Colin is General Manager of Insurance Solutions at Moody’s Analytics. The bulk of Colin’s career has been spent in financial risk management with Barrie & Hibbert (B&H) and Moody’s Analytics. During his time at B&H, Colin had a broad involvement across the business, working within a range of technical, management and customer-focused roles, in the UK, Europe and the US. The business’ growth resulted in the acquisition of B&H by Moody’s Analytics in 2011. Since joining Moody’s Analytics, Colin has been involved across the ERS Insurance business, focused on implementation services. In his current role, Colin has overall responsibility for the Enterprise Risk Solutions business in the insurance sector.

Mark C. Abbott, PRM, FRM joined Guardian in 2001 and is managing director and head of analytics and reporting for Guardian Life. He is responsible for investment risk analytics, capital market assumptions, asset allocation, ALM solutions and reporting to Guardian’s senior management and board, as well as regulators and ratings agencies. He has 40 years of experience at BlackRock, Barra, Global Advanced Technology, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Arbitrage Software, Wrightson Hedge Management and Merrill Lynch. He was president of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) Buy Side Risk Managers Forum, a board director of the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (PRMIA) and serves on professional or advisory committees. Mark holds an M.A. in mathematical statistics from Columbia University, a B.A. from Columbia College, PRMIA’s Professional Risk Manager (PRM) designation and GARP’s Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designation.

Christopher joined Prudential in 2011 and currently leads the Financial Markets Risk group which is responsible for Market Risk, Investment Risk, Counterparty Risk, Risk Appetite, and Enterprise Stress Testing. Previously he was Prudential’s Chief Investment Risk Officer and responsible for analysis of risk, limits, and policy related to credit, real estate and equity investments.

Prior to joining Prudential, Christopher held several roles at The Bank of New York Mellon and Ambac. Christopher has a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Music from Bucknell University and an MBA from The University of Notre Dame. He is a CFA charterholder.

Gordon is  Senior Vice President within the firm’s General Account Investment Management Team with primary responsibility for financial operations.  Prior to t his role he was Head of Portfolio Management within the firm’s General Account Investment Management Team with responsibility of Portfolio Management.  Before joining Lincoln Financial in 2007, he spent eight years in the financial planning and mutual fund industry with Vanguard, where his duties included providing advice and managing assets for high net worth individuals. Huellmantel earned his bachelor's degree in finance and marketing from the University of South Carolina. He is  a  member of the CFA Institute, CFA North Carolina Society, and Society of Financial Service Professionals

Srini Iyer is a Senior Director in the Insurance Strategy team at Moody’s Analytics. In this capacity, he helps insurers across the globe interpret and implement solutions for emerging risks such as Climate, ESG and Cyber. More broadly, Srini has over fifteen years of experience working in risk management, asset modelling and financial reporting.

Pierre Xu is a director in the Research and Modeling Group of Moody’s Analytics. He heads the Portfolio Risk Analytics team under Portfolio and Balance Sheet Research responsible for the design and implementation of credit portfolio and capital management solutions across a broad range of global financial institutions. Pierre and his team have pioneered approaches to managing portfolio risk in the face of a constraining regulatory environment. More recently, his team’s research has focused on modelling rating migration under Covid-19, constrained credit portfolio optimization, quantification of risk appetite in risk-based limits, and portfolio design under CECL and IFRS 9. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Louisiana State University, an MFE from the University of California at Berkeley, and a BA in Finance from Fudan University.

Phil Mowbray is a Senior Director at Moody’s Analytics. He had been with Barrie & Hibbert for 13 years, working in a number of roles focusing on the measurement and management of financial market risk for a range of institutional and retail clients, prior to the company being acquired by Moody’s Analytics. At Moody’s Analytics he continues to focus on the application of financial risk modelling capability to support improved financial planning for retail investors. He is a regular contributor to the pensions press and often speaks at industry events.

Colin is General Manager of Insurance Solutions at Moody’s Analytics. The bulk of Colin’s career has been spent in financial risk management with Barrie & Hibbert (B&H) and Moody’s Analytics. During his time at B&H, Colin had a broad involvement across the business, working within a range of technical, management and customer-focused roles, in the UK, Europe and the US. The business’ growth resulted in the acquisition of B&H by Moody’s Analytics in 2011. Since joining Moody’s Analytics, Colin has been involved across the ERS Insurance business, focused on implementation services. In his current role, Colin has overall responsibility for the Enterprise Risk Solutions business in the insurance sector.

