Councilcast

“Relentless” is how Bob Klonk describes the work ethic that was born from a childhood of scrimping and settling and has driven him to strive to outwork everyone for more than 45 years. As The Council’s 2023 board chair, he joined Leader’s Edge for a conversation on the changes he has seen in the employee benefits industry, Oswald’s 2020 merger with Maryland-based RCM&D, leading through a pandemic, and his role in the greater Cleveland community.

A graduate of the University of San Diego, Bellanca studied accounting. We discuss how he got his start in insurance, what advice he would give to his younger self, and how a positive daily routine keeps him happy, healthy and motivated.

The personal and professional journey of Travelers executive Patrick Kinney.

Leader’s Edge caught up with Amrit David, managing director at Barclays, to discuss today’s market dynamics and how some macroeconomic conditions are impacting brokerage M&A going into the new year.

Bradley Plummer, senior vice president of employee benefits at Cottingham & Butler, shares how he went from an on-campus recruit to a long time insurance executive, and what it's like to have two sons play Division I college football.

Digging deeper into the concepts of inclusion and psychological safety, humanocracy, and the dangers of power, Farzad and Wright give leaders at all levels useful advice in this new age of humanness.

John Nelson, co-CEO of Warner Pacific, shares what inspired him to work in the insurance industry, the valuable lessons he has learned from historical figures, and the hobbies that help take his mind off work.

In our latest episode of the Leader’s Edge podcast, we speak with Dave Miles founding partner of ManchesterStory, an Iowa-based startup investor in the insurtech, fintech and health tech sectors. We talk with Miles about access to funding for diverse founders, what funding rounds might look like in the next year or so, and how Des Moines is a major insurance center with opportunities for numerous partnerships, including ManchesterStory's work with BrokerTech Ventures.

In this episode of Falling Into It, we meet Chris Senkbile, founder and CEO of Project Ferro, a client-first insurtech platform that uses data to create a digitally enabled customer experience.

An insightful, mixed-bag conversation with the former presidential candidate. Leader's Edge recently sat down with him to talk about the 2020 presidential election, big tech's role in disinformation, corporate social responsibility, climate change, the opioid crisis, and his plans for the future.

Vinnie Hager, president of JGS Insurance in Holmdel, New Jersey, talks about how his experience as an intern on Wall Street helped him realize a better life for himself in insurance. Hager also shares his love for sports and what inspired him to become a licensed charter boat captain.

Kacie Conroy, director of IT at M3 Insurance, has played a major role in the development of BrokerTech Ventures and the broker focused agenda at the major insurtech conference, InsureTech Connect (ITC). She shares her thoughts on tech development in the industry, how to reach future female talent at the start of their professional journey, and offers some sneak peeks from the upcoming BrokerTech Connect agenda at ITC.

Nolan Steenberg, solutions engineer at FIRST Insurance Funding, shares new developments in the digitization of premium financing, the importance of integrated systems, managing compliance and more.

Bill Johnson, founder, chairman and CEO of The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers, shares how he was able to combine his knowledge of risk assessment and passion for film to pave a unique career path.

Havoc Shield is a cyber company that helps small and midsize businesses prepare to meet the ever-stringent requirements for cyber coverage. We discuss how the cyber threat has changed for small and midsize businesses and the challenges they have even completing the application. For brokers, this means business just sitting in the pipeline.

A conversation with Joe Tocco, Chief Executive Officer of the Americas, AXA XL In our latest podcast, we speak with Joe Tocco, chief executive officer of the Americas for AXA XL. Our conversation revolves around the role environmental, social and governance (ESG) plays in companies’ decision-making, newly proposed ESG regulations and their potential effect on insurance carriers and the U.S. business community, and next steps the industry can take to evolve on these issues. Tocco also shares his personal experience with the social side of ESG, illustrating what happens when leadership truly understands diversity, equity and inclusion.

In this episode of Falling Into It, we meet Chris Moran, a senior underwriter of cyber, tech and media at Allianz Global Corporate Specialty. Moran, a young professional based in New York City, shares how he got into the field of underwriting, the role his internships played in paving his career path, and what he hopes to learn from Allianz' global underwriting exchange program—a unique opportunity to travel internationally and establish connections with different teams around the world.

The Council's government affairs team—Joel Wood, Joel Kopperud, and Blaire Bartlett—give us the latest on recent state legislative primaries, what a potential overturn of Roe v. Wade could mean for employers, and the push for transparency among pharmacy benefit managers.

Director of Employee Benefits at Bolton

Todd Thams, founder of Mod Advisor, just finished his in-person accelerator experience with BrokerTech Ventures and we are hearing firsthand what his team learned and how it will affect their business. We also talk a little workers comp.