INNOVATE THIS – from the Travel & Health Insurance Series – is an in-person conference exploring the most important innovations happening across the travel insurance ecosystem.
Our packed conference agenda addresses innovation in product design; payments processing; insurance distribution; data management; claims handling; customer experience; traveller assistance; risk analysis, and much more.
Join us at INNOVATE THIS 2024 to hear what’s new in the travel insurance arena, network with those enabling innovations in this space – and be part of the future of travel insurance.
We’ll be announcing our 2024 speakers in due course, so check back here, or follow our LinkedIn company page for updates.
Here are just some of the incredible industry representatives who spoke at INNOVATE THIS 2023.
If you’re interested in speaking at INNOVATE THIS 2024, please get in touch.
Join us for the latest industry thinking, insightful presentations, stimulating panel sessions, and fireside chats that deep-dive on trending topics.
Learn from those at the forefront of travel insurance industry innovation. Share your own insights with other conference attendees. Network, connect and drive positive change in the industry – through exciting new collaborations.
We’ll be exploring innovation in travel insurance and IPMI product design and delivery, and answering questions such as – How is traveller protection evolving? Where do new partnership opportunities lie for travel insurers? How is process automation enhancing the insurance experience for travellers and expatriates? How is regulation set to affect the insurance landscape? Plus much, much more.
Innovate THIS 2023 – tickets
EARLY BIRD RATE – £895 – until 17 July
Register NOW and save over £250 on the full ticket cost
From conference information to intelligent networking, the event app is your go-to place for conference updates and connecting with fellow attendees.
The app’s AI-powered matchmaking allowed for intent-based connections – providing relevant and meaningful matches to participants in seconds. All with the aim of facilitating meaningful conversations.
Book meetings in the app, message attendees, visit exhibitors’ virtual exhibition booths, read speaker bios, see the full agenda, and receive alerts that will keep you in the loop on all things INNOVATE THIS before and during the event.
EARLY BIRD RATE (from 17 May) – £895
FULL TICKET PRICE (from 24 July) – £1150
Includes both conference days, all refreshments and lunches, inclusion in the event app, Stay & Play, and the THIS Industry Networking Party.
Insurers, reinsurers, brokers, distributors, insurtechs, fintechs, payments specialists, investors – and anyone working to accelerate growth and enable impactful innovation across the entire travel insurance value chain.
DOCK GALLERY is at the end of the quayside walkway. PLEASE USE THE ENTRANCE ON WAPPING LANE.
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Location
Located in the heart of East London’s thriving enterprise zone, Tobacco Dock is a former trading post situated within walking distance of Tower Bridge. Now a Grade 1 listed building, it’s set among one of the city’s most charismatic areas – Wapping.
The nearest Tube stations to Tobacco Dock are:
Shadwell Station (5 min walk)
Tower Hill Station (15 minute walk)
Car parking can be pre-booked.
We have an allocation at the Hyatt Place London City East with preferential rates.
For more information or to secure a room, please contact concierge@this-network.com.
The Tobacco Dock also offers very good rates on nearby hotels via its accommodation service.
Raise your profile at INNOVATE THIS with by partnering with us. Do you have a unique product or service you’d like to display? Looking for brand elevation? Want to gain more traction for your business in the travel insurance industry?
From not-your-average conference swag, to bespoke activations, we work hard to make sure each sponsored item has maximum impact.
Contact us today to talk through ideas – or request the INNOVATE THIS Partnership Deck.
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Dame Inga Beale took over the helm of the 330-year-old City financial institution Lloyd’s of London in 2014, after working in senior leadership roles in some of the world’s largest insurance companies. With over three decades of global business experience, she was awarded her Damehood in 2017 for services to the UK economy.
Before joining Lloyd’s, Inga was Group CEO of Canopius with its principal operations at Lloyd’s. Prior to that she was on the Global Management Board of Zurich Insurance Group. Earlier roles include Group CEO of Swiss reinsurer Converium, and a variety of international leadership positions for GE Insurance Solutions.
