Episodes

Have you ever wondered how athletes or professional sports teams get their insurance? If you have Leigh Ann Rossi, SVP of NFP, shares her experiences around how athletes, teams and leagues manage their insurance needs along with other areas of the entertainment industry. Leigh Ann talks about the nuances of how insurance plays a role with possible trades and contracts and how thinking about this sector can help agents and brokers take a different approach to gauging risk. See omnystudio.com/lis...

Underwriting is a challenge right now and Nick Lamparelli has some thoughts about how it has to change. Think poker and betting big when opportunity arises and so much more as "Lamps" shares his thoughts with Curt and Pete about innovation and looking at risk differently. Nick is an industry veteran and a social media must follow- @Nick_Lamparelli on Twitter for insights and thoughts about where the insurance industry needs to go to be better at its core function, underwriting risk. See omnystu...

Agents and brokers are told they are sitting on volumes of data that can help them but is all that data useful for creating the best experience? Sandeep Kharidhi, manager of data and analytics for Deluxe Corp joins the show to discuss how data can be used to create a better experience for insurance customers. Whether it be finding touch points after life events or using external data to shape process efficiencies in customer service, Sandeep shares thoughts what he and Deluxe believe data can do...

As Christian Harris of Slip Safety Services says, 'there's a hidden cost to insurance with slip and fall claims' and he explains why during this episode. In an era of risk mitigation and loss prevention, slip and fall claims are just as preventable as other forms of loss and Christian's company has taken the lead to automate that loss prevention role. There are many forms of claims prevention technology but Christian has plans to help insurers, brokers, and agents take their loss prevention to a...

Carol Jardine is a leader for and within the Canadian Insurance industry. She shared her insights about the current industry challenges along with some personal thoughts about her career journey and passion for giving back. As the COO of a large insurance company Carol has a different view, and she talked about how technology and disruption are changing the insurance experience and how Wawanesa is positioning for change and embracing the future. Please rate, review and follow the podcast! See o...

Jeff McCann and Apollo Cover are not trying to change the way we buy, sell, and market insurance they're simply finding ways to improve upon the model. Jeff shares thoughts from the inspiration of the Apollo concept and how they have tackled problems with a different mindset and a different look to who and what they need to succeed. Much of what Jeff says rhymes with 'culture' and it's why Apollo is finding success with focusing on obvious inefficiencies thus creating a new and better experience...

Bolt Inc is not a new venture, in fact it's over 20 years in the making as a technology company that serves the insurance marketplace. Jim Dwane, the chief revenue officer, explains how connectivity within an open market ecosystem brings insurers and carriers together with potential customers. But it's more than than connecting entities, it's about the back bone of the experience and how Bolt Inc drives and promotes options for a different insurance experience. Please rate, review and follow th...

Ty Harris didn't wake up with an epiphany for Openly, he actually figured out what he wanted to do and set about building it. That's what Openly is, an insurance company and products designed for a targeted segment. Ty explains why it's difficult to start out in the space and how they have targeted their growth opportunities and managed their business to be a sustainable operation. That's a rarity in the start-up space but it's also a compelling and informative story. Please rate, review and fo...

Fire protection is what insurance is for right? That's what consumers think but Rob Read, President of Bison Fire Protection, explains theres much more for insurance agents and brokers to know when helping their clients. Rob explains how the handed-ness of a chef affects the design of fire suppression in a kitchen and how fire suppression systems are designed to minimize loss not just extinguish. Rob's wisdom is great technical knowledge for agents and brokers looking to improve their service fo...

The title is a bold statement but Painworth might have cracked the code for efficient and fair bodily injury claims settlements by writing some code. Mike Zouhri had a personal experience that led him to understand why access to justice was so hard and receiving compensation since so difficult. Through research and some practical programming skills, Mike wrote some code and brought it to the insurance industry where Aaron saw possibilities. The result is potentially game-changing. Please rate, ...

Insurance brokers and agents generate tons of data but how many of them know how to harvest it? Colby Tunick, CEO and founder of Refocus AI, is ready to help you make sense of your brokerage data and explains why it's time to take control of your business. Colby shares how data can help predict which customers will be more profitable and which ones could cost your business money. It's time to take control back and Colby will show you how, and why it's worth doing. Please rate, review and follow...

Everyone sees what is happening in the insurance distribution marketplace with mergers and acquisitions but what's driving it? Mike Berris from Smythe CPA explains what's driving the flurry of activity where valuations are and where they might be heading. Mike was also the first guest on the podcast when it started and we look back nearly three years at what has changed or not changed when it comes to buying and selling brokerages and agencies. Please rate, review and follow the podcast! See om...