Emilie Mazzacurati is MD - Global Head of Climate Solutions and oversees the climate solutions suite within Moody’s ESG Solutions Group, a new business unit formed to serve the growing global demand for ESG and climate analytics. Moody’s climate solutions provides climate risk screening for listed securities and real assets to help banks, financial institutions, corporations, and governments understand their exposure to the impacts of climate change, prepare for the transition to a zero carbon economy, and build resilience. Ms. Mazzacurati was the founder and CEO of Four Twenty Seven, a renowned climate risk analytics firm acquired by Moody’s in 2019.

Ms. Mazzacurati has published extensively on the impacts of climate change in financial markets, on climate risks disclosure (TCFD), on emissions trading, and on adaptation finance opportunities. She is a frequent public speaker and teaches at the University of California, Davis Executive MBA.

Previously, Ms. Mazzacurati was Head of Research at Thomson Reuters Point Carbon, where she directed research and modeling on carbon pricing. She also served as a policy advisor to the Mayor of Paris on environmental policy. Emilie holds a Master’s of Political Science from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and a Master’s of Public Policy from UC Berkeley.

 Ms. Mazzacurati is the recipient of multiple awards, including Top 100 People in Finance (2019), Berkeley Visionary Award (2016), and Cartier Women’s Initiative Award (2013). Four Twenty Seven was named 2019 Best Alternative Data Provider by Risk Magazine. Moody’s received the 2021 Chartis RiskTech100® Climate Risk Award and Environmental Finance’s 2021 Climate Risk Solutions of the year highlighting its commitment to integrating climate risk analytics into its world-class credit models.

Laura Bazer is a Vice President - Senior Credit Officer in the Financial Institutions Group of Moody’s Investors Service. She is responsible for a portfolio of U.S. ratings within the Life Insurance Group.  

Ms. Bazer worked for 6 years as a lending officer in the insurance and international divisions at The Bank of New York/Irving Trust Company prior to joining Moody’s in November 1993.

A graduate of Cornell University and Fulbright Scholar, Ms. Bazer holds an M.B.A. in finance and international business from NYU (1987), as well as an M.A. in economic and legal translation from the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Nick’s perspectives on the investment world come from a uniquely practical place and from his birds-eye view of the of evolution of the markets from 1980 through today. 

In 1980, while pursuing an economics degree at Colby College, Nick began a 31-year relationship with the Bank of New York Mellon as a summer intern. During his years with the bank, he served in a variety of roles, gaining market perspectives and insights into credit cycles, the dangers of leverage, and the benefits of evaluating long-term drivers in analytics. He saw firsthand, the financial crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the evolution of the banking world from an originate and hold to an originate and distribute model, driven by changes headlined by Basel I. 

In 2010, the opportunity to broaden his perspective came after joining one of the world’s largest insurance companies and coming to understand how insurance assets and liabilities interact and evolve through time and stress. Today, he serves as chief risk officer of Prudential Financial where he oversees risk management activities and is afforded the opportunity to think about the future from an insurance company’s perspective, where short-term is 5-10 years and long-term is 30 years and beyond. 

Nick is chair of the Financial Risk Committee of the North American Chief Risk Officers’ Council. He is also a member of the Advisory Council for the International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers and serves on the boards of several Prudential subsidiaries. 

While Silitch and his family live in New York City, they call Dublin, New Hampshire home. 

James has lead coverage responsibility for a portfolio of U.S. and Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance companies.

Prior to joining Moody’s in 2001, James was an Associate Director at Aon Capital Markets where he was involved in the structuring and placement of catastrophe bonds, alternative risk transfer programs and contingent event capital for corporate and insurance company clients. Before to joining Aon Capital Markets, James was as an independent floor trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and a corporate legal assistant in the Asset Securitization Group at the law firm of Hunton & Williams.

