Executives and professionals responsible for sales/distribution, marketing, product development/management and strategy of group benefits in Canada.
Highlights
This new LIMRA conference is for Canadian carriers and reinsurers, and it will serve as a platform for the discussion of pertinent issues related to group business. Attending will provide you with the insights you need to remain competitive and secure a market leadership position. With a sharp focus on Canadian group insurance, voluntary benefits, and health care, the Group Benefits Leadership Conference is an offshoot of LIMRA’s annual Group & Worksite Benefits Conference, but it covers Canadian issues exclusively. Attend for exhaustive coverage of group marketing and distribution issues in Canada, new information, insights, and strategies for increased marketing and distribution effectiveness, and networking opportunities with top Canadian group benefits executives and other thought leaders from across the industry.
As Head, Group and Business Markets, John Carinci is responsible for the overall strategy, profitability, product development, and management of RBCI's Group Life & Health Insurance business. Over a 15 year career with RBC, John has worked across all five business platforms. John began his career in 1998, holding a number of front-line and sales roles in Canadian banking, concluding his tenure as a Senior Account Manager for high net worth individuals. Prior to joining RBC Insurance in June of 2010, he participated in the Graduate Leadership Program at RBC with rotations in Group Risk Management (Enterprise Risk Reporting) and in Wealth Management (Direct Investing.) Most recently, John spent a year working at RBC Capital Markets in New York City in the U.S. Municipal Finance business. John holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management.
Lisa Donovan has been in the employee benefits sector of the insurance industry with GMS Insurance Inc. for 21 years. She graduated from the University of Saskatchewan where she studied psychology with a special interest in Organizational Behavior. She went on to study human resource management at Woodsworth College of the University of Toronto. Lisa currently manages over 450 corporate benefit clients through her benefit brokerage firm, GMS Insurance, located in the Greater Toronto Area.
Jan is head of British Columbia’s largest regulated insurer and provider of supplemental health coverage. He has more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sector in financial services, insurance, health care, professional services, utilities, and manufacturing in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere. Prior to joining Pacific Blue Cross, Jan served as Chief Executive of Healthcare Benefit Trust, the largest health trust of its kind in Canada. Jan also serves in leadership roles at several trade and charitable organizations.
Executive Vice President, Group Insurance, La Capitale Insurance and Financial Services
Jean has more than 30 years of experience in the group insurance industry. A seasoned executive, he has served in senior management positions for most of them. He graduated from the Université du Québec à Montréal with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Regional AVP, Group Insurance, La Capitale Financial Group
Jeff leads La Capitale’s group insurance operations and business development out of its Mississauga, Ontario, office. Jeff has more than 30 years of experience in the employee benefits and retirement services industry. He has worked in senior positions on both the carrier and consulting sides of the business, both domestically and internationally.
Executive Vice-President, Group, The Great-West Life Assurance Company
Stefan joined Great-West Life in 1990 and has held various positions of increasing responsibility within the Group Division. Recently, he led the integration efforts associated with the acquisition of Irish Life. In 2013, he was appointed Executive Vice-President, Group, with overall responsibility for Group Insurance in Canada. He's a graduate of the University of Manitoba.
Noel MacKay is a Senior Consultant at The Williamson Group, who works with private and public sector employers, helping them in meeting their corporate employee benefit plan needs today and in the future. Noel has 29 years of experience working in the employee benefits field, including program design, corporate health strategies, and prescription drug formulary design and carrier service management. Prior to joining The Williamson Group in 2000, he worked in the international consulting community, and with a prominent insurance carrier in Canada. Noel is a graduate of Wilfred Laurier University, and holds the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation through the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans and Dalhousie University. Noel has also been a CEBS course instructor at Fanshawe College, London and Sheridan College, Oakville. Away from work he is active in the management of charity running races and participates in road, cross country and track cycling and running events.
Mario began his financial services career as an agent with Sun Life Financial in 1989. He quickly moved into the group benefits industry, building a block of 50 cases in three years. Later in his career, he helped Sun Life’s group benefits unit SunAdvantage move into the brokerage market. He was SunAdvantage’s group representative of the year for six consecutive years and subsequently became its director of business development. Afterward, he founded GroupQuest Benefits Resources Inc. with his business partner. GroupQuest is a leading group MGA in Canada, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, and Mississauga, Ontario.
