Insurance Risk & Capital EMEA 2025

2 December 2025, 8:00 AM GMT

Agenda

09:00

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: SHOCKS, SHIFTS AND STRATEGY - WHAT DOES THE 5 YEAR GLOBAL INSURANCE THREAT LANDSCAPE HOLD IN STORE?

How can insurers stay ahead of evolving risk horizons in a world marked by disorder, multipolar power structures and rapid shifts?

Speaker: Hanna Kam, Chief Risk Officer, Allianz

09:20

PANEL DISCUSSION: GROWTH DRIVERS AND MARKET-MOVING TRENDS SHAPING THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY

  • Key Forces reshaping the insurance industry
    • Tech acceleration
    • Consumer behaviour
    • Protection gaps
    • How are these forces driving insurers to innovate and adapt and forcing shifts in business operating models?
  • M&A activity and strategic partnerships/consolidation – what can we expect from current and ongoing consolidation and strategic alignment?
    • Deal activity overview - active segments/deal related complexities and challenges
    • Primary (growth) drivers
    • Outlook for future M&A activity
    • Implications for market and competitive dynamics?
  • Winning strategies for the next 5 years - what factors will determine success in the future?

Moderator:
Ronan McCaughey, Commercial Editor and Deputy Editor, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Aurore Lecanon, Chief Risk Officer, Ageas
Edward Mishambi, Chief Risk Officer- Europe, RenaissanceRe
Giles Fairhead, Chief Risk Officer, Pension Insurance Corporation
Hanna Kam, Chief Risk Officer, Allianz

10:05

PANEL DISCUSSION: GEOPOLITICS: RISK RESILIENCE AND REALIGNMENT IN A FRAGMENTING WORLD – STRATEGIC POSITIONING FOR INSURERS

  • New global blocs and economic spheres
  • Trade wars, tariffs, sanctions, and supply chain unravelling
    • building resilience, identifying vulnerabilities and opportunities
  • Scenario planning and modelling for political risk, war, and economic decoupling
  • Evolving risk transfer needs in emerging markets

Moderator:
Martin Assmann, Reporter, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Candace Steele, Group Risk Director, Canopius Group
Henry Gardener, Chief Risk Officer, Markel Insurance
Ivo Roest, Manager, Enterprise Risk and Integration, NN Group

10:45

COFFEE AND NETWORKING BREAK

11:10

PANEL DISCUSSION: DRIVING GROWTH THROUGH TRANSFORMATION: THE ROLE OF RISK IN NAVIGATING COMPLEX TRANSFORMATION AGENDAS

  • Catalysts for change
  • Transformation as a differentiator – importance of successful transformation projects in gaining competitive advantage
  • Dovetailing transformation agendas with regulation and governmental growth strategies
  • How can risk leaders be most effective in supporting complex change agendas and enterprise-wide change?
  • Assessing aggregate transformation risk and benefit realisation
  • Furthering sustainable growth vs downside protection
  • Determining priorities - balancing transformation projects with other business needs
  • Ensuring transformation agendas and efforts fall within parameters of risk appetite.
  • Managing the culture shift– getting comfortable with an environment of continual change at an accelerated pace

Moderator:
Josh Geer, Senior Staff Writer, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Fabrice Brossart, Group Chief Risk Officer, Hiscox
Léo Mallat, CRO Swiss Re Europe & Head of Risk Management P&C EMEA
Raphael Borrel, Chief Risk Officer UK, Generali
Seema Thaper, Chief Risk Officer, UK General Insurance, Aviva

11:50

PANEL DISCUSSION: CYBER ARMS RACE: CONFRONTNG AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX AND SOPHISTICATED THREAT LANDSCAPE

  • Overview of current trends and threats in today's cybersecurity space – how is the increased sophistication in cyber attacks manifesting?
  • Nation-state cyber activity and hybrid threats
  • What lessons can be learned from recent high profile cyber incidents in the retail sector?
  • Supply chain interdependencies and systemic exposures – how do you bolster resilience in the supply chain?
  • How is AI redefining and reshaping the cybersecurity landscape and our ability to respond
  • Regulatory pressure and board-level visibility gaps – how do you get the board sufficiently comfortable?

Moderator:
Martin Assmann, Reporter, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Mike Hosking, Chief Operating Officer, Gen Re International P&C
Thomas Clayton, Head of Cyber, UK – Zurich Insurance
Tom Draper, Managing Director - UK, Coalition, Inc

12:30

FIRESIDE CHAT: THE INSURANCE SECTOR'S ROLE IN SUPPORTING THE UK GOVERNMENT'S GROWTH AND RISK PREPAREDNESS AGENDA

Chika Aghadiuno, Chief Risk Officer, Munich Re Specialty - Global Markets
Dr Cormac Bryce, Associate Dean Postgraduate Programmes, Reader in Risk Management, Bayes Business School and City of London Lord Mayors Research Fellow 2024

Chair: Josh Geer, Senior Staff Writer, InsuranceERM

12:55

NETWORKING LUNCH

13:50

PANEL DISCUSSION: MARKET GAPS AND INNOVATION – MAKING THE UNINSURABLE INSURABLE AGAIN

  • Are we heading toward an uninsurable future? – the compounding effect of extreme weather, asset clustering, and economic pressures on insurance viability.
  • Secondary perils and model limitations – can current modelling approaches evolve fast enough to capture the frequency and severity of secondary perils
  • Innovation in parametric and microinsurance
  • Public-Private solutions – what roles can insurers and regulators play in risk mitigation, education and closing protection gaps
  • Insuring the better risk - how education, risk mitigation and client incentives can shape a more sustainable and resilient market
  • Next steps

