Tim Fletcher is Gen Re's VP, Senior Emerging Issues Specialist, and an avid contributor to Gen Re's blog, and he edits the UM/UIM Liability Laws Survey. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (Bachelor of Arts, Journalism) and the Michell-Hamline School of Law (Juris Doctor), and currently serves on CPCU's Reinsurance, Excess & Surplus Lines Interest Group and as chapter governor for the Upper South Region. He is a founding member of the Atlanta Insurance Coalition for Change and a guest lecturer on Risk Management and Insurance at Georgia State University and many industry organizations. In this episode of In the Know, Chris Hampshire and Tim explore emerging issues and exposures in the insurance industry, including AI, forever chemicals, social inflation, and medical advancements.

Key Takeaways

• Tim's journey from journalism to the insurance industry.

• The current state of the industry in the face of climate change.

• Messaging ways to reduce premiums with improved building processes.

• AI's impact on the present and future state of the insurance industry.

• Trends to be aware of in the AI space.

• Forever chemicals and microplastics as critical exposures that impact insurance.

• Social inflation and nuclear verdicts now and in the future.

• Growth and implications of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.

• Evolving technologies in the medical field.

• Addressing the talent gap in the insurance industry.

• A first look at the next generation of insurance agents.

• A five-year look at the technology-enhanced insurance industry.

• Tim's adventurous advice to his early-career self.

Quotes

• "There are opportunities for the insurance industry to better communicate its message."

• "We're on the dawn of something significant that's going to be very interesting and exciting."

• "I don't think there's any other profession that has a greater misunderstanding from what the public thinks it is to what it really is than the insurance industry."

• "Your CPCU designation gives you a nice exposure to all facets of the insurance industry."

• "Don't just put your CPCU designation on the shelf. Get active!"