James received an A.B. in History magna cum laude from Bowdoin College and an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Liz Henderson is a Catastrophe and Climate Risk specialist with eighteen years of experience in risk analytics and strategic consulting for U.S. P&C Insurance Carriers.  Liz leads the Growth and Innovation Solutions team which provides clients with predictive modeling, actuarial, and product management analyses to accelerate growth and profitability objectives.  Liz leads the Climate Change Analytics working group for Aon Reinsurance Solutions, creating new analytical insights for climate change risk in the U.S.  Liz supports clients with catastrophe risk quantification, property cat underwriting and pricing, portfolio optimization and the structuring and pricing of traditional and non-traditional reinsurance programs including capital market transactions. She is charged with positioning her team as a key differentiator in developing solutions in support of a client’s strategic objectives.  Liz co-leads the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council for Aon Reinsurance Solutions. She has also been recognized as a Woman In Insurance Leadership by Dig-In for her work in advancing the role of technology and advanced analytics in the insurance industry.  She received her B.A. in Mathematics from Northwestern University. 

Nick Jessop is a Senior Director and Head of Scenario Modelling Research for Moody’s Analytics Insurance and Pensions. He leads a team of a dozen quantitative analysts, economists and financial engineers based in the UK. He researches Moody’s Analytics risk management solutions including Barrie & Hibbert's Scenario Generation solutions and Moody’s KMV credit solutions. Nick has many years of experience developing financial stochastic models and calibration methods and has 25 years research experience, split between financial and scientific fields. Nick’s current focus is on embedding climate change risks into financial and asset pricing models, and pricing of illiquidity premia.

Nick had been with Barrie and Hibbert for five years prior to the company being acquired by Moody's Analytics in 2011. Shortly after the opening of Barrie and Hibbert’s New York office, Nick spent two years as Head of Model Servicing for North America. Nick has worked on retail investments including Variable Annuities, With Profits and Defined Contribution Pension products. Prior to Barrie and Hibbert Nick worked for three years at the WM Company a leading provider of analytical services to the UK and European defined benefit pension and fund management sectors. Nick was a senior quantitative analyst in a research team examining the performance, investment strategies and risk management of defined benefit pension funds and their investment managers.

Nick has a BSc and a PhD in Astrophysics from Edinburgh University. He is currently studying for a Masters in Ecological Economics.

Srini Iyer is a Senior Director in the Insurance Strategy team at Moody’s Analytics. In this capacity, he helps insurers across the globe interpret and implement solutions for emerging risks such as Climate, ESG and Cyber. More broadly, Srini has over fifteen years of experience working in risk management, asset modelling and financial reporting.

Rose Marie E. Glazer joined AIG in March 2017. She leads the corporate governance, securities, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property and administrative services legal teams as well as oversees AIG’s Sustainability Office.

Before joining AIG, Rose Marie was Senior Vice President and General Counsel – Americas for Siemens Corporation where she oversaw all aspects of the Siemens legal department throughout North and South America beginning in 2012. Prior to that, she was General Counsel of Siemens PLM Software. Before becoming general counsel, Rose Marie was Associate General Counsel and Compliance Officer at Siemens PLM Software. Rose Marie has also served as interim General Counsel of Siemens' Mesoamerica operations in Mexico City. 

In November 2004, Rose Marie joined Siemens PLM Software from Telvista, Inc., an international contact center company. Rose Marie was Telvista's Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to joining Telvista, Rose Marie held in-house counsel positions at Allied Riser Communications and American Airlines. She began her legal career as an attorney with the law firm Jones Day in Dallas.

Rose Marie was awarded "Governance Professional of the Year (Large Cap)"at Corporate Secretary Magazine's Corporate Governance Awards in 2020and named one of the “Twenty Most Influential Hispanics in Technology” by Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology Magazine in 2017. In 2016 the National Diversity Council honored her as one of the “Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology”.

Rose Marie has been featured in numerous publications and is a frequent author and speaker on topics such as Corporate Governance, Crisis Management, Compliance and Ethics and the intersection of Technology and Law. She is a National Association of Corporate Directors Governance Fellow.

Rose Marie earned her law degree, cum laude, from Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas, Texas. She also has a BBA in Accounting, summa cum laude, and a BA in Spanish, summa cum laude, from Southern Methodist University.  She is admitted to the State Bar of Texas.

Edward Mishambi serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer- Europe at RenaissanceRe, which he joined in 2009.  Mr. Mishambi is responsible for leading, developing, implementing, and maintaining RenaissanceRe’s European risk management framework. In addition, Mr. Mishambi leads the RenaissanceRe group activities related to managing relationships with rating agencies across RenaissanceRe’s owned and managed balance sheets on behalf of partner or third-party capital providers.