Moderator:
Ronan McCaughey, Commercial Editor and Deputy Editor, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Balz Grollimund, Head of Catastrophe Perils, Swiss Re
Fabienne Zwagemakers, Manager, Personal & General insurance, Insurance Europe
Perry Thomas, CEO, Flood Re
Rob Jarvis, Head of Innovation Underwriting, Tokio Marine Kiln

PANEL DISCUSSION: THE BAU WORLD OF OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE IN AN INTERCONNECTED ERA

  • Modernizing operational resiliency frameworks
  • Frameworks that allow for proportionality and scalability
  • Operating in a DORA environment – lessons learned and updates
  • Managing systemic risk across digital supply chains
    • revising resiliency frameworks
    • Identifying key strategic 3rd and 4th party dependencies
  • Effective accountability structures – what formula works?
  • Further challenges and regulatory enhancements on the horizon

Moderator:
Chris Cundy, Managing Editor, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Ashley McMillan, Head of Risk Strategy, Vitality UK
David Smith, Chief Risk Officer, Ardonagh Specialty
Socrates Coudounaris, Head of Risk Management, RGA

14:30

PANEL DISCUSSION: NAVIGATING THE INSURANCE MARKET CYCLE – STAYING AGILE THROUGH PEAKS AND TROUGHS

  • Insurance market cycle outlook for 2025 – 2030
  • Role of the risk function in navigating soft markets
  • Adapting risk appetite for pricing pressure
  • Staying competitive and creative in capital-constrained times

Moderator:
Ronan McCaughey, Commercial Editor and Deputy Editor, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Amerjit Grewal, Chief Actuary, Westfield Specialty
Ben Stilwell, Chief Risk Officer, Axis
Ross McGee, Head of Enterprise Risk Management, Apollo

PANEL DISCUSSION: BUILDING A DYNAMIC AI RISK FRAMEWORK

  • What are the main risks to the business from usage of AI and where are insurers using AI to the greatest benefit?
  • Mapping AI use cases to risk categories
    • Establishing and formalising a clear control environment
  • Measuring return on AI investment and use-case success
  • Establishing governance protocols – what is the role of risk?
  • What is the right level approach to risk and governance without killing innovation
  • Aligning cross functional teams and setting boundaries
  • AI model failure and decision making - how do you get comfortable with taking the leap

Moderator:
Josh Geer, Senior Staff Writer, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Robert Moorehead-Lane, Interim Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, AmTrust Specialty Limited
Heloise Rossouw, Financial Risk Director, Phoenix Group
Paolo Laureti, Director, SS&C Algorithmics

15:10

PANEL DISCUSSION: UNDERWRITING AI: -UNDERSTANDING CHANGING TRENDS IN LOSSES AS A RESULT OF THE APPLICATION OF AI

  • Understanding how AI alters the exposure landscape
  • Educating underwriters to interrogate client AI use
  • Avoiding silent AI exposure: exclusions, definitions, and claims outlook
  • Building a product strategy for AI-related risk transfer

Moderator:
Martin Assmann, Reporter, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Karthik Ramakrishnan, CEO and Founder, Armilla AI
Stuart Nasser-Probert, Head of Risk, Gen Re International P&C
Tom Graham, Head of Partnership and Innovation, Chaucer Group

PANEL DISCUSSION: CLIMATE RISK ESCALATION -MODELLING, DISCLOSURE AND DECARBONISATION

  • Delivering on expectations from the business and regulators around modelling climate risk and disclosing climate-relevant information
  • Best practice in scenario selection and climate stress testing
  • New emissions metrics and product decarbonisation strategies
  • Generating information that is useful for the business
  • Turning climate risk insight into opportunity

Moderator:
Sarfraz Thind, International Editor, InsuranceERM

Panellists:
Rachel Delhaise, Head of Sustainability, Convex Insurance
Felicity Alvey, Programme Director, ClimateWise
Wendy Walford, Head of Climate and Nature Risk, Legal and General

15:50

COFFEE AND NETWORKING BREAK

16:15

FIRESIDE CHAT

In conversation with Fausto Parente, Executive Director, EIOPA

Chair: Chris Cundy, Managing Editor, InsuranceERM

16:35

PANEL DISCUSSION: RETHINKING THE SECOND LINE: DELIVERING IMPACT AND ADDING VALUE

  • How well placed are we to meet the challenges of today's complex risk landscape?
  • Measuring the contribution of the 2nd line – How to build a second line that adds measurable value
  • Is the CROs role expanding or narrowing? Is it time to redefine the role of the CRO?
  • Prioritizing agility and foresight in risk leadership
  • Leveraging data to deliver board-ready insights and to aid effective decision making
  • Future proofing:
    • New skillsets and mindsets for the future CRO
    • Fostering a diverse talent pool – how do we think outside of the box when it comes to hiring talent
    • Promoting risk as a career path – how do we change the perception of risk to attract good talent

Moderator:
Vinaya Sharma, Actuary and Managing Director, Quantitative Risk Management

Panellists:
Alex Duncan, Group Chief Risk Officer, Just Group
David Sansom, Chief Risk Officer, Lloyd's
Dr. Martha Phillips, Enterprise Risk Director, Axa UK

17:15

CLOSING REMARKS