During her time at Lloyd’s, Inga developed a culture of innovation and inclusion. She expanded the company’s reach to new, high-growth markets including Asia and the Middle East, and delivered some of Lloyd’s strongest financial results. As the first female CEO of Lloyd’s, she played a key role in changing cultural perceptions and highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion.
Drawing on her own experience at Lloyd’s, Inga discusses what it means to lead cultural change and steer a company through a technological transition without losing its core character. Her talks uncover how successful transformation means establishing a balance between tradition and history, and modernity and innovation. Moreover, she tackles breaking glass ceilings, and building inclusive environments within the workplace.
Charlie Hanbury is the CEO and co-founder of Samphire Risk, an independent MGA in the London speciality insurance market. He has 19 years’ experience in this international market and always with a focus on complex security risks.
Samphire is focused on insuring people and companies against hostile and malicious risks – i.e. ‘bad people doing bad things’. These include risks such as kidnap, terrorism, high-risk travel and other complex or acute threats.
As On Call International’s Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, Melissa Tollie is responsible for growing the organization’s top-line revenue by increasing outbound sales efforts to obtain new clients while ensuring the organization penetrates new markets and business channels effectively.
Melissa also oversees client retention and growth objectives, as well as thought leadership and brand awareness/management strategies.
Melissa joined On Call International in 2006 as an Assistance Coordinator in On Call’s Global Response Center, and since then, she has served many roles in Operations, Marketing, Sales, and Account Management.
Dale Robinson has spent six years at Just Travel Cover, developing new products, launching new brands and heading up the marketing department.
Just Travel Cover provides travel insurance solutions direct to consumers and to a large network of brokers across the UK, working with a panel of insurers.
Darren Snoxell leads the EMEA Insurance team for J. P. Morgan Payments. He has extensive transaction banking knowledge and experience across the insurance sector, having previously held various senior roles at RBS, Lloyds Banking Group and most recently Standard Chartered Bank.
Joyce Segall has 25 years of experience in underwriting and product development. Her previous roles have included leadership positions focussed on innovation, underwriting, end-to-end product development and strategy, on a global scale.
Joyce’s product expertise includes Travel and Accident & Health for B2B, B2B2C and DTC. Additionally, she has developed niche products focussed on gaps in coverage, addressing unmet needs in specialist areas, including carjacking, maternity and surrogacy.
Joyce’s role at Pattern has a global reach. She uses her knowledge to ideate, develop and implement new and enhanced insurance products and services to assist partners in creating protections that give lasting value, customer loyalty and ancillary revenue.
Erick Morazin is Founder & CEO of The Collaboration & Partnerships Lab, a consulting firm helping travel organisations and financial institutions to improve the development of their travel insurance and assistance revenues with relevant technologies, products and services.
Between 2014 and August 2022, Erick was Senior Vice-President Global Travel at AXA Partners, managing a team of travel insurance and assistance experts supporting travel organisations and financial institutions worldwide. He was based in Singapore and then in the UK.
Between 2005 and 2014, Erick was Global Accounts Director at Allianz Partners, developing and managing travel partnerships worldwide. He was based in Paris before moving to Singapore in 2012.
Jennifer is an ardent advocate for sustainable travel and proactive healthcare, dedicating her career to transforming how we view and interact with both realms.
With a keen focus on promoting responsible tourism that aligns with environmental preservation and a deep-seated belief in universal healthcare access, Jennifer’s journey has been guided by the principles of equity and sustainability. Her operational expertise further solidifies her commitment to these causes.
Now, leveraging this extensive experience and passion, Jennifer has launched her own travel assistance company – Compass Point Assist – aimed at fostering responsible travel and comprehensive healthcare accessibility.
Together, we’re charting a path towards a brighter, inclusive future, where both our planet and its people flourish.
Daren is Head of Insurance Business and Technology Consulting, UK for CGI. With over 20 years of senior-level experience in the insurance industry, Daren is a distinguished IT professional known for crafting outcome-driven Digital Enterprise Architecture and IS Strategy.