Prior to joining RenaissanceRe, Mr. Mishambi worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Bermuda and with Deloitte in East Africa.  A Rhodes Scholar, he attended Oxford University and graduated with an MSc in Environmental Change and Management.  He also holds a BSc (Honors) in Quantitative Economics from Makerere University and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).  Mr. Mishambi is the Policy Committee Chair of the Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR).

Antoine is the CEO of  AXA Climate. In 2008, after working at Google France, he co-founded fifty-five, a global data marketing agency. Five years ago, he joined AXA France ExCom, as Chief Marketing, Digital, Partnerships and Customer  Officer. He published three books. AXA Climate’s purpose? To make Planet Earth a key stakeholder for companies, alongside clients,  employees, and shareholders. Its mission is to enable businesses to adapt to climate change, through innovative solutions that combine parametric insurance, real-time alerting services, training and consulting.

Mr. Robinson is an Associate Managing Director in the Life Insurance Group at Moody’s Ratings. He is responsible for managing analysts who cover a broad array of life and health insurance companies. Prior to joining Moody’s in 1999, Mr. Robinson worked in the Investment Policy and Strategy Group of the Trust Company of the West. Previously he had been with AXA Financial. Mr. Robinson holds a degree in economics from Duke University and a Masters Degree in Actuarial Science from Georgia State University. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a CFA charterholder.

Chief Investment Officer, Guggenheim Partners Investment Management and Managing Partner, Guggenheim Partners

Ms. Walsh is Chief Investment Officer for Guggenheim Partners Investment Management where she is responsible for meeting the investment needs of the firm’s fixed-income clients, including insurance companies, corporate and public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, consultants, wealth managers, and high-net-worth investors. In her role she oversees all elements of portfolio design, strategy, sector allocation, and risk management of fixed-income portfolios, as well as conveying Guggenheim’s macroeconomic outlook to portfolio managers and fixed-income sector specialists. She also serves as head of the Portfolio Construction Group and Portfolio Management teams. Ms. Walsh is also a Managing Partner of Guggenheim Partners.

Ms. Walsh has over 35 years of experience in investment management, and her specialization in liability-driven portfolio management derives from her deep background in insurance asset management. Before joining Guggenheim in 2007 she served as chief investment officer at Reinsurance Group of America, and as vice president and senior investment consultant at Zurich Scudder Investments. Ms. Walsh also served in senior investment roles at Lincoln Investment Management and American Bankers Insurance Group. Ms. Walsh holds a BSBA and MBA from Auburn University and a JD from the University of Miami School of Law. She has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the CFA Institute.

Manoj Jethani is a Vice President – Senior Credit Officer in the US life insurance team within the Financial Institutions Group at Moody’s Ratings where he is a lead analyst and has responsibility for a portfolio of North American life insurers. 

Prior to joining Moody’s in 2006, he worked as an actuary at a private actuarial consulting firm in Stamford, CT and as a credit analyst at Mashreq Bank in Dubai, UAE. 

Manoj holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems and Finance from the University of Connecticut and holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in Banking, Strategy and Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Robert R. Merck is a senior managing director and global head of real estate and agricultural finance in MetLife Investment Management.  In this role, Merck is responsible for managing the $100 billion commercial mortgage and equity real estate portfolio, as well as its $22 billion agricultural investments portfolio.  In this capacity, he oversees a staff of approximately 350 investment professionals, both domestic and international.

Merck started his career with MetLife in 1982 and has served in various capacities in real estate investments. Since assuming overall responsibility for the real estate and agricultural portfolios, Merck has implemented strategic initiatives and a risk management focus that have strengthened the portfolios, raised the profile of the franchise and positively impacted the financial results of the business. Under Merck, the commercial and agricultural mortgage portfolios have more than doubled in size and the platforms have expanded internationally. Under his leadership, MetLife has diversified its real estate equity portfolio, in part through the $5.4 billion sale of Peter Cooper Village / Stuyvesant Town, one of the largest real estate transactions in history. In addition, Merck was responsible for launching the firm’s new investment management business in 2012.

Merck received a B.B.A. degree from Emory University where he graduated with highest honors and earned his M.B.A from Georgia State University.  Merck is Executive Sponsor of MetLife’s Military Veterans Network.  He also serves on the Real Estate Advisory Board of the Emory Goizueta Business School, is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Boards of Directors of the Real Estate Roundtable.

