Rise Together

“It’s amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit.”

NFL Hall of Famer and now highly successful business owner, Tony Boselli opened the conference with a masterclass in high-performing teams and how to build them.

Selfless teams rise highest

The ones that do it best aren’t interested in individual accolades – they’re too focused on the bigger picture and helping the team win to notice.

Thanks, Tony, for an excellent keynote address. You set the tone perfectly.

Climate change: adapting and protecting their operations in high-risk areas.

Geopolitical unrest: staying clear and grounded by their long-term vision through daily political uncertainty.

Cyber: balancing investment in innovation with security

Corporate accountability: developing a culture of care and doing right by their people.

Enterprise risk management: collaborating across teams to build a more resilient organization.

Thanks to Steve Piette (Oshkosh Corporation), Rebekah Rubino (Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation), and Liz Yovich (WBN).

Our talent and student discussed how firms can appeal to the next generation of talent. Here are some key takeaways:

Hero culture over compensation: young people aren’t looking for the highest salary – they’re more interested in whether you’re the right cultural fit.

Lend an ear: when young people feel heard, productivity sores. Train your managers to be great listeners.

Help rebrand the industry: show the amazing world of insurance and inspire young people to be a part of it.

Widen your recruitment pool: look at where you’ve traditionally hired, then add five new approaches. If you don’t, insurance will keep looking the same from the outside.

Thanks to Cate Furman (Hanover Search), Prof. Alvin Tillery, Jr. (Northwestern University), Prof. Adrian Randolph (Northwestern University), and Sierra Pierce (WBN).

Protecting people and property during natural catastrophes

WBN’s ecosystem includes specialist firms around the world who collaborate with and react for our clients as soon as a natural disaster hits.

We brought a number of them together in Chicago to discuss how firms can better protect their people and properties – pre-, during and post-event.

Plan, communicate, execute

Even with data modelling and forecasting advancing at pace, clients should never underestimate the power of getting the basics right.

Creating a clear plan that everyone understands, knowing where your people are, having clear lines of communication, and being decisive when the time comes.  

Thanks to Steve Drews (Moody’s) Frank Harrison (World Travel Protection) David Rix (GRC) and Ken Tolson (Crawford).

Proactive ERM strategies for risk and benefits

Enterprise risk management is one of the hottest acronyms for our clients right now. Rising tariffs are the big risk putting strategies to the test, so it was great to hear from our panel on how clients are adapting.

WBN eases the ERM pressure

The ERM risk landscape is constantly on the move. But our panel were quick to point out that clients don’t have to know everything. They just have to have access to everything. That’s where the power of our network comes in.

Thanks to Rosa Pan (Zurich), Scott Davis (EPIC), Duane Lohn (B Riley), Oliver Schell (GEA Group), and Jen Blair (WBN).

Reputational risks facing the insurance industry

There’s no doubt the intention around ESG and reputational risk has shifted dramatically in recent years.

Our panel see that drive for change only accelerating as the industry continues to evolve and the next generation brings new purpose and passion to the industry.

Insurance needs to amplify its impact

The insurance industry does so much good in the world, and Melissa-Anne Duncan of the IICF believes businesses need to do more to communicate their success stories:

“We do so much as an industry. If we get our arms around it, and really amplify what we’re doing, we have so much room to grow.”

Thanks to Melissa-Anne Duncan (IICF), David Haas (CNA), Nick Howarth (Mattioli Woods) and Shane Carter (WBN)