Senior Vice President, Individual, The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada
Karen Mason joined Equitable Life of Canada in 2006 as Vice President of the Group operations, later becoming Senior Vice President, Group. In 2015, she was named Senior Vice President, Individual. In this role, she oversees all aspects of distribution, underwriting, marketing, pricing, administration, claims, reinsurance, and operations for the Life & Health line of business. Karen has a Master’s of Business Administration from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Home Economics from Mount Saint Vincent University. Karen is also a Fellow Life Management Institute (FLMI). In 2014, Karen was named one of 50 Women of Influence in Canada’s life insurance industry by the Insurance & Investment Journal.
Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, RBC Capital Markets
Darko rejoined RBC Capital Markets in 2013 to assume coverage of the Canadian banks and life insurance sector. He has covered the Canadian banking industry since 1999 and the Canadian life insurance sector since 2006, and has been ranked highly in various industry surveys. In 2014, he was ranked second for the Canadian banking sector and third for coverage of the Canadian life insurance sector in the Brendan Wood International survey. In 2014, he was ranked first for coverage of banks and life insurance in the Greenwich survey. Darko completed his MBA at SDA Bocconi in Milan and is a CFA charter holder.
Mike joined Eckler in 2011. He has more than 30 years of experience in the employee benefits field, and has worked with a large cross-section of clients and insurance companies in all aspects of their employee benefit programs. Mike specializes in new business development and customer retention as well as insurance company and supplier relationships. He has worked with a variety of clients ranging from large, multinational organizations to national, provincial, and local union groups and associations. Mike attended York University and is a graduate of the Queen’s University Executive Program.
Vice President, Finance and Actuarial, Sun Life Financial
As the CFO for the Group Benefits business, Kathy is responsible for pricing, profitability management, valuation, capital management, financial reporting and analysis, business planning, and risk management. Throughout Kathy's 26 years in the life and health insurance industry, she has held positions of increasing responsibility in the Individual, Group Benefits, and Client Solutions insurance businesses. Kathy has held leadership roles in financial management, pricing, product development, claims, marketing, sales, and operations. Kathy earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA).
Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, RBC Capital Markets
This presentation will focus on how equity analysts/investors view life insurance stocks with a close look at the group business
and how it fits into an overall investment thesis for an insurance stock.
Learn what happens to stocks and what drives their value.
Hear the current storyline for financial services and insurance and understand the economic and industry trends that are
having the most influence.
Regardless of the ownership form of your company, learn how you can make your business better by looking at it like
an analyst does.
Discover how insurance company executives describe their business (and in particular the group business) to investors and
analysts.
BRUCE THOMPSON, Director, Enterprise Architecture
(Emerging Business & Technology Trends), Sun Life Financial Moderator: D. WAYNE MILLAR, Assistant Vice President,
Product Management, Sun Life Financial
This workshop will look at emerging trends relative to health/
wellness and how biotechnology, Internet of Things, and genomics
will have a tectonic impact on our industry.
Responding to long lived customers
Leveraging new technology to treat, monitor and drive
customers to maximum wellness
Understanding wellness at the genetic level, opportunities for
refining our underwriting analysis.
DAN MADDISON, Director, Client Insights,
The Co-operators ANIL SANWAL, Vice President,
Group Products, Global Group Reinsurance, RGA Moderator: ERIN MORRIS, Senior Director, Client
Solutions, The Co-operators
Voluntary benefits are gaining traction as a major component of a
winning group benefits strategy. Demographic shifts are pointing
toward the need to change programs as younger employees look
for different elements as well as the ability to customize benefits to
meet their individual needs. What works today won’t work
tomorrow.
To help you build your strategy, you need to know the state of
the voluntary benefits market in Canada. This session will provide
details on what insurers, employers and brokers have to say about
voluntary benefits.
Voluntary benefits landscape
Multiple perspectives on the voluntary benefits market in
Canada
Provide input to your company’s voluntary benefits strategy
BRENT ACTON, National Vice President, Distribution, GB,
Manulife DANIEL HENRY, Regional Vice President, Sun Life JASON NOVAK, Director, Group Benefits, Great-West Life Moderator: JAIME HUGESSEN, Vice President, Group
Distribution, Empire Life
Join us for a great discussion with Regional Sales Leaders who
are wrestling with the sales and distribution issues of the day.
