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2020 Group & Worksite Benefits Virtual Conference

Leveraging Uncertainty to Create Opportunity

9/15/2020 - 9/16/2020
Virtual Conference

Overview

Who Attends

Executives and professionals responsible for the development, marketing, and distribution of group and worksite/voluntary benefits, including Life, Disability, Critical Illness, Accident and other Supplemental Health products, Dental, Vision, and Healthcare plans.  The conference features special sessions for senior executives to meet in a collaborative environment.

Highlights

Gain fresh ideas and insights to successfully address short-and long-term changes in the U.S.

Registration

Early Registration: (Before September 4, 2020)

Member:  $595

Non-Member: $895

One Day: 

Member: $355

Non-Member: $535

 

Registration: (After September 4, 2020)

Member: $695

Non-Member: $1,045

One Day:

Member: $415

Non-Member: $625

Cancellation Policy

All cancellations must be received in writing. Email customer.service@limra.com. Cancellations received by August 30, 2020, will be refunded, less a $100 processing fee.  No refunds will be issued after August 30, 2020.

Agenda

Speakers

Bryan Burke
Director, Voluntary Products, Sun Life

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    12:30 pm - 1:15 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Bryan Burke

Director, Voluntary Products, Sun Life

Bryan is the Director of Voluntary Product Management at Sun Life. Bryan is responsible for the management of the company’s Supplemental Health product portfolio and value added services. In Bryan’s 17 years in group insurance, he has played a key role in the development of Sun Life’s Voluntary strategy, vendor relationships, advancements in Client experience and new systems development and implementation. Bryan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from St. Michael’s College.
Steven Handmaker
Chief Marketing Officer, Assurance

  • Wednesday, September 16, 2020

    2:45 pm - 3:45 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Steven Handmaker

Chief Marketing Officer, Assurance

Steven Handmaker is the Chief Marketing Officer of Assurance, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC company. He serves as a member of Assurance’s executive management team and is responsible for the company’s marketing, communications, branding and digital media efforts. He leads a productive team of creative professionals whose efforts spur the company’s growth and profitability. His primary marketing responsibilities include: promoting marketplace differentiation; driving visibility, interest and traffic; mining consumer and competitor insights; enhancing the client experience; and flavoring the corporate culture to maximize employee engagement.
Garry E. Hill
Partner, Sterling Seacrest

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    11:15 am - 12:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Garry E. Hill

Partner, Sterling Seacrest

Garry E. Hill has over 18 years of expertise in the financi al, consulting and insurance industries, and specializes in Employee Benefits. In July of 2011, Gary was named a Partner of Sterling Seacrest Partners.

Prior to joining Sterling Seacrest Partners Client Advisor, Garry held positions with Northwestern Benefit Corporation of Georgia as a Benefits Broker, Reagan Consulting as an Associate Consultant, and Silic on Valley Bank as a Portfolio Manager in the Technology/Life Services Group.

With a dedication to giving back to the community, Garry is actively involved with 60 Feet, a non-profit committed to serving the needs of imprisoned children in Uganda, sings in the Sound Investment a capella music group, volunteers as a soccer coach for Top Hat soccer club, Say Yes!, and is an active member of Mount Vernon Baptist Church.

Megan Holland, CEBS, GBDS, RPA, Moderator
Vice President, Distribution & Marketing, Workplace Solutions, Mutual of Omaha

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    11:15 am - 12:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Megan Holland, CEBS, GBDS, RPA, Moderator

Vice President, Distribution & Marketing, Workplace Solutions, Mutual of Omaha

Megan Holland is Vice President, Distribution and Marketing in the Workplace Solutions Division at Mutual of Omaha.  She is responsible for managing, coordinating and monitoring distribution channel activities, projects and initiatives to assist in meeting performance standards and sales goals. In addition, she acts as a consultant to the sales management team and distribution channel representatives and has strategic oversight of the division’s national broker partnerships and benefit technology strategy.  She is also responsible for the oversight and execution of the renewal teams nationally, sales and execution of the small case product offering, management of the marketing team, oversight of the sales trainee program and management of the distribution support of the division’s products.

