America's Claims Executive Forum provides insights and solutions

The multi-day virtual conference will address claims innovation, complex & specialty claims and risk management.

One session at the conference will look at how courts are applying insurance coverage to business interruption claims resulting from closures during the pandemic. (Photo: insta_photos/Shutterstock)

As insurers have learned over the past 12 months of living through a worldwide pandemic, change is inevitable and flexibility is the key to thriving in a constantly changing environment. With this in mind, the focus of the 2021 America’s Claims Executive Virtual Leadership Forum (ACE) is on “Designing the Claims Department and Customer Experience of Tomorrow, Today.”

While the event has evolved significantly over the last 25 years, what hasn’t changed is the commitment to keeping the claims industry abreast of critical issues and providing solutions to prepare them for what lies ahead.

This virtual event will take place from May 4-6 and features an in-depth look at claims from three perspectives: InsurTech innovations, specialty and complex claims, and loss control and risk management.

Jessica Leong, the lead data scientist for Zurich North America and president of the Casualty Actuarial Society, and Doug Meyers, chief operating officer, claims for Zurich North America, will kick-off the event with their keynote, which will provide an analysis of how claims departments are fairing in an increasingly digitized world. Their conversation will set the stage for discussions throughout the day focusing on the use of technology to detect and mitigate fraud, the future of automated claims, and an overview of available claims technology.

Day two’s focus on complex and specialty claims will open with a keynote by Cristina Schoen, head of the global practice group for airline and general aviation, and claims director for airline claims in the U.S. for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. This will be followed by a look at how to manage cannabis claims and an in-depth discussion on the business of claims in the time of climate change. The topic is a primary focus for the new administration, and insurers will be looking at the coverage provided to companies that continue to damage the environment. The day will end with a discussion on how COVID-19 has affected claims organizations and the best practices they’ve identified to protect claims professionals and policyholders.

The last day will begin with a keynote from Gary Sullivan, assistant professor of risk management in the Walker College of Business at Mercyhurst University. As the former vice president of Erie Insurance’s Property and Subrogation Claims division, he is in a unique position to highlight the risks insurers should be watching and provide insights on how to create a comprehensive claims strategy.

As the pandemic has continued, it has increased the cyber risks for businesses in general, and one session will look at the increase in both personal and commercial cyber claims. This will be followed by a discussion on privacy laws and protecting customer data, and the conference will end with a review of some of the recent court rulings pertaining to business interruption claims.

A more detailed agenda can be found here.

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