February 6, 2024 - All times Eastern Standard

8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Registration Opens

Say hello and pick up your badge at the registration desk outside of Room 718.

8:00 am - 8:35 am
Breakfast

Fuel up for a day of catastrophe content!

8:35 am - 8:45 am
Welcome Address

Valarie King

Speaker
Valarie King
Knowledge Keeper, Educator, Elder Member
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation

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.

Laura Twidle

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

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

How did the 2024 renewal season compare to the year before? What was the same, and what changed over the course of the year?

Panelists consider how cedants measured success in 2024, what emerged as priorities for reinsurers, and how pressure from the increasing pace of CATs impacts both cedants and reinsurers among other top-of-mind topics.

Donna Ince

Moderator
Donna Ince

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

Olivier Gay

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

Gus Katsuras

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

Anna McCrindell

Speaker
Anna McCrindell
SVP & COO, East
Wawanesa Insurance

10:15 am - 10:45 am
Networking Break

Session Sponsor

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

As more they draw more focus both in the re/insurance industry and the scientific community, so-called “secondary perils” seem to be less ‘secondary’ than ever before.

This panel will discuss the impacts of changing climate on perils, especially Severe Convective Storm, along with trends in population growth and increasing exposure. Flood, drought, and wildfire – and their specific impacts on the Canadian landscape – will also be considered. What kind of data is available, and what are key climate risk management messages to convey to investors, reinsurers, regulators, and the public?

Erdem Karaca

Moderator
Erdem Karaca

SVP, Head Cat Perils, Americas
Swiss Re

Barrie Bonsal

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

Kimberly Roberts

Speaker
Kimberly Roberts
Head of Americas Peril Advisory
Guy Carpenter

Brad Roeber

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

Panelists consider aspects of mental health in the catastrophe management ecosystem, including impacts to the public and to those working in the field.

Evalyna Bogdan

Moderator
Evalyna Bogdan

Assistant Professor
York University

Erin Dick

Speaker
Erin Dick
Assistant Vice President, Wellbeing Services - Health Solutions Practice (Canada)
Aon

Elaine Miller-Karas

Speaker
Elaine Miller-Karas
Co-founder & Director of Innovation, Vision and Creativity
Trauma Resource Institute

Alison Paul

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

11:45 am - 1:15 pm
Keynote Address
Fireside Chat: Superintendent Peter Routledge and Celyeste Power

Session Sponsor

1:15 pm - 1:45 pm
ICLR Climate Resilience Centre Demonstration

Afternoon Concurrent Session A
1:45 pm - 2:30 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.

Sarka Cerna

Speaker
Šárka Černá
Head of Client Solutions
Aon Impact Forecasting

Karen Francis

Speaker
Karen Francis
Senior Vice President
Guy Carpenter

Ken Mok

Speaker
Ken Mok
Executive Vice President
Gallagher Re

Afternoon Concurrent Session B
1:45 pm - 2:30 pm
Tech Developments

Leaders in the risk management, modelling, and catastrophe tech sector present their latest developments.

Nevina Kishun

Moderator
Nevina Kishun

President
MSA Research

Chiranjib Chaudhuri

Speaker
Chiranjib Chaudhuri
Vice President Research and Development
Geosapiens

Kunal Joarder

Speaker
Kunal Joarder
Assistant Vice President, Client Relations
Verisk

Gio Roberti

Speaker
Gioachino Roberti
Head of Product
AISIX Solutions

James Swayze

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

Sarah Terrelonge

Speaker
Sarah Terrelonge
Chief Marketing Officer
Clearspeed

Afternoon Concurrent Session A
2:35 pm - 3:35 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.

Eric Robinson

Speaker
Eric Robinson
Director
Aon Impact Forecasting

Mike Wotton

Speaker
Mike Wotton
Research Scientist
Natural Resources Canada

Michael Young

Speaker
Michael Young
Vice President, Model Product Management
RMS

Afternoon Concurrent Session B
2:35 pm - 3:35 pm
Incentive vs Uptake

How can we craft incentives that motivate positive change, and what can we collectively do to improve awareness of these incentives?

What are the potential stumbling blocks and how have some communities overcome them?

This panel considers raising awareness, cost and benefits, and increasing consensus in conversations.

Semere Araya

Speaker
Semere Araya
Senior Product Manager
Aviva Canada

Huma Pabani

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

Speaker
Keith Porter
Chief Engineer
Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction

3:35 pm - 4:00 pm
Networking Break

Session Sponsor

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
In Conversation: View from the Front Lines

Join us for a unique opportunity to hear from Canada’s unlikely ‘Catastrophe Capital’ of the past few years as we chat with Mayor of Halifax Mike Savage.

Jim Abraham

Moderator
Jim Abraham

Past President and Fellow
CMOS

Mike Savage

Speaker
Mike Savage
Mayor
Halifax Regional Municipality

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
CAT Season 2023 Feature Discussion

2023’s historic catastrophe season brought put disaster preparedness, response, and recovery under the microscope from coast to coast to coast in Canada. Starting with 2022’s Hurricane Fiona and exacerbated by fires and flooding in 2023, Atlantic Canada has been at the forefront of CAT activity for more than a year.

What has that looked like from the front lines? What have we learned so far – and how can we apply that to the future?

