2023 Latin American Conference

• Thursday, August 17, 2023

  11:45 am - 12:30 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Christian Brisson

Christian brought his passion for digital innovation to ReMark 9 years ago.  He combines ReMark technologies with his knowledge of data analytics, modeling, and product creation to lead digital implementation efforts across Latin America. Christian and his team help insurance carriers grow by developing, implementing, and managing omni-channel marketing campaigns. Prior to joining ReMark, Christian worked for two leading Mexican insurers, gaining experience in contact centers and alternative channel insurance sales.

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Silvia Cardarelli

Silvia worked for 18 years in the agribusiness and territorial development in the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture, and Banco de la Nación Argentina, among other public entities, as well as with providing economic and financial advice to agribusiness producers and companies. She was a consultant to multilateral organizations such as the IDB and the World Bank for different countries in Latin America and has been a graduate and postgraduate teacher at the University of Buenos Aires, Universidad de Belgrano and Universidad Católica Argentina. She is the author of numerous research and publications on markets and consumer behaviors and speaks often in national and international conferences. Since 2007 she has worked in the financial services sector, currently in charge of planning and management control at Origen Seguros, a key company in Argentina’s retirement, life and general insurance market. Silvia enjoys enhancing diversity in corporate cultures, developing realistic plans and making them possible. She has a Degree in Economics, Masters in Agricultural Economics, and is a Professional Business Director as well as mentor of new generations, mother, certified diver and tireless traveler. 

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Gina Castañeda

Gina Castañeda joined LIMRA and LOMA in 2011, and currently serves as the Membership and Benefits Manager for Latin America & the Caribbean. In her role, she is responsible for the region’s research agenda, academic forums and events, and for bringing together related organizations to work together for the development and growth of the life insurance industry. Gina has 16 years of experience in the insurance industry and has held various positions in the planning and marketing areas at Colmena, Allianz and MetLife.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  1:45 pm - 2:30 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Samantha Chow

Samantha Chow is the VP, global market lead for life, annuity, & benefits with Capgemini, bringing over 20 years of experience in the life insurance, annuity, and benefits industry. She has deep expertise in product development, pricing strategies, competitive intelligence, operational process improvement, underwriting, claims, policy administration, and change management. Prior to joining Capgemini, Mrs. Chow gained her broad career level expertise from New York Life and AFLAC where she held roles such as corporate vice president of business productivity and innovation and director of research as well as several years serving the industry as an analyst at Aite Group. Mrs. Chow was focused on growing enterprise-wide capabilities for facilitating transformational and cultural change, digital transformation, improving the customer experience, innovation, and competitive advancement. Rounding out her career experience, she spent her last two years focused on technology and supporting expansion of EIS policy admin platform into the life and annuity market globally.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Jorge Claude Bourdel

Ingeniero Civil con Mención Estructuras, Universidad de Chile. Master en Economía y Dirección de Empresas, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa (IESE), Barcelona, España. Fue Vicerrector Económico, Vicerrector Académico, Decano de la Facultad de Economía y Profesor de la Universidad del Norte.  Posteriormente, como Gerente de Finanzas de Banmédica S.A., inició las actividades de un compañía de seguros de vida, y una AFP. Fue Gerente de Finanzas de Banrenta Compañía de Seguros de Vida. También fue Director de Estudios de la carrera de Ingeniería Comercial y posteriormente Director Académico y profesor del ESE Business School de la Universidad de los Andes. Se ha desempeñado también como miembro titular de la Comisión Clasificadora de Riesgo de las AFP (en representación de las Administradoras de Fondos de Pensiones) y miembro del Directorio de diversas empresas. Como Gerente General de la Asociación de Aseguradores de Chile A.G., ha asumido cargos internacionales, llegando a ser Secretario General de FIDES durante dos períodos. En septiembre de 2012 fue nombrado Vicepresidente Ejecutivo de la Asociación de Aseguradores de Chile A.G.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  11:00 am - 11:50 am: PANEL