Victor Calanog is Head of Commercial Real Estate Economics for Moody’s Analytics. Prior to the acquisition by Moody’s Analytics in October 2018, he served as Chief Economist & Senior Vice President of REIS, leading a team of economists and analysts to build, maintain, and customize the firm’s market forecasting, valuation, and real estate portfolio analytics and advisory services. 

Dr. Calanog’s research has received awards and fellowship support from several institutions, including the Ford Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation and the Penn Lauder Center for International Business Research. 

A prodigious researcher with broad interests, his papers in real estate economics, local government competition, and urban fiscal policy have been presented in meetings of the American Economic Association, the American Finance Association, the Brookings Institution, and discussed in academic forums sponsored by Harvard Business School, Columbia University, Stanford University, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Stern School of Business at New York University. 

He serves as contributor and peer reviewer for several academic journals, with scientific papers published in the Journal of Banking & Finance, the Journal of the Risk Management Association, and cited in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Public Economics, the World Bank Research Observer, the Brookings Papers on Urban Affairs and Public Administration Review. His assessments of market conditions have appeared in national publications like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg News, Financial Times, and Reuters News. Dr. Calanog writes several columns on commercial real estate for the National Real Estate Investor and Scotsman Guide.  His industry columns have won honors from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and the Risk Management Association.

He serves on the Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors for the Mortgage Bankers Association, as Managing Editor for the CRE Finance Council, and on the Editorial Advisory Board of Real Assets Adviser. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Counselors of Real Estate®(CRE) and is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS). 

Dr. Calanog holds a PhD in Applied Economics and Management Science, trained by a dissertation committee composed of faculty from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School. In addition, he has an MBA in Finance and an MA in Business and Public Policy, earning the Amy Morse Prize and the Thomas P. Gerrity Leadership Award as the most distinguished PhD and MBA student in his class.

In a previous life, Dr. Calanog was a competitive powerlifter, but he now measures poundage's by how much laundry he does per day. He serves at the behest of Christine, his wife of over twenty years, daughters Samantha and Madison, guinea pigs Midnight and Kale, and puppy Ginger. He enjoys traveling, pestering locals in their own language, and studying geopolitics, history, art, military strategy–and mecha anime.

Colin is General Manager of Insurance Solutions at Moody’s Analytics. The bulk of Colin’s career has been spent in financial risk management with Barrie & Hibbert (B&H) and Moody’s Analytics. During his time at B&H, Colin had a broad involvement across the business, working within a range of technical, management and customer-focused roles, in the UK, Europe and the US. The business’ growth resulted in the acquisition of B&H by Moody’s Analytics in 2011. Since joining Moody’s Analytics, Colin has been involved across the ERS Insurance business, focused on implementation services. In his current role, Colin has overall responsibility for the Enterprise Risk Solutions business in the insurance sector.

Sarah Hibler is an Associate Managing Director in the Property and Casualty Group at Moody’s Ratings. She is responsible for managing analysts who cover a broad array of P&C insurers, reinsurers and insurance brokers. Prior to joining Moody’s in 1997, Ms. Hibler was a senior manager in the mergers & acquisitions practice of Deloitte & Touche LLP in New York City. At Deloitte & Touche, she also worked for a number of years in both the New York and London offices providing auditing and consulting services to insurance companies.

Ms. Hibler holds a degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Sandeep joined Liberty Mutual Insurance in 2006 after holding important customer facing roles in organizations like Siemens and in leading consulting firms in India. His telecommunications engineering background and his passion for large and complex US commercial property and casualty allowed him to bridge the gap between technology and business in a unique way. Over 14 years, Sandeep has served in several individual and leadership positions in multiple disciplines at Liberty, including claims, field underwriting, actuarial, finance, distribution and technology. In his current role, he is responsible for identifying investment areas and driving business technology strategy for Liberty’s Global Risk Solutions, North America group. Sandeep has graduate degrees from Boston University (MS in Computer Science with concentration in Cryptography) and University of New Hampshire (MBA in Finance). He earned his CPCU designation in 2016.

Christian W. Mitchell is executive vice president and chief customer officer  at Northwestern Mutual. His executive responsibilities include the company’s planning philosophy and experience, consumer insights and experience strategy, and the development of digital tools and processes to deliver  a distinctive client experience throughout a client’s journey. 

