16th International Conference

Building resilience
in an uncertain world

Speakers

Kathryn Carlson

Senior Finance Reporter, POLITICO

Kathryn Carlson

Senior Finance Reporter, POLITICO

Politico

Kathryn is a senior finance reporter for POLITICO, based in Brussels, where she covers EU policy on banking and capital markets and co-writes the daily Morning Financial Services newsletter. She is recognised for breaking news on major EU financial policy developments and for her reporting on senior leadership races and market integration initiatives.

Current Positions

  • Senior Finance Reporter, POLITICO
  • Co-writer, Morning Financial Services newsletter
  • Moderator of high-level events on EU financial affairs
  • Commentator on EU affairs on podcasts and live radio

Previous Positions

  • Reporter, MLex
  • Reporter, Reuters
  • Reporter, The Times of London

Expertise

  • EU banking policy
  • Capital markets policy
  • Market integration and supervision
  • Financial services journalism and political reporting

Education

  • Degree in English Literature, University of Oxford

Patrick Davison

Director of Class Underwriting Performance and Solutions, Lloyd’s

Patrick Davison

Director of Class Underwriting Performance and Solutions, Lloyd’s

Lloyd’s

Patrick Davison is an underwriting performance specialist with extensive experience supporting the Lloyd’s market’s underwriting community. He currently serves as Director of Class Underwriting Performance and Solutions at Lloyd’s, where he supports sustainable underwriting performance across the lines of business written in the Lloyd’s market.

Current Position

  • Director of Class Underwriting Performance and Solutions, Lloyd’s

Responsibilities

  • Supports sustainable underwriting performance across the lines of business written in the Lloyd’s market
  • Ensures underwriting opportunities from existing and new market participants align with Lloyd’s strategic objectives
  • Helps maintain the attractiveness of Lloyd’s as an underwriting platform

Previous Positions

  • Underwriting Director, Lloyd’s Market Association
  • Supported the Lloyd’s market’s underwriting community at the Lloyd’s Market Association for 10 years

Frédéric de Courtois

President, Insurance Europe

Frédéric de Courtois

President, Insurance Europe

Insurance Europe, AXA Climate, AXA Group CEO

Frédéric de Courtois is a senior leader in the European insurance sector with extensive experience across strategy, finance, operations, risk, and underwriting. An actuary by training, he currently serves as President of Insurance Europe, Chairman of AXA Climate, and Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of the AXA Group.

Current Positions
• President, Insurance Europe (since May 2024)
• Chairman, AXA Climate
• Senior Advisor to Thomas Buberl, Chief Executive Officer of the AXA Group

Previous Positions
• Deputy CEO, AXA Group, in charge of Finance, Operations, Strategy, Risks, and Underwriting
• Member, AXA Group Management Committee
• General Manager, Generali Group, overseeing central functions and strategy implementation
• Deputy CEO, AXA Re and AXA Corporate Solutions
• Chief Financial Officer, AXA Japan
• Deputy CEO, AXA Japan
• CEO, AXA Italy, Greece and Serbia
• M&A Expert, UAP
• Began his career at CGI

Education
• Graduated from Telecom ParisTech (1990)
• Graduated from Collège des Ingénieurs (1991)
• Actuary

Stephen Frank

President, GFIA and President & CEO, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association

Stephen Frank

President, GFIA and President & CEO, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association

CLHIA

Stephen Frank is President and CEO of the CLHIA, bringing over 20 years of public and private sector experience to the role. He advocates on behalf of Canada’s life and health insurance sector for policies and perspectives that support a sound and successful insurance system for the benefit of all Canadians.