Best practices in engaging distribution partners to add value
Advisor versus sales team focus — is there alignment on
expectations?
CRM and sales automation systems — do they help?
Biggest issues facing sales teams in today’s marketplace
MARION REEVES, Wellness Coordinator, Peel Regional
Police Moderator: JEFF KINCH, Regional Vice President,
La Capitale Insurance and Financial Services
Many companies have devoted increased resources to wellness
over the last few years. Our presenter offers a variety of
perspectives for our audience — as a coordinator of wellness
programs for her employer, as a college course instructor, and
many years of experience and research in the wellness industry.
CARL LAFLAMME, Senior Vice President, Group Insurance,
SSQ Financial Group STEVE MOFFATT, Chief Operating
Officer, Green Shield Canada SCOTT SOUTHWARD,
Managing Partner, Business Growth, BBD Moderator:JAIME HUGESSEN, Vice President, Group Distribution,
Empire Life
Hear from three industry leaders about strategic bets that paid off.
Find out what their organizations saw as untapped opportunities,
why they decided to tackle them and what successes and
challenges they experienced along the way. Learn what it takes to
say yes to a bold new direction and see it through.
Perfect timing: SSQ expands by capitalizing on changes in the
TPA market
Green Shield Canada builds a new business by working for
their competitors
Think big: Benefits by Design’s path from six employees to
national competitor
MARC-ANDRÉ BELZIL, FSA, FCIA, AVP Research and
Development, RGA KEITH E. WALTER, FSA, FCIA, CFA,
Senior Advisor, Deloitte Moderator: ISABELLE BOUCHARD,
FCIA, FSA, Vice President, Group Reinsurance, RGA Life
Reinsurance Company of Canada
Advanced analytics and predictive modeling have become mainstream within financial services over the last 15 years. In the past, Property & Casualty insurers have been ahead of Life & Health insurers in the integration of advanced analytics into core operations. Now, advanced analytics is seen as a core strategic capability by a growing number of companies across the insurance industry and is transforming both P&C and Life & Health insurance. This session will consider how advanced analytics and predictive modeling have been successfully applied in both P&C and Group Life & Health insurers, and provide opportunities to learn from the developments across the insurance industry.
LISA M. DONOVAN, President, GMS Insurance Inc MARIO MALATESTA, GBA, President, GroupQuest Benefit Resources, Inc MICHAEL SANFORD, Principal, Eckler Ltd NOEL MACKAY, CEBS, Senior Consultant, The Williamson Group Moderator: JEFF KINCH, Assistant Vice President, La Capitale Insurance and Financial Services
Join us for an interesting discussion with our panel of group
insurance advisors. Gain insight on the business issues
facing our distribution partners and how carrier partners
can work more effectively with these entities.
What are the biggest challenges and how are firms
preparing for these?
How are clients making purchase and retention decision
today versus the past?
What aspects of “value” are clients treating with highest
priority?
What services do clients value most?
How can carriers provide the most support in this
changing environment?
Toronto III
12:15 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
Registration
Registration Fees:
Early Registration (register by July 31) LIMRA member - $525 U.S. plus applicable Canadian taxes LOMA member - $625 U.S. plus applicable Canadian taxes Non-Member - $725 U.S. plus applicable Canadian taxes
Regular Registration (register AFTER July 31) LIMRA member - $595 U.S. plus applicable Canadian taxes LOMA member - $695 U.S. plus applicable Canadian taxes Non-Member - $795 U.S. plus applicable Canadian taxes
Hotel / Venue
Hilton Toronto
145 Richmond Street West Toronto, ON M5H 2L2 Canada
Make your room reservations by August 21, 2015 and mention the LIMRA Group Benefits Leadership Conference to receive the discounted group rate of $229 single/double (plus applicable sales taxes.) A set number of rooms are available at the group rate until August 21, 2015 or until the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. While LIMRA works hard to secure a sufficient number of rooms, we cannot guarantee rooms will be available. Please make your reservation early to take advantage of our discounted group rate.
The group rate will be offered three days prior and three days after the meeting dates subject to availability of rooms at the time of your reservation. Reservations must be guaranteed with a major credit card.