Previously, Megan worked as a Sales Specialist in the Retirement Services Division at Mutual of Omaha where she was responsible for finalist presentations, wholesaler support, broker-dealer support and networking.  She also supported the RMS distribution strategy in new sales opportunities.

Maurice Kuykendoll
Vice President, Corporate Controllers, Prudential Financial, Inc.

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Maurice Kuykendoll

Vice President, Corporate Controllers, Prudential Financial, Inc.

Maurice is the Finance Lead for the Company’s Transformation Office with additional responsibility for overseeing Finance’s expense center of excellence and the Corporate & Other segment unit within the global controllers group. Maurice is also the national co-director for the Black Leadership Forum, the company’s largest and oldest business resource group. 

Prior to his current role, Maurice was the Controller for Prudential International Insurance (PII), encompassing Prudential’s operating life insurance and related financial services businesses outside of the U.S. In this role, he led a team responsible for accurate and timely financial and management reporting for PII. Since 2008, he has held positions of increasing responsibility at Prudential, including a two year expatriate assignment in Tokyo, Japan, and chief of staff to Prudential’s Global Chief Financial Officer.

Patrick T. Leary, M.B.A., LLIF
Corporate Vice President, Workplace Benefits Research, LIMRA

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    12:30 pm - 1:15 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Patrick T. Leary, M.B.A., LLIF

Corporate Vice President, Workplace Benefits Research, LIMRA

Patrick T. Leary, M.B.A., LLIF, is corporate vice president, workplace benefits research for LIMRA. This program provides research on the products, markets, and distribution of a wide range of life, health, and related employee benefits.

Before assuming his current position, Pat directed LIMRA’s distribution research program and, prior to that, was a member of LIMRA’s group insurance research team.

Pat joined LIMRA in 1989. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Hartwick College and his M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut. Pat also earned his LIMRA Leadership Institute Fellow (LLIF) designation in 2012.

Foon Lew
Vice President and Group Actuary
Employee Benefits Actuarial, The Standard

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Foon Lew

Vice President and Group Actuary
Employee Benefits Actuarial, The Standard

As the Group Actuary at The Standard, Foon leads the Actuarial Department of Standard’s Employee Benefits business and has responsibilities for pricing, financial reporting, analytics, valuation, reinsurance and planning for Standard’s $2.6b Employee Benefits business. He also leads the Group Life and Disability business partnership with Northwestern Mutual Life and Dental partnership with Ameritas.

Foon is also the Executive Sponsor of CRED (Celebrating Racial and Ethnic Diversity), Standard’s employee resource group for People of Color. Prior to joining The Standard in 2004, Foon held various management positions at CNA, The Hartford, and Unum with responsibilities over financial reporting, valuation, analytics, strategy and capital management. Foon holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Business (Northwestern University), a Master's degree in Finance, and Bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Foon has earned his FSA, and MAAA designations. He serves on the board of Wind and Oar.

Edward J. Peña
Senior Vice President and Treasurer, Liberty Mutual Insurance

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Edward J. Peña

Senior Vice President and Treasurer, Liberty Mutual Insurance

Ed Peña is Senior Vice President and Treasurer for the Liberty Mutual Group. As Treasurer Ed oversees a broad scope of corporate finance activities including Capital Markets, Liquidity, Treasury Operations, Investor Relations and Rating Agency management. Prior to joining Liberty Mutual in 2017, he worked at ProSight Specialty Insurance, where he was Vice President, Finance and oversaw Capital and Financial Planning, M&A and Investments. Prior to joining ProSight, Ed worked in the Financial Institutions Group at J.P. Morgan’s investment bank. While there he helped structure mergers and acquisitions, and capital raises for insurance, and specialty finance clients. Ed has an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and an undergraduate degree in Economics and History from Yale University.