He serves on Northwestern Mutual’s Senior Leadership Team and sits on Northwestern Mutual’s Future Ventures investment committee. 

Mitchell joined Northwestern Mutual in 2006 and has served in a variety of leadership positions throughout the company. He formerly served as president of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, where he was responsible for Northwestern Mutual’s investment, advisory and trust solutions, fee-based financial planning, Investment Products and Services (IPS) product development, retail investment, and overall IPS business strategy. During his leadership, he managed $129 billion in client assets and led the company to impressive growth in advisory and private client services. 

Previously, he was vice president of corporate strategy, and spearheaded Northwestern Mutual’s venture capital efforts – including its investment in automated advice firm Betterment and the acquisition of LearnVest. He also led Northwestern Mutual’s investment in ClientWise, a premier business and executive coaching and consulting firm for financial professionals that now helps the company’s more than 5,000 financial advisors develop and grow  their businesses. Christian started his career at Northwestern Mutual as part of the Managed Investments team, helping manage company assets through its general account to maintain financial strength for policyowners.

Mitchell holds a B.A. from Indiana University and an MBA in finance from Yale University’s Yale School of Management. He serves on the board of directors  for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and is an avid sailor. Christian and his wife are the proud parents of five children.

Mike joined Moody’s in September 2017 and is currently responsible for covering the property & casualty insurance sector, including personal and commercial insurers, reinsurers, brokers and title insurers. He brings to this role a wide range of experience in the equity and credit markets, having worked as a sell-side and buy-side equity analyst covering financials, especially insurance, as well as a credit analyst.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Mike was co-head of research of a start-up research operation for UBS Wealth Management and also covered the financial sector. Before joining the buy-side, Mike was an equity analyst, primarily covering the property & casualty sector, at Sandler O’Neill + Partners, ABN Amro, and Hoefer & Arnett, now part of Raymond James. Before receiving his graduate degree, Mike worked as a financial analyst at the Industrial Bank of Japan and the Banc of California.

Mike received his MBA with an emphasis in Investments and International Finance from the University of Notre Dame, and a BS with a focus in Finance from the University of Southern California. Mike is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and member of the New York Society of Securities Analysts and the CFA Institute.

Rory supports Munich Re - a leading provider of cyber insurance and reinsurance solutions - on accumulation risk management, risk modelling and actuarial topics. An area of particular strategic focus is on identifying and quantifying sources of systemic cyber risk, toward ensuring that the cyber insurance market can grow sustainably. He was previously Insurance Risk Manager and Financial Lines Lead Reserving Actuary at AIG Europe. He has previously chaired the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries’ Cyber Risk Working Party and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary.

Assistant Special Agent in-Charge (ASAC) Richard T. Jacobs leads the Cyber Branch in the FBI’s New York office.  The branch investigates national security and criminal cyber matters and responds to cyber incidents in the New York metropolitan area.  In 2014, Mr. Jacobs helped establish the Financial Cyber Crimes Task Force, a multiagency initiative targeting cyber crime and technology-based fraud schemes.

Following graduation from the FBI Academy in 1999, Mr. Jacobs was assigned to New York where he investigated a variety of securities fraud matters.  From 2002 to 2005 he played the role of a corrupt stock broker in a market manipulation undercover operation which resulted in the convictions of 49 individuals.  In June 2010, he was selected to lead a Manhattan-based securities fraud unit which handled the Bernard L. Madoff and the Galleon Group insider trading investigations.  He was named Assistant Special Agent in-Charge in October 2014. 

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Jacobs was a risk manager on Wall Street.  He holds a Master’s Degree in information technology from Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated with highest distinction, and an MBA with a concentration in finance. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional and a Certified Information Security Manager.

Oli has spent over twenty years focused on cyber insurance as an underwriter and leader in the insurance market before becoming part of the co-founding Leadership team at CyberCube in 2018. He heads up Client Success to enable clients to make better capital and risk decisions using CyberCube products. He has worked in the London and New York insurance markets for companies such as Hiscox, Liberty Mutual and Aspen, where he was global head of cyber risk. The role and impact of data analytics in cyber risk and insurance is one he has been focused on for several years, along with the intersection and mutual benefits of cyber security and insurance. He is author of recent white papers including “Understanding Ransomware trends” and “Viruses, contagion and tail risk: modelling cyber risk in the age of pandemics”.