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Carolina Cuenca Armella

Nació en Cartagena (Colombia), es Ingeniera Industrial de la Universidad de los Andes en Bogotá, realizó una Maestría en Ciencias Actuariales en Georgia State University, una Maestría en Ingeniería Matemática en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid y un postítulo en Coaching Ontológico de la Universidad San Sebastián de Chile.  Cuenta con 18 años de trayectoria en la Compañía, ha desempeñado distintos cargos, entre ellos, Gerente de Autos y Gerente de Negocios Empresariales en SURA Colombia.  Desde noviembre de 2018 se encuentra en SURA Panamá donde llegó como Vicepresidente de Seguros.  Asumió la Presidencia el 1 de diciembre de 2020.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  9:00 am - 9:35 am: WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

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Tony Eleta

• Thursday, August 17, 2023

  9:15 am - 10:15 am: GENERAL SESSION

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Eduardo José Fábrega Alemán

Eduardo started his professional career in ASSA Compañia de Seguros, S.A. in the year 1994, where he has held different executive positions. In 2008, the Board of Directors appointed him as Executive Vice President of ASSA Panama and following the expansion of ASSA into El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Bermuda, Cayman and Colombia, he was appointed CEO of ASSA Compañía Tenedora, S.A.  He led the negotiation for the acquisition of the insurance business of American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Panama. He also conducted the acquisition of Assicurazioni Generali, Panamá Branch in 2018 and Blue Cross Blue Shield Costa Rica in 2022.  He represents ASSA as foundering member of JMalucelli Travelers Seguros, S.A., a Colombian insurance company specialized in Surety and Casualty Insurance.  Eduardo is President of Lion Reinsurance Company (Bermuda), Reaseguradora America (Cayman), Banco La Hipotecaria, S.A., Secretary to the Board of Directors of JMalucelli Travelers Colombia, Director of Banco de Finanzas, S.A. (Nicaragua), member of the Board of Directors of ASSA Panamá, ASSA Guatemala, Secretary of ASSA (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua), Vice President of Junior Achievement Panama and belongs to YPO International and Panamá Chapter. He recently was appointed, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Blue Marble Microinsurance, a consortium of 8 companies with a mission of extending socially impactful, commercially viable insurance protection to the underserved.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  11:50 am - 12:35 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Belisario Fernández

Belisario has more than 30 years of experience working with the analysis, design, implementation and maintenance of world-class solutions for the insurance industry in the Americas and Northern Europe. His extensive knowledge of the insurance market has been obtained through key roles both on the consulting side as well as in the top-tier insurance companies in Latin America. He joined the Equisoft team in 2020 and is currently responsible for developing new relationships with insurers in the Latin America region, helping to tackle key business issues with innovative solutions. Belisario graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Universidad José María Vargas in Caracas, Venezuela, and has acquired several certifications, including: PMP from PMI, ITIL certified by ITSMF, Six Sigma black belt certified by ASQ and SW quality engineer certified by ASQ.

• Thursday, August 17, 2023

  2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Begoña González García

Begoña received a degree in Geography and History, specializing in History, from the Complutense University of Madrid, and an Executive MBA from the University of Alcalá de Henares. She took over the management of the Fundación MAPFRE Documentation Center from 1999 to 2006, during which she was responsible for the management of the Study Center of the Fundación MAPFRE Insurance Science Institute. She has been part of the team of researchers and analysts at MAPFRE Economics, MAPFRE's Research Service, since its creation in 2015.

• Thursday, August 17, 2023

  3:00 pm - 4:00 pm:

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Pedro Heilbron

Pedro Heilbron is CEO of Copa Holdings and Copa Airlines, which offers service to more than 76 destinations in 32 countries. Heilbron joined Copa Airlines in 1988 and under his leadership, Copa Airlines established the Hub of the Americas® in Panama, the first and most successful hub in Latin America. He negotiated a successful alliance with Continental Airlines, now United, took the airline to the New York Stock Exchange in 2005 and launched the ultra-low-cost airline, WINGO, in 2016. Copa has received various prestigious international awards, including: "The most punctual airline in the world in 2018", according to OAG. And, for the eighth consecutive year, "The most punctual airline in Latin America", according to Cirium 2021. Heilbron is currently a member of the advisory council of the Smithsonian Institute for Tropical Research of Panama, Member of the IATA Board of Governors, Member of the Board Star Alliance Directive. Heilbron is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a bachelor's degree in economics and has his MBA from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

• Thursday, August 17, 2023

  9:00 am - 9:15 am: WELCOME BACK

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Gina Herrero

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Carlos Islas Murguía

For more than 25 years, Carlos has worked for in the insurance and banking sectors in several positions as officer in various insurance companies; most recently as director of AXA Corporate University leading a new distribution channel, overseeing 300 direct agents in two different cities.

