Current Event Agenda

8:45 am - 9:15 am
Opening Remarks and 2023 CATs in Review

The conference will begin with an overview of the many catastrophes that occurred in 2023. This comprehensive review will include a chronology of events, geographic footprints of impacted areas, related media and insured loss estimates provided by CatIQ.

Speaker
Laura Twidle
President and CEO
Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc.

9:15 am - 10:15 am
Renewals Season Recap

Moderator
Donna Ince

Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer, Personal Insurance
Definity Financial Corporation

Speaker
Olivier Gay
President & CEO - Chief Underwriting Officer
SCOR Canada

Speaker
Gus Katsuras
Executive Vice President & Head of Property Canada
Gallagher Re Canada

Speaker
Anna McCrindell
SVP & COO, East
Wawanesa Insurance

Morning Concurrent Session A
10:45 am - 11:45 am
Navigating the Rise of Secondary Perils

Moderator
Erdem Karaca

SVP, Head Cat Perils, Americas
Swiss Re

Speaker
Barrie Bonsal
Senior Research Scientist - Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division
Environment & Climate Change Canada

Speaker
John Hanesiak
Professor, Department of Environment and Geography
University of Manitoba

Speaker
Kimberly Roberts
Head of Americas Peril Advisory
Guy Carpenter

Speaker
Brad Roeber
Executive Director
California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA)

Morning Concurrent Session B
10:45 am - 11:45 am
Wellness in the Face of Disaster

Moderator
To Be Announced

Speaker
Alison Paul
Senior Advisor, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
Canadian Red Cross

Speaker
To Be Announced

Afternoon Concurrent Session A
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Modelling 101 - Your Questions Answered

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about CAT models but were afraid to ask! Join us for a fun, interactive session that will expand your knowledge of the whats, whys, and hows of catastrophe modelling.

Speaker
Šárka Černá
Head of Client Solutions, Impact Forecasting
Aon Impact Forecasting

Speaker
Karen Francis
Senior Vice President
Guy Carpenter

Speaker
Ken Mok
Executive Vice President
Gallagher Re

Afternoon Concurrent Session B
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Tech Developments

Speaker
Chiranjib Chaudhuri
Vice President Research and Development
Geosapiens

Speaker
Kunal Joarder
Assistant Vice President, Client Relations
Verisk

Speaker
James Swayze
SVP, Insurance Business Development
CoreLogic, Insurance Solutions

Speaker
Sarah Terrelonge
Chief Marketing Officer
Clearspeed

Afternoon Concurrent Session A
2:20 pm - 3:20 pm
Modelling 201 - Deep Dive on Wildfire

Take your catastrophe modelling knowledge to the next level as we zero in on a peril that dominated the headlines this year. Explore how modellers answer questions of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability through the lens of wildfire. This panel will expand on the basics covered in Modelling 101 and provide updates on the current state of wildfire modelling in Canada.

Moderator
Eric Robinson

Director
Aon

Speaker
Mike Wotton
Research Scientist
Natural Resources Canada

Speaker
Michael Young
Vice President, Model Product Management
RMS

Afternoon Concurrent Session B
2:20 pm - 3:20 pm
Incentive vs Uptake

Moderator
Paul Kovacs

Executive Director
Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction

Speaker
Semere Araya
Senior Product Manager
Aviva Canada

Speaker
Huma Pabani
Director, Environment & National Issues Government & Industry Relations
TD Insurance

Speaker
Keith Porter
Chief Engineer
Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction

3:50 pm - 4:20 pm
In Conversation: View from the Front Lines

Moderator
Jim Abraham

Past President and Fellow
CMOS

Speaker
Mike Savage
Mayor
City of Halifax

4:20 pm - 5:20 pm
CAT Season 2023 Feature Discussion

Moderator
To Be Announced

Speaker
Darren Christie
VP Operations - Atlantic Canada/Quebec
WINMAR

Speaker
Charlene Ferris
Manager, National Property Major Events
Co-operators General Insurance Company

Speaker
Rannoch Harley
Director, Loss Adjusting - Atlantic Canada
Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.

5:20 pm - 5:45 pm
Student Delegate Program Winners

Session Sponsor

9:00 am - 10:00 am
Updates from the Federal Government

Moderator
Jason Clark

National Director, Climate Change Advocacy
Insurance Bureau of Canada

Speaker
Wayne Jenkinson
Executive Director, National Hydrological Service
Environment & Climate Change Canada

Speaker
Jessica Strauss
Manager
Public Safety Canada

Speaker
To Be Announced

Morning Concurrent Session A
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Non-Traditional Reinsurance

Moderator
Cory Anger

Managing Director
GC Securities

Speaker
Koker Christensen
Partner
Fasken

Speaker
Markus Schmutz
Senior Advisor
PERILS

Morning Concurrent Session B
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Underwriting Spotlight

Moderator
Dennis Chua

Senior Vice President, Head of Canadian and Caribbean Catastrophe Management
Aon

Speaker
Philip Klecan
Head of Treaty, P&C
Hannover Re

Speaker
To Be Announced

11:35 am - 12:35 pm
Inclusivity in Disaster Management

Moderator
Sharmalene Mendis-Millard

Senior Manager Research Partnerships and Evaluation
Partners for Action - University of Waterloo

Speaker
Tyrone McNeil
President & Tribal Chief
Stó:lo Tribal Council

Speaker
Kellyann Meloche
Senior Manager, Disaster Risk Management
Canadian Red Cross

Afternoon Concurrent Session A
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm
Earthquake: Raising Our EQ IQ

Moderator
Malaika Ulmi

Public Safety Geoscience Program Manager and Subdivision Head
Natural Resources Canada

Speaker
Jo Horrocks
Chief Resilience and Research Officer
Earthquake Commission

Speaker
To Be Announced

Speaker
To Be Announced

Afternoon Concurrent Session B
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm
Climate Change and the Housing Market

This session will center its discussion on the profound impact of climate change on the Canadian housing market, underlining the imperative need for resilience as a prerequisite for securing insurance, loans, and other financial investments. This session will delve into other topics, including affordability, housing accessibility, climate justice, and vulnerable communities, while examining how property insurance, mortgage lending, developer/builder and real estate sectors can contribute to addressing these issues.

Moderator
Chris Chopik

Director, Resilient Homes Canada
Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction

Speaker
Kathryn Bakos
Managing Director, Finance and Resilience
Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation

Speaker
Steve Mennill
Planning, Housing Finance & Policy Consultant

3:15 pm - 3:30 pm
2024: The Forecast Says?

2023 set new records for natural catastrophes in Canada – does 2024 have more of the same in store? This session will give a quick overview on clues as to what Mother Nature could bring for the rest of the year, including a look at current ENSO conditions.

Speaker
To Be Announced

3:30 pm - 3:40 pm
Closing Remarks

Speaker
Laura Twidle
President and CEO
Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc.