Asia Distribution Conference

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  2:20 pm - 3:10 pm: Concurrent Sessions

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Eleonore Chow

Eleonore has been in the life insurance industry for more than 25 years, with management experience at both the country and regional levels throughout Asia. She has a solid understanding of management strategies for distribution, and a proven track record of reaching production growth and profit growth targets. Eleonore is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, USA) and a Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI).

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  1:20 pm - 2:10 pm:

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R. Dale Hall, FSA, CERA, MAAA, CFA

R. Dale Hall is Managing Director of Research for the Society of Actuaries in Schaumburg, Illinois. In his role, Dale coordinates the SOA’s strategic research partnerships, oversees SOA experience studies, coordinates research across the SOA’s wide variety of actuarial practice areas, and directs the SOA’s data-driven in-house research initiatives. He is a frequent speaker at insurance and retirement industry meetings to highlight SOA research, including presentations to the actuarial task forces of the NAIC and congressional committee testimony on pension plan mortality rates. He has appeared on behalf of the SOA in a variety of media outlets including coverage on C-SPAN and National Geographic’s BREAKTHROUGH television series, and hosts the weekly Society of Actuaries Research Insights Podcast. Prior to joining the SOA, Dale spent over 20 years in the US insurance industry, primarily as Chief Actuary for the Life/Health companies of COUNTRY Financial.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  2:20 pm - 3:10 pm:

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Larry Hartshorn

Larry Hartshorn is responsible for the development and execution of LIMRA’s international research strategy. Under his guidance, the international research unit conducts a wide variety of research to provide insights and trends in distribution, consumer behavior and sentiment, products, retirement, and technology for markets throughout the world. Prior to joining LIMRA in 2015, Larry was Aetna’s executive director for Greater China in Shanghai. His responsibilities included strategic planning, research, management operation and consulting. Larry also previously served as research program manager for The Ohio State University, managing a multi-million dollar cluster of private, state, and federal grants targeting primary, secondary, and higher education curriculum reform.

• Friday, May 18, 2018

  1:30 pm - 2:15 pm: Empowering Agents on Social Selling

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Bharat Kannan

Bharat Kannan has served as Chief Distribution Officer, Asia, for MetLife in Tokyo since 2015. As the Chief Distribution Officer, Kannan is responsible for leading all intermediated distribution channels in Asia as well as agency, bancassurance, employee benefits, and the global relationship management channels. Kannan is a member of MetLife’s Asia Leadership Group and serves as non-executive director on the boards of Sino-US United MetLife Insurance Company Limited, PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited, and BIDV MetLife Life Insurance Limited Liability Company. Prior to joining MetLife, Kannan spent over 11 years at Aon, most recently as Chief Executive Officer, Aon Insurance Brokers Malaysia. As Director, Aon Risk Solutions Japan, he successfully led their foreign local client division while directly managing their large-scale international relationships. Kannan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Temple University, a Master of Science from DePaul University, and has attended INSEAD’s Management Acceleration Program.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  1:20 pm - 2:10 pm:

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Andy Khoo, ACS, AIAA, CFP, FLMI, LLIF, MBA

Andy Khoo is an international life insurance professional with extensive experience leading corporate growth strategies, improving agency productivity, and growing company profitability. At LIMRA, he leads one of the world’s largest training and development resources for life insurance and financial services companies. Andy helps members assess their situation, develop a strategic response, and execute at all levels of their organization and across national boundaries. He is also the driving force behind LIMRA’s new Gen Y Seminar Series, which helps managers attract, engage, and retain a new generation of producers. Previously, Andy was Vice President of Field Management Development at AIG’s worldwide life agency head office in New York. He led initiatives that improved agent and agency manager performance in more than 50 countries. Andy’s career with AIG and its AIA subsidiaries in Asia and U.S. included living and working in four different countries, and developing and leading multicultural teams.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  2:20 pm - 3:10 pm: Concurrent Sessions

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Burton Lai

Burton has 25 years of experience as a senior executive as life insurance companies through Asia, including AIA and Prudential. Most recently he has put a higher level of focus on the China market where he has engaged in high level business negotiations and proposals for Provincial and National level projects and initiatives. Burton has extensive experience in the preparation and operations of multi-channel management, as well as new market entry strategies, continuous business development, system building and leadership development.