He was Risk Management Director in Grupo Financiero Promex Finamex, and prior to this, he was an insurance agent for Grupo Nacional Provincial, holding important positions in sales and attending Conventions every year.

He served as co-Chair of AMIS´ Distribution Channels Committee, participated as a spokesperson promoting an insurance culture in national media in programs such as Fernanda Familiar, was a columnist for Forbes Magazine and was on TV for more than 2 years in Excelsior TV with journalist Rodrigo Pacheco.

Academically, Carlos has a degree in Business Administration from La Salle University, a degree in Psychology from the University of the Valley of Mexico, a Master´s Degree in Clinical Psychology and a Ph.D. in Neuropsychoanalysis from the Intercontinental University. 

• Thursday, August 17, 2023

  9:15 am - 10:15 am: GENERAL SESSION

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Juana Francisca Llano Cadavid

Desde el 1° de abril lidera la evolución estratégica de Suramericana y sus filiales, con el fin de fortalecer el portafolio de las Compañías, a partir de entregar nuevas capacidades para llegar a mercados a donde la industria aseguradora tradicional no ha llegado en la región.  Juana Francisca se desempeñaba desde hace cuatro años como Vicepresidenta de Seguros de Suramericana, cargo desde el que ha contribuido a la consolidación de la operación regional de la Compañía, presente en 9 países de América Latina, con cerca de 21 mil colaboradores, más de 17.9 millones de clientes y que hoy se posiciona como la cuarta mayor aseguradora de origen latinoamericano, después de 75 años de historia.

Es abogada de la Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (Medellín), donde también hizo posgrados en Derecho Financiero y de los Negocios, al igual que en Responsabilidad Civil y Seguros; igualmente, cursó el Advanced Management Program, en Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Estados Unidos).  Toda la carrera profesional de Juana Francisca ha sido en esta Organización. Hace 16 años inició como Analista de Negocios Empresariales en Seguros SURA Colombia, luego se desempeñó allí mismo como Directora de Negocios Patrimoniales y Gerente de Negocios Empresariales. Asumió en 2016 como Vicepresidenta de Seguros de Suramericana, tras la adquisición de las operaciones de RSA en América Latina, que llevó a la creación de la oficina corporativa.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  11:50 am - 12:35 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Mauricio Monroy

Mauricio is an IT expert with over 20 years of experience across the financial services, insurance and other industries. A client relationship expert, and software engineer graduate from La Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, he also holds a master’s degree in business administration from HEC Montréal, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).  Since joining us in 2014, Mauricio’s library of experience in software development, IT solution integration, business process improvement, project management and client relationships are indispensable to our team and customers in the Latin America and Spain region where he is dedicated to propel Equisoft’s expansion by creating new business opportunities and leading regional operations.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  9:35 am - 10:25 am: OPENING KEYNOTE

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Jaime Morales

Since joining McKinsey in 1999, Jaime has helped executives pursue growth and boost the efficiency of major business functions. He has designed corporate and business-unit strategies and driven digital, commercial, operational, and human-resource transformations. While tracking the dynamic emerging economies of Latin America, he has supported due-diligence efforts for private-equity investors and provided transition assistance to several CEOs.  Examples of Jaime’s recent client work include developing market-entry strategies for a regional insurance company, supporting a major regional infrastructure client in a multiyear strategic and procurement-optimization project, facilitating market entry into Latin America for a travel and logistics company, and executing several projects around strategy, organization, pricing, operations, and IT for a leading regional financial institution.  He has also supported greenfield establishment of digital attackers as well as digital transformation.  Strongly focused on economic development, Jaime envisioned and executed a private-sector-sponsored competitiveness council for a major Latin American city. His publishing history includes articles about regional growth and reinvention.  Jaime serves on not-for-profit boards, including those of the World Wildlife Fund and Endeavor Global, and is a mentor for local digital start-ups.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Romer Ortiz

Romer Ortiz is a Senior Principal at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the Lima office. Romer is part of BCG's Insurance Practice leadership team for the Spanish-speaking South America region. He has extensive experience working with insurance companies on strategy, distribution, digital transformation and new business development projects. Romer is an Industrial Engineer from the Simón Bolívar University of Venezuela and has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

• Thursday, August 17, 2023

  10:45 am - 11:45 am: GENERAL SESSION

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Kartik Sakthivel, PhD, MS-IT/MS-CS, MBA, PGC-IQ

As chief information officer for LIMRA and LOMA, Kartik Sakthivel is responsible for developing the information technology strategic direction for the enterprise. In this capacity, he directs and manages computing and information technology policies, programs and schedules for business and enterprise systems, and manages information services to meet LIMRA and LOMA’s corporate goals and objectives.