Jonathan Frost

Moderator
Jonathan Frost

Vice President
Munich Re

Darren Christie

Speaker
Darren Christie
VP Operations - Atlantic Canada/Quebec
WINMAR

Charlene Ferris

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

Rannoch Harley

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

5:30 pm - 5:50 pm
Student Delegate Program Presentations

See up-and-coming research from the Canadian CAT community as our 2024 Student Delegate Program winners share short presentations on their work. Also join us for the poster session, taking place immediately following these presentations during the cocktail hour.

Caroline Floyd

Moderator
Caroline Floyd

Director
CatIQ

Robert Chlumsky

Speaker
Robert Chlumsky
PhD Candidate
University of Waterloo

Mohammad Hadavi

Speaker
Mohammad Hadavi
PhD Candidate
McGill University

Francis Lavigne-Theriault

Speaker
Francis Lavigne-Theriault
Research Associate – Northern Tornadoes Project
Western University

Session Sponsor

5:50 pm - 7:00 pm
Cocktail Reception

Mingle with your peers, view posters and chat with our student delegates, and try out this year’s signature cocktail as we wind down from a full day of catastrophe content.

Session Sponsor

February 7, 2024 - All times Eastern Standard

7:45 am - 3:00 pm
Registration Opens

8:15 am - 9:00 am
Breakfast

9:00 am - 10:00 am
Delivering on Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy

Collaboration Across the Federal Government to Enhance Climate Change Resilience

Exploration of the National Adaptation Strategy, including targets, implementation, and cross-departmental coordination. Panelists will also discuss the need for an affordable high-risk National Flood Insurance Program.

Jason Clark

Moderator
Jason Clark

National Director, Climate Change Advocacy
Insurance Bureau of Canada

Wayne Jenkinson

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

Jeff MacDonald

Speaker
Jeff MacDonald
Director General, Climate Change Adaptation
Environment and Climate Change Canada

10:00 am - 10:30 am
Networking Break

Session Sponsor

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

A comprehensive look at the ILS space, starting with the basics, including how CAT bonds are structured, and then delving into the details like how the legal framework differs from traditional insurance, and where the Canadian market is at currently when it comes to ‘non-traditional’ models of insurance.

Cory Anger

Moderator
Cory Anger

Managing Director
GC Securities

Koker Christensen

Speaker
Koker Christensen
Partner
Fasken

Markus Schmutz

Speaker
Markus Schmutz
Senior Advisor
PERILS

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

Underwriting is evolving in Canada and beyond – both in market developments and trends in talent. This panel considers all facets of the underwriting process, from data to modelling and regulation to innovation.

Dennis Chua

Moderator
Dennis Chua

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

Speaker
Jean-Raymond Kingsley
SVP and Chief Agent
Odyssey Re

Carl Lussier

Speaker
Carl Lussier
Assistant Vice President, Personal Lines - Analytics, Data, Innovation
Definity Financial Corporation

James Roberts

Speaker
James Roberts
Vice President - Technical Underwriting
Zurich Canada

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

Where is Canada making strides in making sure insurance coverage is equitable and available for all Canadians, and where do we have more work to do? How can we make meaningful change when it comes to inclusivity? This panel offers thoughtful and unique insights into successes, opportunities and shortcomings in Canada’s disaster response ecosystem.

Tribal Chief Tyrone McNeil

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

Kellyann Meloche

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

12:35 pm - 1:50 pm
Keynote Address
Lunch & Keynote Presentation

In this interactive session we will explore new modalities of learning and dialogue, integrating creativity and innovation into risk financing. Combining collaboration and competition, participants will confer on allocating scarce resources – pursuing protection and prosperity. Changing risks will pose challenges, eliciting insights, while enabling some Serious Fun. Join us to experience the complexity of future risks, and jointly brainstorm how the CatIQ network can rethink its approach to communication with stakeholders in the insurance sector and beyond!

Janot Mendler de Suarez

Speaker
Janot Mendler de Suarez
Visiting Research Fellow
Boston University Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future

Pablo Suarez

Speaker
Pablo Suarez
Senior Fellow
Boston University Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-range Future

1:50 pm - 2:20 pm
ICLR Climate Resilience Centre Demonstration

Afternoon Concurrent Session A
2:20 pm - 3:20 pm
Earthquake: Raising Our EQ IQ

Bringing together the latest developments from Natural Resources Canada and the years of post-event experience from New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission, this panel offers updates on the state of seismic science in Canada and new products in development, and offers insights into practical lessons we can learn from another country’s lived experience.

Malaika Ulmi

Moderator
Malaika Ulmi

A/Director, GSC Pacific, Public Safety Geoscience Program Manager & GSC Sidney Subdivision Head
Geological Survey of Canada

Speaker
Tiegan Hobbs
Research Scientist
Natural Resources Canada

Jo Horrocks

Speaker
Jo Horrocks
Chief Resilience and Research Officer
Earthquake Commission

Speaker
Henry Seywerd
Program Manager, Early Earthquake Warning
Natural Resources Canada

Afternoon Concurrent Session B
2:20 pm - 3:20 pm
Strengthening Resilience in Canada’s 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.

Chris Chopik

Moderator
Chris Chopik

Director, Resilient Homes Canada
Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction

Kathryn Bakos

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

Speaker
Steve Mennill
Planning, Housing Finance & Policy Consultant

3:25 pm - 3:35 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.

Steve Bowen

Speaker
Steve Bowen
Chief Science Officer
Gallagher Re

3:35 pm - 3:45 pm
Closing Remarks

Laura Twidle

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

3:45 pm
Conference Wrap Up