Leader's Edge

Trucordia’s COO Michael Moran open up about the process of integrating acquired companies.Being a substantial brokerage acquirer in recent years, Trucordia is undergoing the multi-pronged process of integrating those acquired companies into one.From the tech stack to the branding to the culture, integration is a complicated process. This conversation gets under the hood of that work. 

During the 2025 Insurance Leadership Forum, Paul Kottler, president of U.S. Loss Adjusting for Crawford, discusses how claims adjusting has changed in recent years given the changing weather environment, and whether policyholder needs have changed as well. He also explains how advanced technology is being used in claims handling and what success looks like in this environment. 

In this episode of the Leader's Edge podcast, recorded live at The Council’s 2025 Insurance Leadership Forum, Dan Fortin, president of specialty insurance at QBE North America, dives into the intricacies of relationships in the specialty business.He describes how key relationships early in his underwriting career helped him to grow and understand the industry in new ways. He also discusses the challenges of building post-pandemic relationships, the importance of the broker-carrier relationship, and the importance of relationships in the complex specialty business.

At last month’s Insurance Leadership Forum, Leader’s Edge podcast host Zach Ewell sat down with Jochen Körner, CEO of Ecclesia Group, and Warren Downey, Group Chief Executive Officer of Specialist Risk Group, for a candid and wide-ranging conversation.The two leaders unpack how a major deal between their firms came together, offer sharp insights on the surge of brokers entering the continental European market, and reflect on how recent elections are reshaping their strategic priorities.

In this episode of our personal lines podcast series, Eric Diamond, President and CEO of Marshall+Sterling, shares how joining the military helped bring structure to his life, the lessons he learned while serving our country, and who inspires his leadership style.

Talking with Leader’s Edge onsite at the 2025 Insurance Leadership Forum, Darren Tasker, Head of Construction and Tom Houlihan, Head of Alternative risk transfer at Allianz Commercial, take a deep dive into the construction line of business.They discuss the current risk landscape, the risks of labor shortages and tariffs on construction, the rise of data centers and the challenges of insuring them, and the role of alternative risk transfer as a critical component in ensuring proper coverage for construction risk.  

London & International Insurance Brokers' Association Chief Executive Chris Croft sat down with the Leader's Edge podcast during the latest Insurance Leadership Forum to share key findings from The Innovation Imperative, a report from LIIBA, Gracechurch, and Trimstone Partners laying out brokers' key role in today's insurance value chain.

In this episode, Cyber Product Lead for E-Risk Services John Butler talks third-party risk, AI exposure, and more middle market cyber risk.The conversation covers the overall cyber threat landscape for medium-sized businesses, the growth of third-party risk, and new exposures coming from AI. We also discuss threat actors’ use of AI and how underwriters are responding.

In this episode of The Politics & Risk Podcast, Democratic Representative Adam Gray of California’s 13th Congressional District shares how the ongoing government shutdown is affecting his constituents—and what can be done to end it.The Council’s senior vice president Joel Kopperud, vice president of government affairs Blaire Bartlett, and director of government affairs Audra Jackson also join the conversation to break down how we got here.

With the last day of the conference buzzing around us, the Leader’s Edge podcast caught up with Rob Newbold, president of extreme event solutions at Verisk.He shared takeaways from Verisk’s latest Global Modeled Catastrophe Losses report, discussed how modeling has evolved to use new data and technology and respond to modern climate risk, and offered suggestions for better integration and use of advanced modeling in the insurance ecosystem.

Speaking with the Leader’s Edge podcast at the Insurance Leadership Forum, Julie Wood, CEO of QBE North America, discusses the culture of dialogue, thoughtful listening, and transparency that she is fostering at QBE.She shares candid learning experiences from her personal history that are truly valuable lessons for leaders everywhere.

Sitting down with Leader’s Edge during at the Insurance Leadership Forum, Mike Victorson, CEO of M3 Insurance and co-CEO of BrokerTech Ventures, takes us back to his first real leadership experience and all the way through to what the next five years of innovation could look like in the insurance industry. Don’t miss this conversation live from ILF!

In this episode of the Personal Lines podcast, Chad King, CEO of King Risk Partners, shares how his career pursuits led him from professional baseball to insurance, what its like running a small business, and shares stories of leadership and innovation.

Every October, millions of Americans flock to haunted house attractions, or "haunts" as they are also called, to be entertained.From theme parks to mom-and-pop operations, over 1,200 haunted attractions open their doors to scare seekers each year, according to the organization America Haunts. The haunted house industry generates $500 million in ticket sales annually, with an average of 8,000 guests per attraction and some locations employing dozens of scare actors. But in this business, the risks—like the devil—are in the details.For the Leader’s Edge podcast, market analyst and podcast producer Zach Ewell spoke with people who love working at scare attractions and people who insure them. They share the risks that put them in danger and the policies that protect them.

In this episode of the Personal Lines podcast, Curtis Barton, CEO of ALKEME, shares why he chose a career in insurance, what it was like building a business alongside his father, and the most valuable business lesson he’s learned along the way.

Nationwide’s John Anthony,  SVP, Contract P&C and Excess,  E&S Wholesale, discusses advanced data use in E&S underwriting.In this episode, we dive deep into advancements in data analysis in underwriting in excess and surplus lines.We discuss how the evolution of  third-party data and the use of  AI have helped turn raw data into usable information, change management and barriers to implementing advanced technology in underwriting, and what’s on the horizon in this changing field.  

AXA XL’s Head of Wholesale Solutions in the Americas Tim Whisler discusses growth, goals, and getting there.In our latest conversation with AXA XL, we discuss their focus on building out their wholesale solutions, including the programs segment, excess & surplus (E&S), and the wholesale underwriting unit.Topics include the value of the wholesale broker in complex risk markets, trends in E&S, and the importance of talent in achieving growth goals. 

Lisa Hawker, Regional COO of people solutions at Lockton, and the current chair of the Council of Employee Benefits Executives, and Jenn Walsh, Founder and CEO of Genuine Shift, sat down with Leader’s Edge at the 2025 Employee Benefits Leadership Forum.They share stories drawn from over 30 years each of experience, muse on trends, and focus on the future of employee benefits.  

Presidents, rock stars, and Super Bowl champions are just a few of Tom O’Neal’s subjects.Tom O’Neal's career has spanned over half a century. He made an early name for himself during the 1960s and ’70s, with photographs gracing the album covers of rock legends such as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Steppenwolf, B.B. King, John Denver, and many, many more.In addition to photographing the musicians and songwriters who defined a generation, Tom has spent the past two decades photographing events hosted by The Council. After wrapping up a conference, podcast Producer Zach Ewell sat down with Tom to discuss his history with The Council, how he gets his subjects to open up, and how he feels about the ever-changing media landscape.

A conversation with the Head of Global Insurance at Newfront.In this episode of the Personal Lines podcast, Ed Cha shares how his career path led to the insurance industry, says why he finds learning a reward for his job, and dives deep into the problem-solving intricacies of his role.