Current Positions

  • President and CEO, CLHIA
  • President, Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA)

Previous Positions

  • Board Member, Canadian Drug Insurance Pooling Corporation (2013–2019)
  • Senior roles in global transaction banking and financial strategy at a major bank
  • Economist, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance Canada, Ottawa

Education

  • Master’s of Finance, University of Cambridge
  • B.A. (Honours) in Economics, Queen’s University

Steven Hardy

Director and Head, L&H Ireland & Canada at Hannover Re (Ireland) DAC

Steven Hardy

Director and Head, L&H Ireland & Canada at Hannover Re (Ireland) DAC

L&H Ireland & Canada at Hannover Re (Ireland) DAC

Steven Hardy is an experienced reinsurance executive and actuary specialising in life and health, financial solutions, and risk management. He currently serves as Director, Head of Life & Health Ireland & Canada at Hannover Re, a role he assumed in June 2025. Based in the Dublin subsidiary, he leads one of the group’s key hubs for developing the Financial Solutions business in Europe.

Current Position
• Director, Head of Life & Health Ireland & Canada, Hannover Re (since June 2025)

Previous Positions
• Chief Risk Officer and Head of Actuarial Function, Hannover Re (Ireland) DAC
• Held various actuarial and risk roles at Hannover Re over more than 20 years

Areas of Expertise
• Financial Solutions
• Capital and solvency
• Risk management
• Actuarial leadership
• Oversight of large and complex transactions
• Solvency II implementation
• Internal capital model development

Education
• Degree in Actuarial Science, Bayes Business School, University of London (2000)

John Huff

President and CEO, ABIR

John Huff

President and CEO, ABIR

ABIR

John Huff is President & CEO of the Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR). He leads the association’s global public policy, regulatory, advocacy, and education initiatives and brings extensive leadership experience from both the public and private sides of the insurance and reinsurance sector.

Current Position

  • President & CEO, Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR)

Previous Positions

  • President, National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) (2016)
  • Director, Missouri Department of Insurance
  • Member, U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC)
  • Executive positions with leading global insurers and reinsurers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Switzerland
  • Adjunct Professor of Insurance Law, Washington University
  • Adjunct Professor of Insurance Law, St. Louis University
  • Practising attorney

Education

  • JD, Washington University School of Law
  • MBA, St. Louis University

Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer

President-elect of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and Director, Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation

Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer

President-elect of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and Director, Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation

Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation

Beth Dwyer is an insurance regulation expert with extensive experience across private law practice, state government, and national insurance policy. She currently serves as Superintendent of Insurance and Director of Business Regulation for the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation and is actively engaged in leading insurance regulatory bodies in the United States and internationally.

Current Positions

  • Superintendent of Insurance, Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation
  • Director of Business Regulation
  • President-Elect, National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
  • NAIC representative to the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC)
  • Member, Executive Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS)
  • Member, Rhode Island Artificial Intelligence Task Force (AITF) Government Fact Finding Team

Previous Positions

  • General Counsel, Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation – Insurance Division
  • Associate Director, Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation
  • Private law practitioner in California and Rhode Island, specialising in litigation and insurance regulation
  • Chair, NAIC Property & Casualty (C), Financial Condition (E), and Financial Regulation Standards and Accreditation (F) Committees
  • Board Member, National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR)
  • Officer, Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission (IIPRC)
  • President, Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association

Education

  • JD, Pepperdine University (1985)
  • BA in Political Science and Public Administration, Providence College (1982)

Pravina Ladva

Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Swiss Re

Pravina Ladva

Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Swiss Re

Pravina Ladva is Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer and a member of the Group Executive Committee, a role she has held since January 2022. She brings extensive experience in financial technology, digital transformation, and operational leadership, with a career spanning banking, payments, and insurance. Over the course of her career, she has led strategy, technology, operations, and change programmes across a range of business areas.

Current Position

  • Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer and Member of the Group Executive Committee (since January 2022)

Previous Positions

  • Group Digital Transformation Officer, Swiss Re (from July 2020)
  • Chief Technology and Operations Officer for iptiQ, Swiss Re (from 2017)
  • COO Digital Marketplace, Barclaycard
  • CIO Barclaycard Business Solutions
  • Various roles at Barclaycard, leading B2B and B2B2C technology and change teams, including the build and launch of a digital marketplace platform in the UK
  • Various roles at Abbey National/Santander, with responsibility for strategy, delivery, and financial results in the financial technology sector

Andreas Milidonis

Professor of Finance and Head of the Department of Accounting & Finance, University of Cyprus

Andreas Milidonis

Professor of Finance and Head of the Department of Accounting & Finance, University of Cyprus

University of Cyprus

Andreas Milidonis is Professor of Finance and Head of the Department of Accounting & Finance at the University of Cyprus. His work focuses on risk management, corporate finance, compensation incentives, information intermediaries, insurance economics, and actuarial science, and he has published extensively in leading finance, insurance, and actuarial journals.