• Friday, May 18, 2018

  9:45 am - 10:30 am: Cognitive Learning - People and Systems

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Mark McLaughlin

Mark McLaughlin is IBM’s Global Insurance Director, leading IBM’s Global Insurance strategy, solutions, and partnerships. Mark’s teams analyze trends in the insurance business and in technology, predict strategies for insurers, and build IBM insurance solutions to meet insurer needs. Mark shares IBM’s point-of-view on insurance with business leaders, regulators, and conference audiences worldwide. He is a 25-year veteran of the insurance industry.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  3:40 pm - 5:00 pm: Panel: The Digital Consumer Experience

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Jayant Murty

Jayant has over 20 years of experience in building great brands and businesses. In his most recent role as Director Marketing for Asia Pacific and Japan he managed Intel’s brand and marketing across product lines and business units and drove innovation across the region. Jayant joined Intel in the year 2000 and worked across a range of technology applications from sports to healthcare. He has held various positions in brand and agency management and prior to Intel, Jayant was Senior Vice President and head of JWT Bombay (WPP network), a full service creative and media agency. During his career Jayant has worked across a wide range of categories from airlines, automobiles and consumer electronics to banking, retail and fashion. He has a reputation for challenging the status quo and is passionate about AI, robotics and design thinking. He led Intel’s rebranding (Out of California) world wide in 2013 and helped put Intel in the Top 10 Socially admired and loved brands in the world. He is a regular speaker on innovation and creativity at Ad Tech, Festival of Media, Marketing Matters, WPP Stream, New York Times and Economist conferences, Media 360 Asia, Campaign Magazine’s conferences to name a few. In 2012 he was nominated to the Digital 25 by the producers guild of America and in 2016 to the A-List of that honour the most powerful people in the media business in Asia. He serves on several juries for digital and media awards and the work he has been associated with over the years have won many awards including several Cannes Gold, One Show, Grand Clio to name a few.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  3:40 pm - 5:00 pm: Panel: The Digital Consumer Experience

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Simon Phipps

Simon is responsible for TDIs global development and business in Asia, as well as their blockchain lead. With over 25 years in insurance, Simon has deep industry and consulting experience, working in increasingly senior roles across Life, GI and Asset Management businesses in Europe and Asia, most recently as KPMGs lead partner for insurance advisory & digital innovation and, previously MD of Aviva, in Hong Kong. He is passionate about helping insurers engage more effectively with customers and, making insurance more relevant to more people, through technology.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  1:20 pm - 2:10 pm:

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Tommy Pichet, FSA, FIA, FSAT, FRM

Tommy is a seasoned actuary with nearly 20 years of experience in Asian insurance, finance and employee benefit valuation and management. He is well versed with valuation of insurance and retirement benefits, product pricing and development, actuarial modeling, and financial risk management, and has two master’s degrees from City University of Hong Kong in Financial Engineering and Business Administration. He has held a number of key leadership positions throughout his career, including Chairman of the actuarial committee for the Thai Life Association Assurance (TLAA), Board Director of Insurance Premium Rating Bureau at the Thai General Insurance Association (TGIA), and Director of the actuarial department at AIA Thailand. He is currently the President of The Society of Actuaries of Thailand (SOAT) and Managing Director and Founding Owner of Actuarial Business Solution Co., Ltd

• Friday, May 18, 2018

  2:15 pm - 3:15 pm: Closing Keynote: Beyond Tomorrow: What does the customer of the future look like?

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Chris Riddell

Chris Riddell is an award winning global futurist and industry recognized inspirational keynote speaker on emerging trends in our hyper connected world. He is a global pattern hunter, discovering and identifying how humans are changing and adapting to high speed change, unlocking insights for businesses and leaders in today’s highly disrupted digital world. A global trailblazer, Chris Riddell has worked for some of the largest and most defining businesses and brands in our modern world. Notably, he was the first ever Chief Digital Officer (CDO) for MARS Incorporated, architecting the corporate digital strategy behind brands including Whiskas, Pedigree, Wrigley, Starburst, Masterfoods, Snickers and Maltesers. Chris Riddell is frequently called on as a futurist, speaker and expert commentator to give insights into consumer technology trends within traditional media. As a regular on Sky News Business, The Project on Ten, Channel 7’s The Morning Show, The Daily Edition prime time shows, and ABC 774 Radio, Chris Riddell’s insights and expertise as a trend spotter extend far beyond the walls of the corporate world.

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Alison Salka, Ph.D.

