Profiles in Risk

March is Women's History Month.We end March by discussing diversity in insurance with a woman who knows quite a bit about the topic.Diversity in the workplace is an asset according to Deidre Wright. In this episode of Profiles in Risk, Deidre and I discussed, diversity, what it means (it's deeper than I thought), inclusion and how important it is to allow your employees the ability to allow their true, authentic personalities to be a diversifying asset in your organization's success. Even employees with purple can be your risk stars! HOW TO CONNECT WITH DEIDRE WRIGHT:LinkedInTwitter www.diversityinclusioninstitute.com BOOKS:Eat That Frog by Brian TracyOutwitting The Devil by Napolean HillStargirl by Jerry Spinelli 

Out of all the insurtech ideas sprouting in the market, I have yet to see anything that has the potential that blockchain has. In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Patrick Schmid of The Institutes' RiskBlock Alliance. Patrick is working with the insurance ecosystem to help them co-develop the blockchain platforms and technologies necessary for insurance to blossom in the next wave of innovation. HOW TO CONNECT WITH PATRICK SCHMID:LinkedInRiskBlock SiteEmail MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:EthereumGDPR RegulationsHyperLedgerB3iR3PRODUCTIVITY:SlackConfluenceGitHubTwitter BOOKS:The Rationale of Central Banking by Vera SmithIshmael: A Novel by Daniel QuinnMan's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl 

In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Garrett White, President of Blue Lime Group & Chris Prewit, co-director of the IIASA (Independent Insurance Agents of San Antonio). We discussed the current state of Independent Agencies, the future and how IIASA has piloted outreach programs for college and high school students to experience insurance and gain real-life experience.UPCOMING EVENTS: ELITExas - AI in Your Agency: Automate the boring stuff - March 30th, 2018 2018 TRADE FAIR - THE PEARL STABLE - April 5, 2018 CONNECT WITH GARRETT WHITE: LinkedIn CONNECT WITH CHRIS PRUITT: Email MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST: Embroker Bold Penguin Bold Penguin podcast with Ilya Bodner Ask Kodiak Podcast with Allan Egbert Cover podcast with Karn Soaroya BrokerLift podcast with Thomas Accardo National Alliance CISR DesignationStephen Covey Daily PlannerBOOKS MENTIONED: As a Man Thinketh by James Allen The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

David Milton is the founder and CEO of TelaClaims, based in Florida. In this episode we discussed the tech advancement of claims from an old paper based system to a modern tech based function. The mission of TelaClaims is to get claims closed properly as fast as possible. According to David, the only good claim is a closed claim and we discussed why that is. We also talked about what technologies are now being used in the claims adjustment process. We closed the conversation on the TelaClaims work culture and he offers free yoga and judo to his employees on the job site!HOW TO CONNECT WITH DAVID MILTON:LinkedInTelaClaims HomePage MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:Licensing Course (LMS Course) BOOKS:Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (founder of Zappos)Insuring Tomorrow by Tony Canas and Carly Burnham 

In this episode, Lisa Miller and I discuss regulators, regulations and how the insurance ecosystem can interrelate effectively with regulators. Lisa provides some advice on when (often) and how (engage and discuss) to work with regulators. Her advice is similar to what Trent Cooksley advised on how to pitch to investors...DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Make it easy for them to buy into your idea (rates, forms, products etc). Yes, regulators are human, and yes, they do like coffee. HOW TO CONNECT WITH LISA MILLER:LinkedInHome PageMENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:Florida Office of Insurance RegulationAssignment of Benefits (Wes Todd & I discussed this for an entire podcast recently)FHCF - Florida Hurricane Catastrophe FundBryan Koon - Director of Florida Division of Emergency ManagementBOOKS:A Regulator’s Introduction to the Insurance Industry

February was Insurance Careers Month. In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Chris Stanley, someone who is literally helping people to build an insurance career. Chris is an author, independent adjuster and the founder of IA Path, an online training company helping those who would like to build their own Independent Adjuster or Appraiser business. We discussed how to become an IA & more importantly, what successful IA's do and DON'T do.  MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:Jon Nastor & ProductivityJon & Jerod Morris' Showrunner PodcastCONNECT WITH CHRIS STANLEY:IA Path SiteLinkedInTwitter 

We finish Insurance Careers Month by speaking with an up and coming insurance professional. Cooper Cohen is an International Underwriter at CNA in Chicago. We discussed how he got into insurance, blockchain, insurtech and near the end of the recording Cooper describes the real challenge we as an industry face in trying to recruit college grads into insurance.

In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Kyle Nakatsuji, CEO of Clearcover, an auto insurer looking to deliver the right coverage, at the right time, so you can pay less. We discussed the challenges of auto insurance as a business, the challenges of insurance as a venture-backed investment & the what it means to be customer-centric.Kyle will be on a panel discussing customer centricity at the Insurance Nexus, Insurance AI and Analytics USA Summit in Chicago on June 27th & 28th. Use Discount code: INSNerds200 to get $200 off.

In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I speak with Trent Cooksley who is the head of open innovation at Markel Corp. Markel is a large insuance company, with a global presence, and Trent is in charge of exploring new technologies and innovation. We discuss the insurtech scene, how Trent filters the large (and ever growing) list of new technologies and companies. Trent also goes into how startups can be being successful ("take the bull by the horns") and how important it is for startups to find an internal corporate champion and how to sell their ideas. CONNECT WITH TRENT COOKSLEY:LinkedIn  DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:The similarities of an insurance company to an electric utility"Don't boil the ocean""Learn how to sell""Find a champion"  

In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Thomas Accardo of BrokerLift. BrokerLift helps brokers & agents digitize their products and services, creating a full eCommerce platform so that brokers don't have to become software developers. Like our prior guest, Thomas is from Canada and an immigrant into insurance. Thomas discusses loss leaders and other marketing concepts (his expertise) so that brokers can do what they do best while still growing and competing in a highly digital world.CONNECT WITH THOMAS ACCARDOLinkedInTwitter