Current Positions

  • Professor of Finance, University of Cyprus
  • Head of the Department of Accounting & Finance, University of Cyprus
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Risk and Insurance (since 2022)

Previous Positions

  • Academic appointment, Insurance Risk and Finance Research Centre, Nanyang Business School, NTU Singapore
  • Academic appointment, Manchester Business School
  • Consulting projects in the US, UK, and Europe in bank risk assessment, risk management, insurance valuation, pension valuation, and business analytics
  • Contributor to financial education modules delivered in private secondary schools and public high schools in Cyprus

Education

  • Ph.D. in Risk Management & Insurance, Georgia State University
  • Actuarial Science degree with Minor in Mathematics, Pennsylvania State University

Mario Nava

Director General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Mario Nava

Director General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Mario Nava is Director-General of DG EMPL at the European Commission. He has held several senior leadership roles within the European institutions, including serving previously as Director-General of DG REFORM and in Director and Head of Unit positions in the Directorate-General for Financial Services. He also served as President of the Italian Financial Market Authority. Alongside his institutional roles, he is active in academia and teaches at Bocconi University and at Solvay Business School. In 2023, he was awarded the title of Bocconi Alumnus of the Year.

Current Position

  • Director-General, DG EMPL, European Commission

Previous Positions

  • Director-General, DG REFORM, European Commission
  • Director and Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Financial Services, European Commission
  • President, Italian Financial Market Authority

Academic Roles & Recognition

  • Lecturer, Bocconi University
  • Lecturer, Solvay Business School
  • Bocconi Alumnus of the Year (2023)

Felipe Navarro

Corporate Director of Investor Relations, Capital Markets and M&A, Mapfre and Vice-Chair of Insurance Europe Life & Pensions Committee

Felipe Navarro

Corporate Director of Investor Relations, Capital Markets and M&A, Mapfre and Vice-Chair of Insurance Europe Life & Pensions Committee

Felipe Navarro is a senior insurance and financial services executive with extensive experience in acquisitions, bancassurance, investor relations, capital markets, and corporate treasury. Since joining MAPFRE Group in 2002, he has held a range of leadership positions in Spain and internationally, contributing to the Group’s M&A activity, bancassurance development, and management of strategic interests abroad.

Current Positions

  • Corporate Director of M&A, Capital Markets, Investor Relations and Treasurer, MAPFRE S.A. (since 1 January 2024)
  • Responsible for Investor Relations, MAPFRE (since April 2021)
  • Corporate Director of Capital Markets, MAPFRE S.A. (since April 2021)
  • Treasurer, MAPFRE S.A. (since April 2021)

Previous Positions

  • President and CEO, MAPFRE Middlesea p.l.c. (from 2015)
  • Managed MAPFRE Group’s interests in Malta
  • Deputy General Manager for Investees and Institutional Relationships, Bancassurance Coordination Area, MAPFRE Group
  • Oversaw the establishment of new bancassurance alliances for MAPFRE Group
  • Contributed to the integration of insurance and pension companies into MAPFRE Group activities
  • Worked in the Acquisitions Department, MAPFRE Group, participating in M&A activity in Spain and abroad

Background

  • Born in Madrid in 1966
  • Joined MAPFRE Group in May 2002

Violaine Raybaud

Deputy CEO, Descartes Insurance

Violaine Raybaud

Deputy CEO, Descartes Insurance

Descartes Insurance

Violaine Raybaud is Deputy CEO of Descartes Insurance and a recognised leader in the insurance and reinsurance sector. With 15 years of experience spanning Life to P&C, and Direct to Reinsurance across global markets, she is dedicated to leveraging technology to build societal and economic resilience against climate and emerging risks.

