Six Thousand Delegates Expected At Europe’s Largest InsurTech Conference, As It Opens In London

More than 6000 delegates are expected to attend Insurtech Insights Europe 2024, which opens tomorrow in London.

Now in its fifth year, 2024 has been the busiest yet for the conference, with ticket sales exceeding those sold in 2023.

The event, which is taking place at the InterContinental London – The O2, is showcasing a number of world-leading speakers, who are leading the discussion on a wide range of key topics from the latest developments in AI, underwriting technologies, climate solutions, risk and much more.

More than 400 speakers and an estimated 20,000 meetings, will be taking place over the two-day conference, which sees the world’s biggest names in insurance converge annually in central London.

Conference opens with Keynote by Ericson Chan

Ericson Chan, Group Chief Information & Digital Officer at Zurich Insurance, is opening the conference, with a keynote speech entitled:  The neXt for Insurance, in the Age of Hyperinnovation. 

In a recent interview with Insurtech Insights, Chan spoke about challenges facing the industry, saying: “When it comes to digitisation of processes, how we digitally engage our customers and how we use our data, we have a lot of great tools built up already.

“Currently, the biggest question we’re facing is how to leverage this strong network of existing digital capabilities as a group that is spread across the globe.”

Zurich’s Group Head of AI, Dr. Christian Westermann, is taking to the Blue stage to explore the latest opportunities for the insurance industry in a session entitled: Unlocking the Power of (Gen.) AI: How The Insurance Industry Can Stay Ahead of the Curve

Known for his charismatic approach, he is a technology enthusiast with a background in space missions for ESA and NASA during the 90s. His expertise includes building satellite-based instruments, signal detection, and exploring the origins of our solar system through physics, data, and modelling.

Commenting on the AI revolution – and why the industry must stay abreast of change. He said: “Generative AI is profoundly transforming the entire insurance value chain. Trust will be crucial in this journey and success hinges on seamlessly aligning and integrating reusable AI technology with safe, responsible AI practices.”

Sparring with Chatgpt

Lightening the technical mood, insurance leader Lisa Wardlaw will referee a sparring session between AI’s ChatGPT and Artur Niemczewski, Insurance NED’s CEO. The event made its debut during 2023’s conference, shortly after ChatGPT was launched.

This year, following a year of swift learning, the odds are stacked against Niemezewski winning the Q&A session, as he did last year.

She said: “The odds are shifting, and all bets are on! Will Artur Niemezewski defend his title, or will ChatGPT out manoeuvre him to take the crown? We want you to be a part of this thrilling sparring experience. Bring your own open-source AI contender and dive into the action.”

Other sessions exploring the impact of AI include:

• Insurance in the Gen AI Massively Adopted Future, with panellist Barbara Fernandez, Head of Insur_space. Disruptive Innovation at MAPFRE.
• How AI Will Shape the Role of The Underwriter in 2030 – with David Schapiro (formerly of Planck)
• Settling the AI Compliance Debate: Striking the Balance Between Innovation and Risk Mitigation with Ashok Krishnan, Chief Innovation, Data & Analytics Officer at AXA XL
• Debunking AI Myths: Coming Back to Reality – a discussion with Dr. Christian Westermann
• Emerging AI Risks, with Simon Torrance, Senior Partner at ARK Venture Studio

• How AI Is the Answer to Underwriting Emerging Risks – moderated by Sabine VanderLinden

Insurtech Insights Global Content Manager, Emil Hannesbo, said: “We are delighted to welcome these expert speakers to our stages. Through their sessions, they will provide actionable insights for the challenges of today, and inspire the industry to face the challenges of tomorrow head-on.”

Insurtech Insights CEO, Kristoffer Lundberg, said: “Our mission is to empower insurance professionals with actionable insights, inspiration and networking. Wherever we are in the world, we gather the best and brightest together so that they can exchange knowledge and encourage strategies that strengthen the future of the industry.”

He added: “I’m really excited about Insurtech Insights Europe 2024. It’s Europe’s largest insurtech conference, it’s our fifth time in London, and this year, it’s going to be even bigger and better than ever.”