Insurance Speak

Business leaders in the U.S. and the U.K. are increasingly insecure about their organizations' ability to respond to geopolitical risks such as war or inflation, according to a 2022 survey.

What are some of their top geopolitical concerns? The ongoing war in Ukraine, NATO relations, cyberattacks, U.S.-China relations, climate risk, and energy insecurity are among the issues that continue to have widespread economic implications.

And here is some more sobering news for insurance and risk advisors: Mass shootings in the U.S. have become "downright commonplace," according to one of the country's major news outlets.

The U.S. saw 690 mass shootings in 2021; 647 of them in 2022; and 476 active shooter events as of Aug. 29, 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

This is the environment in which Andrew Umphress was recently appointed head of terrorism for North America at Markel. There, he will help an already seasoned global underwriting team as well as the firm's clients assess and navigate risks in the evolving war, terrorism, and political violence landscape. Umphress recently appeared on the Insurance Speak podcast to talk about the evolving geopolitical landscape and how it touches the insurance world.

The economic impact has been severe from concurrent labor strikes by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. While the former announced a tentative agreement recently, actors continue to strike. In this episode of the Insurance Speak podcast, insurance executive Bill Johnson, who once produced major motion pictures, discusses common film and television production risks, coverages and claims.

Bryan Davis, EVP and head of VIU by HUB, explains what's on the horizon for independent brokers, and how they can best serve their customers in the modern market.

In this episode of Insurance Speak, Rahul Kumar, Vice President and General Manager of Financial Services at Talkdesk, joins us to discuss how insurers can create and nurture loyalty by enhancing the customer experience.

Todd Shasha, Assistant Vice President of Personal Insurance at Travelers, explains how boat owners can safeguard their vessels from increasingly catastrophic weather events.

Andrew Schwartz and Keith Raymond of Celent co-authored a new study that examines many of the issues associated with the use of generative AI, and they share their insights in this podcast.

Independent risk manager Jeff Marshall details an emerging risk for occupations involving changing shifts: Shift work sleep disorder and its impact on brain function.

Bruce Eisler, Chief Executive Officer U.S. and Chief Underwriting Officer for Aspen Insurance shares insights on what he's seeing in the industry, the factors insurers should be watching and the opportunities ahead.

In this episode of Insurance Speak, we're joined by Katherine Frattarola, executive vice president and leader of HUB's Private Client practice, to delve into the unique insurance struggles high- and ultra-high-net-worth families face when trying to properly protect their assets.

In our 100th Episode, Matthew Smith from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud outlines a new study that examines how bad actors commit fraud and then justify their actions.