Ashit Talukder is the Head of Machine Learning at Moody’s Analytics. He leads AI, Machine Learning (ML) strategy and new AI and ML Initiatives at Moody’s Analytics to enable faster, better decisions through automation and data-driven solutions. His team develops new AI- and ML-driven products, solutions, and capabilities for risk analytics, prediction, forecasting, workflow automation, and human-machine collaborative systems that improve analytics insights from structured and unstructured data. His career of more than 20 years includes leading AI, ML, and computer vision research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and leading the NIST Data Science Initiative with a division of over 100 researchers and engineers. He has a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University.

Richard Xu, VP and Actuary, is the Head of Global Data Science to lead a global data scientist team at RGA. He is responsible for developing applications of advanced statistics and artificial intelligence, and providing data-based business solutions for RGA’s clients. Richard has been with RGA for 13 years and has been one of the key leaders in developing RGA’s data analytics strategy and capability. Richard has presented numerous times at various insurance industry conferences and seminars, and has published a number of articles and research papers.

Gordon serves as Head of Product for "Sensor Solutions by HSB", an award-winning Commercial IoT solution that predicts and prevents losses due to water leaks, frozen pipes, and equipment breakdown. In his role, Gordon is driving the vision, strategy, and roadmap for HSB’s Commercial IoT product, transforming how emerging technology combines with insurance for over 20 different business classes, including apartments/condos, schools, and office buildings.  In addition, Gordon directs the Marketing efforts for HSB Applied Technology Solutions, which includes Industrial IoT, Commercial IoT, and Emerging Risk Solutions.

Gordon holds an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and B.S. degrees in Finance and International Business from the University of Maryland. His thoughts on innovation, design, and Internet of Things have been featured in Fast Company and Harvard Business Review.

Jonathan Silverman is a Director in Microsoft’s US Financial Services Industry Group focused on Insurance industry solutions related to Risk, Core Systems, AI, Data Analytics and the Internet of Things. He has 25+ years’ experience in the Financial Services Industry with a strong background in Insurance, ERP, Data Strategy, Solution Selling and Strategic Consulting. Prior Microsoft, he serviced the Financial Services Industry with roles in Sales, Management and Consulting with Cap Gemini, Ernst and Young, and Wipro as well as a few Financial Services based start-ups.

In his current role, Jonathan works closely with Industry Customers and Solution Providers to establish a public cloud strategy related to improving the overall Risk Management, Underwriting and Claims processes. He helps customers understand the value of technology as an enabler by demonstrating the value of Public Cloud resources to enable and enhance Industry solutions. He also works closely with customers to evaluate and enhance data strategies and solutions using Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics.

He can be reached directly at jonathan.silverman@microsoft.com.

Bruce Ballentine is a Vice President – Senior Credit Officer in the insurance rating group at Moody’s Ratings. He is the lead analyst for several major property & casualty insurers as well as insurance brokers and service companies. He also writes and speaks on various insurance industry themes. Bruce has worked at Moody’s since 2005 and in 1991-1995, and has done insurance related work at ABN AMRO Bank and The Bank of New York. Bruce holds a BA in geology from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Wayne  Peacock  is  the  president  and  chief  executive  officer  of USAA,  with  more  than  30  years  of  experience  at  the  company. Founded  in  1922  as  an  insurance  association  serving  military families,  USAA  is  one  of  America’s  leading  financial  services companies. It  offers  insurance,  banking,  and  investment  and retirement solutions to its more than 13 million members. The company is headquartered in San Antonio, with offices in the U.S. and Europe, and owns assets of approximately $200billion.

A proud USAA member for more than 30 years, Peacock joined the company in 1988 in its real estate investment subsidiary and has served on the Executive Council since 2006. During his tenure at USAA, he has led teams across the organization, including contact centers,    information    technology,    shared    services,    strategy,    marketing    and communications, security, and corporate real estate. Before becoming CEO in February 2020, Peacock was president of USAA’s Property & Casualty Insurance Group, the fifth-largest auto insurance carrier and third-largest homeowners insurance carrier.

USAA  ranks  94th  on  the  Fortune  500  and  27th  on  Fortune’s  World’s  Most  Admired Companies  and  sixth  on  its  America's  Best  Employers  for  Veterans  2020  list.  The company is committed to giving at least 1% of its pre-tax income to nonprofits, with 60% prioritized for military causes. 