Alison Salka joined LL Global in 2012 and is responsible for determining and implementing the strategy and direction of its global research program. She oversees a team of more than 80 researchers and other staff professionals in the research division who conduct consumer research, benchmark studies, and white papers focused on helping member companies better understand industry issues and trends. She is also the director of the Secure Retirement Institute. Salka previously led the retirement research and competitive intelligence team at Prudential, and was also a director of retirement research and business analytics at MassMutual. She has earned a Master’s degree and holds a doctorate.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  11:15 am - 12:15 pm: Blockchain Applications for Cities, Banks, and Insurers

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Paul Schulte

Following a 27-year career in equity research covering the Asian and emerging markets, Paul Schulte is now founder and editor of Schulte Research, a company conducting research on banks, financial technology, bank algorithms and credit algorithms. He was most recently at China Construction Bank Intl as Global Head of Financial Strategy and Asia Banks Research, and prior to that held senior roles at Nomura International, Lehman Brothers, Big Sky Capital, ING Baring Securities, and CS First Boston in Hong Kong. In the 1980s, Mr. Schulte served as an Economic Policy Advisor to Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia) and before that as an Analyst with the National Security Council at the White House in Washington, DC. Today, Paul focuses on the disruptive effects on the established financial institutional framework of developments in technology and artificial intelligence, has authored two books on the topic, and is an active speaker internationally on this subject.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  3:40 pm - 5:00 pm: Panel: The Digital Consumer Experience

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Samdarshi Sumit

Samdarshi Sumit is Chief Retail Officer - Generali Life Assurance (Thailand) Plc & Generali Insurance (Thailand) Plc since 2015. He is responsible for managing retail distribution channels (Bancassurance, Agency, Tele Marketing & Digital Business) and product management for life and general insurance businesses of Generali in Thailand. His career in retail financial services spans over twenty years across Banking and Insurance. He has worked in all Retail functions – Distribution, Retail Lending, Branch Banking, Product Development, Bancassurance and Priority/ Affluent banking. Samdarshi is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management and prior to taking over the current role he has worked in Vietnam and India with the leading private sector banks in these two markets – HDFC Bank and Techcom Bank.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  8:45 am - 9:15 am: Welcome & Opening Remarks
• 10:30 am - 11:15 am: Regulatory Transformation and the Future of CX

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Suthiphon Thaveechaiyagarn

Dr. Thaveechaiyagarn has been Secretary-General and Insurance Commissioner for the Office of Insurance Commission of Thailand (OIC) since November 2015. In this role he ensures that the best possible support and service continues to be delivered to the public, and has played a significant role in successfully protecting consumer interests by putting a focus on intermediary market conduct and consumer protection. In 2017 he also played a crucial role in moving digital to the heart of insurance businesses by initiating the online sale regulation of insurance products. Before joining the Office of Insurance Commission, he held a variety of other positions including a judge of the Court of Justice for 12 years, Secretary-General of the Election Commission, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commissioner, a State Audit Commissioner, and Chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Board.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  1:20 pm - 2:10 pm: Concurrent Sessions

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Patrick van Heerde

Patrick has a deep understanding of customers through his extensive distribution experience, initially as a broker, then partnership acquisition and management (bancassurance and other third-party partnerships). He also possesses strong technical and operational understanding of IT architecture and platforms, business processes, data analytics, product development and the digital innovation landscape. As the current Head of Partnership Management for AIA Thailand, Patrick is passionate about building digital foundations that deliver unified experiences to today’s interconnected customers. In his prior role as Head of eBusiness & Transformation at Manulife Asia, he was accountable for developing and executing the digital and transformation strategy for Manulife Asia. To set the foundation for the transformation agenda, Patrick initiated the development of an electronic point-of-sales (“ePOS”) strategy across all distribution channels within Manulife Asia.

• Thursday, May 17, 2018

  2:20 pm - 3:10 pm:

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Nick Wilson, MCIPD

Nick Wilson is a Learning and Development Director with a proven track record of success in the development of people in global organizations. During his career, he has focused on talent management as a key skill, developing and coaching top organizational leaders and sales people. He has directed projects with AIA, HSBC, British Telecom and Rotork Engineering on leadership and sales development initiatives designed to groom executives and to drive organizational change. Wilson is a Graduate Member of the Institute of Personnel Management (MCIPD) and has earned the Mortgage Advice Qualification (MAQ) from the Chartered Insurance Institute. His other qualifications include Business application of Neuro Linguistic Programming, Advanced Skills and Business tools DISC and Relationship Awareness Theory. He also received the Business Education Council National Award in Great Britain.