Daren manages a diverse partner ecosystem, combining established vendors and insurtechs with proprietary IP to deliver innovative, open-architecture solutions that address key challenges faced by brokers and insurers in today’s market.
Kata is the CEO & Founder of Baoba Insurtech, and is dedicated to closing the protection gap through real-time, automated, and geo-relevant insurance technology.
As a Forbes 30 Under 30 recognized entrepreneur, Kata firmly believes in a customer-first approach to providing insurance via parametric technology.
With over a decade of experience in digital strategy, Kata has excelled in both Fortune 500 companies across four countries, and in developing successful startups that prioritize customers through digital innovations in the fintech, insurtech, deeptech, and legaltech sectors across Hungary, Canada, and the US.
To complement her hands-on experience, Kata earned a Masters in Marketing and attended an MBA program in California. She is deeply committed to giving back to the community and devotes her spare time to mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs.
Simon has an impressive 35 years’ experience in insurance claims, covering multiple product lines including Travel, Motor and Household on behalf of a number of insurers, brokers and MGAs.
He has recently joined Allianz Partners as Head Of Claims (Travel) to support their ambitious growth plans and build a ‘best in class’ claims operation.
Marcelo Campos, the leader of IMG’s European Operations teams, has more than 25 years of experience in International Private Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance.
Marcelo is a well-travelled globetrotter who has been an expatriate himself twice and speaks English, Spanish, Italian and French.
Gary is Head of Travel Underwriting at Zurich Insurance. He is a creative and accomplished Travel, Accident and Health and Affinity group insurance underwriting specialist, with a comprehensive understanding of underwriting and proposition development.
Widely experienced in underwriting personal lines and corporate insurance – on a UK only, FOS and multinational basis – Gary excels at developing creative, compliant solutions for emerging risks, and enjoys launching new product lines within established businesses.
Brad Bonser has worked in the travel insurance industry for nearly 20 years, including 10 years in Sydney, Australia in product and underwriting roles for the World Nomads Group and nib Travel.
He has developed targeted products in markets around the world, including being the first to launch COVID-19 cover to the Australian market when borders reopened. He now heads up nib’s UK branch, providing World Nomads youth and adventure travel insurance, both direct and via distribution partners and affiliate network.
Since his time abroad during the 2015 Paris attacks, Bradley has been building solutions to answer the question – how and where can travellers find help during a crisis?
As a Co-founder of Aerogami, Bradley works with travel insurance and assistance providers to digitize their plan or policy documents into a mobile experience any traveller can access.
Their revolutionary product, DigiDoc, transforms any standard PDF document into its own mobile application without a visit to the app store. With DigiDoc, Bradley believes no traveller will be left asking, where can I find help?
Harvey is passionate about making innovation better so that it delivers the impact organisations need. He founded Innovate21 to realise that passion.
As an experienced innovation leader, he drives business impact from transformation and change programs across multiple industries, including insurance, utilities, healthcare and technology, and loves making connections across sector boundaries.
Harvey knows what it takes to create, drive and sustain innovation in organisations, enabling better performance and success.
Dan leads Inherent Risks’ crisis advisory practice and is widely considered an expert on providing response in – and directing security evacuations from – challenging environments.
In a career spanning 26 years, he has held key roles at military and corporate levels, including extensive tenures in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and most recently, Ukraine.
Dan holds qualifications from several universities, including global business management, crisis management, disaster response, complex incident management, mediation, and family liaison.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management and a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.
Robin Ingle is a Canadian-UK entrepreneur and a global specialist in travel, expatriate and student insurance, travel security, claims management and healthcare.
He is CEO of technology companies Travel Navigator™ and Near Threat; Chairman of Novus Health; CEO of global insurance and services companies Ingle International, Ingle Health, and 2studygroup; and founding partner of Ingle Lewer and travel assistance and claims company AF24.
Robin has over 46 years of international experience in providing specialized travel health solutions for adventurers, international students, snowbirds, special-risk and worldwide travellers.