Current Position

  • Deputy CEO, Descartes Insurance

Previous Positions

  • Strategic and underwriting roles, Swiss Re
  • Strategic and underwriting roles, AXA entities across Europe and the Middle East

Education

  • Actuarial degree, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris
  • Engineering degree, École des Mines de Paris

Manuel Andre Richter

Co-Founder Director, Luxelare and Ayiko

Manuel Andre Richter

Co-Founder Director, Luxelare and Ayiko

Luxelare and Ayiko

Manuel A. Richter is an experienced German entrepreneur who has lived in Mexico for nearly 23 years and has worked across a range of sectors, including renewable energy, mining, commodity trading, and agricultural technology. He is the co-founder of Luxelare, a Mexican agrotech/insurtech company dedicated to modernising agriculture through data-driven and sustainable practices.

Current Positions

  • Co-Founder, Luxelare
  • Entrepreneur active in agrotech and insurtech innovation in Mexico
  • Working on the launch of Luxelare’s first agricultural insurance product, a 100% digital, multi-risk parametric hybrid in Mexico

Previous and Ongoing Experience

  • Extensive business experience in renewable energy, mining, commodity trading, and agricultural technology
  • Co-founded Luxelare in 2015
  • Helped establish Luxelare as the first certified B Corporation in the Mexican agricultural sector
  • Led the company’s recognition as one of the most innovative companies in Mexico in 2020
  • Google AI Start-up alumni
  • Active member of the Micro Insurance Network

Areas of Focus

  • Digital innovation in agriculture
  • Sustainable agricultural practices
  • Agricultural insurance and insurtech
  • Parametric and hybrid insurance solutions

Fabian Rupprecht

CEO, Helvetia Baloise Group

Fabian Rupprecht

CEO, Helvetia Baloise Group

Helvetia Baloise Group

Fabian Rupprecht (1969, German/Swiss) has served as Group CEO since 2023. He studied business management at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Koblenz, Germany, with a specialisation in finance and controlling. He brings extensive international leadership experience across insurance and financial services, with senior executive roles spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and global markets.

Current Position

  • Group CEO (since 2023)

Previous Positions

  • CEO of International Insurance and Member of the Management Board, NN Group (2018–2023)
  • Regional CFO and CEO of Middle East and Africa, and Member of the Regional Executive Committee of AXA Emerging Markets (CEE, MAE, LATAM) (2016–2018)
  • Regional CFO and Member of the Regional Executive Committee, AXA Mediterranean Holding (2013–2016)
  • Member of the Global Life & Health Board and Head of AXA Global Life (2010–2013)
  • Member of the Executive Management, AXA Winterthur (2008–2010)
  • Held various positions within Colonia Group and AXA Group (1994–2018)

Education

  • Degree in Business Management, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Koblenz, Germany
  • Specialisation in Finance and Controlling

Alexander Sarrigeorgiou

Vice-President of Insurance Europe, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Eurolife FFH

Alexander Sarrigeorgiou

Vice-President of Insurance Europe, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Eurolife FFH

Insurance Europe, Eurolife FFH Insurance Group, Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies

Alexander Sarrigeorgiou is Vice-President of Insurance Europe and CEO of the Eurolife FFH Insurance Group. He is also Chairman of the Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies and brings extensive leadership experience from the insurance and asset management sectors in Greece and the United States.

Current Positions

  • Vice-President, Insurance Europe
  • CEO, Eurolife FFH Insurance Group
  • Chairman, Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies

Previous Positions

  • Senior executive positions in the insurance industry in Greece and the United States
  • Senior executive positions in the asset management industry in Greece and the United States
  • Board Member, Hellenic Institute for Insurance Studies
  • Member, Executive Board for EMEA, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
  • Chairman, Hellenic Advisory Board of South East European Studies (SEESOX), University of Oxford

Education

  • MBA in Finance, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
  • MSc in Civil Engineering, Columbia University
  • BSc in Civil Engineering, Columbia University

John Schindler

Secretary General, Financial Stability Board (FSB)

John Schindler

Secretary General, Financial Stability Board (FSB)

John Schindler is a financial stability and economic policy expert with extensive experience in central banking, international financial regulation, and academic research. He joined the Financial Stability Board (FSB) as Secretary General in February 2023, following more than 20 years at the Federal Reserve Board.