James Slotnick, JD
Assistant Vice President, Government Relations, Sun Life Financial U.S.

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    12:30 pm - 1:15 pm: GENERAL SESSION

James Slotnick, JD

Assistant Vice President, Government Relations, Sun Life Financial U.S.

James represents Sun Life’s interests to elected officials and regulators, focusing on issues that impact the Group Life, Disability, Dental, Vision, Voluntary and Stop-Loss industries. Over the last 15 years James has held various roles within Sun Life’s Client and Technology Services, Distribution, and Legal departments. Prior to his current role, James served as a member of the Integration Management Team for the acquisition of Assurant Employee Benefits in 2016. James regularly speaks to audiences across the country about the changing dynamics in Washington and impacts to the employee benefits industry.
Marc Stevens, RHU
Senior Strategy Consultant, Main Street Insurance Group

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    11:15 am - 12:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Marc Stevens, RHU

Senior Strategy Consultant, Main Street Insurance Group

Main Street Insurance Group has grown into one of the nation's largest independent agencies through our partnership with Keystone Insurers Group. We put your interests first by doing our very best to provide you with the most complete solution at a reasonable cost. That promise - our philosophy - has remained unchanged since 1898. With us, you will receive the service expected from a hometown agency and the resources of a large national firm.
Jessica Vanscavish, Moderator
Vice President Business Insights & Underwriting Optimization, Prudential

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Jessica Vanscavish, Moderator

Vice President Business Insights & Underwriting Optimization, Prudential

Jessica is the Head of Business Insights and Underwriting Optimization Team for Prudential Group Insurance. In this capacity, she is accountable for the strategic direction of Group Insurance’s underwriting departments, leads the Specialty Risk team, business insights and analytics. Prior to this role, she was the Vice President of Voluntary Products and led the successful development and launch of the new Critical Illness, Accident and Hospital Indemnity products and the requisite capabilities. 

Since joining Prudential 7 years ago, she has held various product ownership responsibilities for Term Life, Long Term Disability and Voluntary Products.  She also served as the chairperson for the Group Insurance Experience Recognition program for three years and led the development of the Prutection Score which was Group Insurance’s early entry into Financial Wellness. Prior to joining Prudential, Jessica spent 17 years with Cigna Group Insurance in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility. 

Christy Westerman
Employee Benefits Consultant, Marsh & McLennan Agency

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    11:15 am - 12:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Christy Westerman

Employee Benefits Consultant, Marsh & McLennan Agency

With over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Christy Westermandelivers compliance support & oversight, employee communication strategy, strategic plan management, health management consulting, and voluntary benefits expertise to employee health & benefits clients with the utmost confidence and professionalism.

A Marsh & McLennan Agency (MMA) colleague since 2004, Christy practices across a variety of industries including construction, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, not-for-profit, senior living, energy, and technology. She works alongside her clients as a trusted advisor to develop an overall employee benefits strategy that supports each organization’s unique culture and objectives.

Christy identifies most closely with MMA’s value of integrity because it is a top priority in her personal and professional life. She is committed to always doing the right thing, no matter how hard. 

Tammi Wortham
Vice President, Human Resources, Sun Life U.S.

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020

    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Tammi Wortham

Vice President, Human Resources, Sun Life U.S.

Tammi oversees a team of strategic human resource professionals focused on continuing to grow the business, enhancing the employee experience and attracting top talent. She has extensive experience in building client-focused culture and talent development.

Previously, Tammi was vice president, Group Benefits Client Services, leading the largest unit in the U.S. business for a wide range of operational functions and a team of more than 700. In that capacity, she introduced a number of strategies to deliver an integrated and seamless client experience, including digital “click to chat” capabilities, a robotics center of excellence and a client-centric culture focused on Sun Life’s Client for Life business approach.

