AM Best


AM Best Executives to Participate at Vermont Captive Insurance Association’s Annual Conference


CONTACTS:

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644
james.peavy@ambest.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OLDWICK - JULY 23, 2019 11:06 AM (EDT)
AM Best will participate in the 2019 Vermont Captive Insurance Association Conference in multiple capacities, including as a platinum sponsor of the event. Senior AM Best analysts will participate in panel discussions focused on talent challenges in the captive industry, as well as how innovation is becoming a key driver of industry change. The event takes place Aug. 5-8, 2019, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Burlington VT.

Susan Molineux, director, will join a session, titled, “Developing the Next Generation of Captive Industry Leaders,” on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 1:45 p.m. (EDT). The session will explore what the captive industry is doing to attract and retain new talent as part of an organization’s succession planning, with a focus on how millennials are transforming the workplace. As this demographic represents the largest generation in the U.S. workforce, the presentation will look at what inspires and motivates millennials, and strategies for managing them. Molineux manages a team of property/casualty analysts who evaluate the ratings of captive and title companies. She also has followed global reinsurance organizations, as well as U.S.-based medical professional liability and excess and surplus companies. Prior to joining AM Best, Molineux worked for nearly a decade as an insurance regulator at the Bermuda Monetary Authority.

On Thursday, Aug. 8, John Andre, managing director, will participate on a panel, titled, “Innovation Spotlight: Innovative Uses of Captives.” Andre will join executives in the captive industry to discuss how risk managers and captive owners should consider innovative solutions to problems and to manage risk. He will specifically discuss how organizations can measure their innovation efforts by highlighting AM Best’s views on innovation and its draft criteria procedure, titled, “Scoring and Assessing Innovation.” The session takes place at 11 a.m. (EDT). Andre has more than 30 years’ experience with AM Best and is responsible for a broad array of U.S., Canada, Bermuda and Caribbean-based property/casualty writers focused on national personal lines and local and regional coverages, as well as workers’ compensation, professional liability, excess and surplus, specialty commercial, captives and title companies.

Fred Eslami, associate director in AM Best’s property/casualty rating division, and Christine Girandola, manager of regional sales, advertising, will host VCIA Learning Circles at the conference. During a Learning Circle, members share their captive industry insights and experiences with fellow members with the aim of gaining new industry perspectives to apply to their own organizations. Eslami and Girandola’s Learning Circle will take place Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 7:30-8:30 a.m. (EDT) in the Providence Ballroom.

Brad Mazur, managing director, head of business development, will deliver brief remarks during the Captive Immersion Sessions on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, at 3 p.m. (EDT). Jim Fowler and Alan Kandel, business development managers, and Arthur Snyder IV, business development associate, also will attend and are available to discuss the commercial aspects of and the process for initiating a Best’s Credit Rating. To arrange a meeting, email alan.kandel@ambest.com, jim.fowler@ambest.com or arthur.snyderIV@ambest.com.

AM Best is a longtime sponsor of the VCIA conference, which offers a multitude of seminars focused on captive insurance trends and networking opportunities. AM Best will exhibit at booth No. 32 at the conference, and visitors to the booth can learn about the rating agency, its role in the insurance industry and the resources it offers to insurance professionals, including Best’s Credit Ratings, insurance data and analysis resources and financial data products. AMBestTV also will provide video coverage of the conference. For daily reports, panel discussions and executive interviews, visit http://www.ambest.tv and look for the VCIA playlist under the “Conferences 2019” tab during the event.

AM Best is a trusted source of insurance market insight and data, and the only global credit rating agency with a unique focus on the insurance industry. Best’s Credit Ratings are a recognized indicator of insurer financial strength and creditworthiness.