Current Position

  • Secretary General, Financial Stability Board (FSB)

Previous Positions

  • Senior Associate Director, Division of Financial Stability, Federal Reserve Board
  • Chief International Economist, US Treasury Department, during a secondment in the Global Financial Crisis
  • Seconded member, Financial Stability Board Secretariat, 2015-2016
  • Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University, for more than 15 years
  • Research author published in economic and finance journals

Education

  • PhD in Economics, University of Pennsylvania
  • Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics, Washington and Lee University

Andreas Schwarz

Head of Cabinet, Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva (Startups, Research and Innovation)

Andreas Schwarz

Head of Cabinet, Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva (Startups, Research and Innovation)

Andreas Schwarz has served as Head of Cabinet to Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva (Startups, Research and Innovation) since December 2024. He brings extensive experience from senior roles across the European Commission, with a background spanning budgetary policy, anti-fraud leadership, and economic analysis.

Current Position

  • Head of Cabinet to Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, Startups, Research and Innovation (since December 2024)

Previous Positions

  • Deputy Director-General, European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
  • Director for Revenue and Multiannual Financial Framework, Directorate-General for Budget
  • Head of Unit for MFF and Economic and Budgetary Analysis, Directorate-General for Budget

Expertise

  • European budget policy and multiannual financial framework
  • Economic and budgetary analysis
  • Anti-fraud governance and institutional oversight
  • Research, innovation, and startup policy

Education & Qualifications

  • Degree in Information and Communication Technologies
  • Degree in Economics, with specialisation in International Economics
  • Doctorate in Economics, University of Potsdam

Thea Utoft Høj Jensen

Director General, Insurance Europe

Thea Utoft Høj Jensen

Director General, Insurance Europe

Insurance Europe

Thea Utoft Høj Jensen is a leading voice in European and global insurance policy, with extensive experience across industry representation, public affairs, EU institutions, and financial services regulation. She currently serves as Director General of Insurance Europe, the European insurance and reinsurance federation, and as Secretary General of the Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA).

Current Positions

  • Director General, Insurance Europe
  • Secretary General, Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA)

Previous Positions

  • Senior Managing Director and Head of Financial Services in Brussels, FTI Consulting
  • Financial Services Counsellor, Danish Permanent Representation to the European Union
  • Led Council negotiations at attaché level for Denmark at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN)
  • Represented Denmark’s interests on key financial services issues
  • Special Advisor on EU Affairs, Danish Financial Supervisory Authority
  • Policy Officer, European Commission

Education

  • Master of Arts in Law, University of Copenhagen

Additional Engagement

  • Advocate for women’s rights, diversity, and equality in the workplace
  • Promotes equal opportunities within the financial sector

Eddy Vanbeneden

Managing Director, and Europe Head of Analytics, Guy Carpenter

Eddy Vanbeneden

Managing Director, and Europe Head of Analytics, Guy Carpenter

Analytics at Guy Carpenter

Eddy leads the Guy Carpenter Advisory practice in Continental Europe, bringing more than 30 years of experience across the reinsurance sector. His expertise spans the modelling and management of insurance and reinsurance risks, enterprise and capital management, regulatory developments, and the management of emerging risks.

Current Position

  • Head of Guy Carpenter Advisory, Continental Europe (since 2024)

Previous Positions

  • Head of GC Analytics, Continental Europe
  • Leadership roles in reinsurance companies
  • Leadership roles in reinsurance broking

Expertise

  • Modelling and management of insurance and reinsurance risks
  • Enterprise and capital management
  • Regulatory developments
  • Management of emerging risks

Education & Qualifications

  • Certified Actuary, Belgium Institute of Actuaries
  • Invited Lecturer, UCLouvain, Enterprise Risk Management and Emerging Risks

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