View from the Top Panel

Rob Grubka
President, Employee Benefits, Voya Financial

  • Wednesday, September 16, 2020

    11:00 am - 12:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Rob Grubka

President, Employee Benefits, Voya Financial

Rob Grubka is president of Employee Benefits for Voya Financial, Inc., which helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. In this role, Grubka is responsible for product development and management, distribution and the end-to-end customer experience for Voya’s stop loss, group life, disability and supplemental health insurance solutions, as well as health savings and spending accounts, offered to businesses and covering 6.2 million individuals through the workplace. As a member of Voya’s Enterprise Leadership Team, Grubka also ensures Voya Employee Benefits aligns with Voya’s key priorities and collaborates with partners across the company to provide holistic financial wellness solutions to customers.

Grubka brings nearly 30 years of actuarial, product management and leadership experience to the role. Previously, Grubka served as chief risk officer (CRO) for Voya’s Retirement and Annuity businesses. In this role, he partnered with Voya’s businesses in developing strategies that balanced risk with opportunities to achieve their goals.
Harry S. Monti
Executive Vice President, Benefits Division, Symetra Financial Corporation

  • Wednesday, September 16, 2020

    11:00 am - 12:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Harry S. Monti

Executive Vice President, Benefits Division, Symetra Financial Corporation

Harry Monti is executive vice president, Benefits Division, for Symetra Financial Corporation and its insurance subsidiaries. He is responsible for the company’s medical stop-loss insurance, group life and disability income insurance, and Select Benefits business that focuses on voluntary and limited benefit medical products. Mr. Monti joined Symetra in June 2014 as vice president, Life and Disability (LAD) operations, with nearly 25 years of experience in the group benefits industry. He was named senior vice president for LAD and Select Benefits in April 2018.

Prior to joining Symetra, Mr. Monti was a Director of Insurance Advisory Services with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Hartford, Conn. He had previously spent 13 years in senior level operational and claims roles within The Hartford’s group benefits, retirement plans and enterprise-wide shared services organizations. His professional background also includes financial management roles at MassMutual and UNUM. He is also  an Executive Board member of the Connecticut Insurance & Financial Services organization, a member of ACLI’s Group Insurance Executives Council, and a former chair of the ACLI’s Disability Income Committee.

John Stanley
Senior Managing Director, Employee Benefits, Transamerica Life Insurance Company

  • Wednesday, September 16, 2020

    11:00 am - 12:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

John Stanley

Senior Managing Director, Employee Benefits, Transamerica Life Insurance Company

John Stanley brings nearly 26 years of sales and marketing management experience to his role as the Senior Managing Director, Employee Benefits. As a recognized market leader in supplemental health and life insurance, Transamerica serves more than 1 million policyholders and 19,000-plus employer customers, while managing more than $1 billion in in-force premiums. Responsible for leading the Employee benefits distribution organization, John has overseen a comprehensive re-organization of the business. By aligning four distribution channels, installing key management metrics, creating a culture of accountability, John is focused on positioning Transamerica for continued long-term growth within the employee benefits marketplace.

Prior to assuming the leadership role, John spent five years as the chief marketing officer for the Employee Benefits business. Among his many accomplishments, he refined the company’s go-to-market strategy in employee benefits, revamped the branding and messaging, and built the infrastructure for the Large Markets and Business Development channels.

Gene Lanzoni, Moderator
Assistant Vice President, Thought Leadership – Group & Worksite Marketing, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

  • Wednesday, September 16, 2020

    11:00 am - 12:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

Gene Lanzoni, Moderator

Assistant Vice President, Thought Leadership – Group & Worksite Marketing, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

Gene has nearly 30 years of experience in marketing and research, with most of that time in the insurance industry. He is currently responsible for leading Guardian’s Thought Leadership marketing strategy for the Group & Worksite business. He previously served as Vice President of Global Market Research at Prudential Financial and Vice President and Head of Market Research at MetLife.

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Contact us to learn more:

Joan O'Neil

Senior Conference Coordinator

LIMRA

(860) 285-7741

joneil@limra.com