted insurers, and the rate flexibility permitting them to respond quickly to changing conditions, might provide a roadmap for easing problems in the admitted market;
• The indispensable role reinsurers play in assuming unprecedented catastrophic losses in California and other states;
• How catastrophic losses of comparable magnitude have been addressed elsewhere; and
• What steps California’s Legislature and Insurance Commissioner could take to provide constructive, meaningful relief to consumers.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ben McKay is Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at the Surplus Line Association of California.  McKay joined the SLA in 2012 after a career in both the private and public sector. Most recently, McKay spent eight years with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) as its Senior Vice President for Federal Government Relations.  Prior to his time at PCI, Ben served as Chief of Staff to a member of U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., and as staff to members of the Florida Legislature. He served as Deputy Secretary for International and Legislative Affairs at the Florida Department of State. Later, he served as the youngest Chief of Staff in the history of the 750-employee department.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Ben will participate in a panel discussion of insurance experts on the California excess and surplus lines marketplace as they discuss and explain: 

• How non-standard and non-admitted insurers are responding to the affordability and ability crisis in residential and commercial property insurance;
• Whether underwriting tools now being used by non-admitted insurers, and the rate flexibility permitting them to respond quickly to changing conditions, might provide a roadmap for easing problems in the admitted market;
• The indispensable role reinsurers play in assuming unprecedented catastrophic losses in California and other states;
• How catastrophic losses of comparable magnitude have been addressed elsewhere; and
• What steps California’s Legislature and Insurance Commissioner could take to provide constructive, meaningful relief to consumers.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Tony Manzitto is currently a Managing Director on the Global Risk Solutions team within Guy Carpenter.  He designs and markets customized reinsurance solutions for the full spectrum risk taking enterprises within the insurance industry.

Tony began his career as an actuary where he developed a number of novel pricing and modelling approaches for a wide array of reinsurance transactions.  From there he went on to manage several portfolios of structured risk, casualty and professional lines treaties.  Over the course of his underwriting career, he has been responsible for the profitability of over $5 billion dollars of reinsurance premium.

A few years ago, Tony left the reinsurance segment briefly for an opportunity to work as the COO and CUO of a regional insurer in a turnaround situation.  During his tenure, Tony led a team that brought underwriting discipline, exceptional broker service, and technology to the carrier.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Tony will participate in a panel discussion of insurance experts on the California excess and surplus lines marketplace as they discuss and explain: 

• How non-standard and non-admitted insurers are responding to the affordability and ability crisis in residential and commercial property insurance;
• Whether underwriting tools now being used by non-admitted insurers, and the rate flexibility permitting them to respond quickly to changing conditions, might provide a roadmap for easing problems in the admitted market;
• The indispensable role reinsurers play in assuming unprecedented catastrophic losses in California and other states;
• How catastrophic losses of comparable magnitude have been addressed elsewhere; and
• What steps California’s Legislature and Insurance Commissioner could take to provide constructive, meaningful relief to consumers.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Steve Young, ESQ., is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of IIABCal. He provides counsel on all corporate legal matters affecting the non-profit trade association and its subsidiaries, represents the interests of independent insurance agents and brokers at regulatory hearings conducted by the California Department of Insurance and other state agencies, coordinates the Association’s involvement in litigation affecting insurance producers, and provides legal research and support to the Association’s legislative advocates.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Steve will moderate a panel discuss of insurance experts on the California excess and surplus lines marketplace as they discuss and explain: 

• How non-standard and non-admitted insurers are responding to the affordability and ability crisis in residential and commercial property insurance;
• Whether underwriting tools now being used by non-admitted insurers, and the rate flexibility permitting them to respond quickly to changing conditions, might provide a roadmap for easing problems in the admitted market;
• The indispensable role reinsurers play in assuming unprecedented catastrophic losses in California and other states;
• How catastrophic losses of comparable magnitude have been addressed elsewhere; and
• What steps California’s Legislature and Insurance Commissioner could take to provide constructive, meaningful relief to consumers.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Steve Anderson, MA, is a trusted authority on Risk, Technology, Productivity, and Innovation and has over thirty-five years of experience in the insurance industry. He holds a master’s degree in Insurance Law.

Anderson is a professional speaker, writer, and “futurist.” His speaking portfolio includes presentations on the future of technology, the influence of social platforms, how businesses can leverage the internet, and how they can assess and use risk to their advantage. He was chosen as one of the original 150 LinkedIn Influencers and has more than 340,000 followers.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Technology is developing faster today than ever. New platforms, tools, and processes are becoming available that just a few years ago were unimaginable. There are hundreds of firms that have their sights on changing the insurance industry dramatically. What opportunities are they seeing that you might be missing? Which InsurTech developments should you ignore, and which will help improve your margins? How you respond to the changing nature of risk will make or break your agency.