It's time to look back on the year that was for the hosts Curt Wyatt and Pete Tessier and what happened over 40+ episodes, the insurance industry, the world and everything in between. Pete and Curt take some shots at the industry, our challenges and make some predictions about what lies ahead in 2021 and what the insurance industry needs to move forward. (hint: it rhymes with leadership) Please rate, review and follow the podcast! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The times they are a changing and David Duley, CEO from PlanGap, shares his thoughts about how people should protect against potential shortfall in government pension plans with social security or insurance. David has a great story about his inspiration moment and how has built PlanGap to address both market and industry needs. With a world changing so fast we're going see more innovation and David has thoughts about the future and insurance products both financial and P&C. Please rate, review ...

Political action is part of every good strategy but no one does it better than Huw Williams of Impact Public Affairs. As a guiding force for insurance brokers across Canada, Huw has helped many associations advocate on behalf of their members and their clients to help make sure that insurance is accessible and available. Huw shares his thoughts on working with government and how to navigate politics at all levels and where brokers have found success and others have not. He also called the two ho...

When talking about innovating to manage disruption with insurance there's no one better than Al McLeod. He's not part of the insurance world hierarchy or patriarch, he's just Al, a guy who has a vast of array of experience from all sorts of industries and someone who thinks way outside the confines of a box. Al updates us a little on what he's been up to and then expands on how disruption happens and why incorporating a culture of innovation is essential for insurance entities for future surviva...

We had two guests this week with Pierre-Andrew Meunier from PrevTech and Ken Worsley from Wawanesa Insurance talking about the latest needs and technology to help predict where a claim could occur. As agricultural operations, and other types of large-scale manufacturing operations grow, the scale of loss increases. Pierre and Ken share their thoughts on how brokers and agents can help keep insurance available for their clients during this hard market and ensure their clients are the best type of...

Sometimes the insurance industry has tunnel vision because 'no one gets it'. In this case, Zensurance co-founder and CEO Danish Yusuf come from outside the insurance industry and he shares his calm and focussed approach to thinking differently about service, distribution and value. Danish is an amazing example of someone looking outside an organization to find innovative ways to grow and prosper inside and he shares his experience in this episode. Please rate, review and follow the podcast! See...

Insurance claims are the value part of any policy and that experience is beginning to change. Whether it be an external disruption or internal innovation the process of being made whole' is moving in a different direction. Erin Fischer VP, Chief Claims Officer of Wawanesa explains to Curt and Pete how innovation, technology and hearing an insured's story are part of the modern claims experience that progressive companies like Wawanesa are moving towards. Please rate, review and follow the podca...

Risk engineering never seemed so cool but Ryan McGovern the Chief Risk Engineer from Virtual I Technologies explains what the future looks like for insurance brokers and agents when it comes to risk analysis and data. Virtual I Technologies is an ACORD Insuretech Innovation award winner and Ryan shares with Pete and Curt the structure and value they provide into the insurance sales and distribution channel and what the future holds with risk and profiling. Please rate, review and follow the pod...

Data is everything in the insurance industry right now but what about data on the trends and technology that is shaping the industry? That's where Jeff Goldberg and Novarica come in, they make sense of all the different changes going in with insurance and technology and all the companies making things happen. Jeff shares his insight on what Analytics Arms Dealers, Creative Carriers, and Beneficial Bots are. His engaging and energetic style makes insurance and technology fun and informative. Ple...

Pete and Curt breakdown day two of the #IBAO2020 virtual convention discussing the CEO panel featuring Economics, Intact, Wawanesa, and Travelers as well as clips and thoughts from the insurer town halls. It was a different kind of convention this year but IBAO pulled it off and there was more than enough to chew on and the guys give you the goods on what went down last week. Please rate, review and follow the podcast! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 1 from the IBAO #Empowered virtual convention got off to an amazing start with smooth music from DJ Steph Honey and then delivered great content on the state of the industry, Ontario broker technology and recruitment and retention strategies. Pete and Curt breakdown the day and content with highlight clips from all three sessions. Please rate, review and follow the podcast! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It wasn't just brokers and agents who had to make a pivot to a virtual service model, professional associations did too and Brett Boadway and Norah Black from IBAO share their journey. The Empowered conference is IBAO's 100th and it's going on in full form in a virtual model and it's as dynamic as ever. Brett and Norah share their insights on serving members, dealing with Covid-19 and how to keep an association connected and vibrant as the world was turned upside down. Please rate, review and f...