Peacock is a member of USAA’s Board of Directors and USAA’s Federal Savings Bank Board of Directors. He is a member of the Business Roundtable(BRT), an association of CEOs of America’s leading companies, and an inaugural member of the Federal Reserve Board’s Insurance Policy Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of  The  Institutes, a risk  management  and  insurance  knowledge  provider,  and  on  the Board  of  Directors  for  the  Insurance  Information  Institute. He is active  in  community, industry and trade groups, and is a proud Eagle Scout.

Peacock graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He has completed executive education programs at Harvard, Duke and Stanford universities and the American Institute of CPCU Executive Education Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Fruchter is a Vice President – Senior Credit Officer in the Financial Institutions Group of Moody’s Investors Service. Michael is responsible for a portfolio of U.S. life insurance companies and has more than20 years of life insurance experience. Prior to joining Moody’s, Michael worked as an actuary in KPMG’s Financial Risk Management group.  

Michael holds a B.A. in mathematics from Yeshiva University. He is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a CFA charter-holder. 

Eric Steigerwalt is the president and chief executive officer of Brighthouse Financial. Brighthouse Financial was established by MetLife in 2016 and is a major provider of annuity and life insurance solutions in the U.S.

Prior to his current role, Steigerwalt was executive vice president of MetLife’s U.S. Retail business. He was appointed to this position in February 2012. During 2012, Steigerwalt also served as MetLife’s interim chief financial officer.

Steigerwalt held multiple leadership roles at MetLife over the course of 18 years. He served as chief financial officer for MetLife’s U.S. businesses, as well as the company’s corporate treasurer. Steigerwalt began his tenure at MetLife in 1998, managing many of the operational aspects of MetLife’s demutualization and IPO, and went on to become the company’s first head of investor relations.

Before joining MetLife, Steigerwalt worked in finance at the Equitable Companies and at the Fossett Corporation where he was a derivatives trader.

Steigerwalt is the chairman, president and CEO of Brighthouse Life Insurance Company. He serves on the board of directors for the American Council of Life Insurers and the Wells Fargo Championship’s Champions for Education foundation and is a member of the executive committee for the Learning Society at Queens University of Charlotte. Steigerwalt is also executive sponsor of Brighthouse Financial Scholar Connections and will be chairman of the foundation board.

Steigerwalt graduated from Drew University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Sarah Hibler is an Associate Managing Director in the Property and Casualty Group at Moody’s Ratings. She is responsible for managing analysts who cover a broad array of P&C insurers, reinsurers and insurance brokers. Prior to joining Moody’s in 1997, Ms. Hibler was a senior manager in the mergers & acquisitions practice of Deloitte & Touche LLP in New York City. At Deloitte & Touche, she also worked for a number of years in both the New York and London offices providing auditing and consulting services to insurance companies.

Ms. Hibler holds a degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Weston M. Hicks is the Chief Executive Officer of Alleghany Corporation, a New York-based holding company whose principal operating businesses are in the commercial property and casualty reinsurance and insurance industries.

Mr. Hicks joined Alleghany Corporation in October of 2002 as Executive Vice President, and became CEO in December of 2004.  Prior to joining Alleghany Corporation, Mr. Hicks was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for The Chubb Corporation, from March of 2001 through September of 2002.

From March, 1991 through March, 2001, Mr. Hicks was an equity research analyst covering the property and casualty and multiline insurance industry.  From 1991 through 1999 he was with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., Inc., and from February of 1999 through March of 2001 he was with J.P. Morgan Securities.  While an analyst, Mr. Hicks was ranked as the #1 property and casualty industry analyst by Institutional Investor magazine for seven consecutive years.

From March of 1986 through March of 1991, Mr. Hicks was an Associate Director with Moody’s Investors Service, where he was responsible for the firm’s global credit ratings of insurance companies.  From June of 1982 through March of 1986 Mr. Hicks was a commercial banker, primarily with Bank of America.  Mr. Hicks started his career in June of 1979 as an accountant with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.

Mr. Hicks is a chartered financial analyst, and was a certified public accountant until converting to inactive status following his career in public accounting.  He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Economics from Lehigh University.  He was elected Phi Beta Kappa while at Lehigh.  Mr. Hicks is a member of the New York Society of Securities Analysts, a member of The CFA Institute, and a past President of the Association of Insurance and Financial Analysts.