An industry thought leader, he champions the use of technology to improve the revenue, profitability, and efficiency of the organization. Joining LIMRA and LOMA in 2017, Sakthivel has broad industry experience, most recently as director of technology at Liberty Mutual Insurance.

He holds a doctorate in Computer and Information Sciences with a focus on AI and Information Quality from University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems/Information Technology, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  9:35 am - 10:25 am: OPENING KEYNOTE

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Salomón Spak

Salomón has nearly 20 years of industry experience working with organizations throughout Latin America.  He currently leads the Insurance practice for South America, advising clients on digital transformations, analytics and operational model changes. More broadly, he works with financial institutions to develop their digital and analytical capabilities to achieve substantial performance improvements.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Carlos De la Torre

As Managing Director – Operations in AM Best’s Mexico-based subsidiary, AM Best América Latina Institución Calificadora de Valores, S.A. de C.V. (AMBAL), Carlos heads Market Development and the day to day Operations for the region. He  joined AMBAL in 2018, and is a member of the AMBAL Board from the Mexico City office.  Carlos leads AM Best América Latina’s growth in the region, expanding AMBAL’s presence in Mexico, Central, South America and the Caribbean. He has been presenter and panelist at several insurance and reinsurance market events in throughout the Americas.

With almost 20 years’ experience in the Insurance and Reinsurance market, he started in 2004 in Marsh Mexico as a trainee broker, in 2005 he joined Cooper Gay in London as broker for property and terrorism reinsurance facultative business for Latin America. In 2010, he returned to Mexico with Som.us (formerly Cooper Gay Mexico), where as an assistant director he led the practice for the facultative property and casualty divisions for Central America and aviation for Mexico, Central America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.  Carlos holds a Business Management degree from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, and is a Certified Insurance Professional (C.I.P. Level) from the Chartered Insurance Institute (C.I.I.) of London, England.

• Thursday, August 17, 2023

  2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Mabyr Valderrama Villabona

Mabyr is Director of Sustainability at Fasecolda, from where she leads the sustainable growth agenda of the insurance sector and its contribution to the sustainable development of the country. The key areas of focus within Fasecolda's sustainability agenda include inclusion in insurance, consumer protection and financial education, ESG issues and innovation. Mabyr is an economist from the Externado de Colombia University, with a Magna Cum Laude Master's degree in Economics from the Alberto Hurtado University and Georgetown University. She has served as Advisor to the Presidency and Leader of the Economy in the Federation of Oil Palm Growers - Fedepalma; Senior Economic Advisor of the Communications Regulation Commission; and Consultant in agricultural affairs and ICT. She has also been a teacher at CESA and at the Alberto Hurtado-Chile University.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  1:45 pm - 2:30 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Jane J. Wang

Jane J. Wang is the CEO of Optimity, an innovative insurtech for customer-centric engagement and cross-sell using wearables & lifestyle data for insurtech carriers, MGA/Brokers & health-techs. The award-winning company supplies software solutions for mobile-1st digital health & wealth loyalty member programs. They specialize in rewarding behaviors and use personalized engagement with micro-nudging, AI & gamification to support healthy living. Optimity has codified 30+years of achievements with behavior science in large populations and published 8 scientific papers with partnered universities.  

Prior to Optimity, Jane led teams in phase 2 & 3 global clinical trials developing technologies for programs to maximizing adherence and performing dynamic risk scoring in North America, Asia and the EU. She is passionate about proactive health programs: improving morbidity & mortality using gamification and behavior science.

• Wednesday, August 16, 2023

  2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: GENERAL SESSION

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Daniel Willis

Daniel Willis is a macroeconomist with an interest in pension, tax and labor market issues. He currently works as the vice president for technical and economic studies at Asofondos. He has worked in the Government and the Academy.  Additionally, he is a lecturer in the Masters of Economics program at the University of Los Andes and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.