Andy has over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry across diverse sectors, including underwriting, broking, technology, and consulting. His extensive background has shaped him into a highly knowledgeable and skilled professional.
Throughout his career, Andy has consistently demonstrated a remarkable commitment to his clients, providing them with exceptional service and solutions. His leadership abilities have propelled him from an entry-level position to his current executive role, where he continues to make a significant impact.
Andy’s deep understanding of the insurance landscape and his comprehensive knowledge of various sectors have positioned him as an expert in navigating the challenges faced by clients in today’s dynamic marketplace. Recognizing the importance of embracing technological advancements, he is dedicated to empowering clients with the latest technologies and strategies that drive digitalization in the insurance industry.
As a conference speaker, Andy brings his wealth of experience and expertise to the stage, captivating audiences with his insightful perspectives and practical insights. His passion for fostering digital transformation and equipping industry professionals with the necessary tools and knowledge is evident in his engaging and informative presentations.
Lorien Cross, the founder of Chimera Content Marketing, helps propel brand awareness and business growth by supporting organisations in crafting original content and engaging with key audiences. With expertise in thought leadership, content marketing, PR, branding, and advertising, Lorien has aided international organisations in reaching millions of readers and augmenting their sales objectives. She has hosted an acclaimed podcast, contributed to renowned publications, and delivers talks on thought leadership. With a diverse international background, Lorien possesses a deep understanding of expatriates and global cultures. Chimera’s clientele includes a US Fortune 4 company and Lorien has past experience with renowned brands such as Mars Corporate, Coca-Cola, and Emirates Airline.
Marion is deputy CEO & CPO of Koala, a travel insurtech on a mission to offer peace of mind from the moment travellers book their trips to the minute they return home by removing all the frictions of an insurance product, swapping out slow processes and the need for receipts for proactiveness, no exclusion and transparency.
With a 10+ years of experience in Product Management shaping successful product propositions, Marion is passionate about creating seamless customer experiences based on a strong data-driven organization.
Andrew Commins is founder and Managing Director of Rightpath Insurance Solutions, home of multiple specialist claims TPAs, including travel claims specialists, Rightpath Claims.
A data-driven innovator with a passion for insurance, Andrew has over 30 years of experience in designing, implementing and leading on claims and insurance services that deliver on customer service excellence and process automation efficiency.
Andrew developed the first-ever travel claims automation system in 2007, and has since gone on to develop further first-to-market innovations. Andrew is now focused on the delivery of fully optimised, intelligent insurance services that protect customers, insurers, and underwriters alike.
Innovation is no longer a choice in today’s insurance world. Digitisation and rapidly emerging technologies allow insurers to create bespoke insurance offerings and bring to market ground-breaking protection products at an unprecedented pace. And this is disrupting the travel insurance marketplace in exciting ways. In this session, Innovate THIS chair Chris Frankland, Founder of InsurTech360, will be in conversation with Matt Connolly, CEO of Sønr Global, discussing insurtech and fintech trends, the importance of innovation, and how to start – or accelerate – your tech-led journey.
Dame Inga Beale took over the helm of the 330-year-old City financial institution Lloyd’s of London in 2014, after working in senior leadership roles in some of the world’s largest insurance companies. With over three decades of global business experience, she was awarded her Damehood in 2017 for services to the UK economy.
Before joining Lloyd’s, Inga was Group CEO of Canopius with its principal operations at Lloyd’s. Prior to that she was on the Global Management Board of Zurich Insurance Group. Earlier roles include Group CEO of Swiss reinsurer Converium, and a variety of international leadership positions for GE Insurance Solutions.
During her time at Lloyd’s, Inga developed a culture of innovation and inclusion. She expanded the company’s reach to new, high-growth markets including Asia and the Middle East, and delivered some of Lloyd’s strongest financial results. As the first female CEO of Lloyd’s, she played a key role in changing cultural perceptions and highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion.
Drawing on her own experience at Lloyd’s, Inga discusses what it means to lead cultural change and steer a company through a technological transition without losing its core character. Her talks uncover how successful transformation means establishing a balance between tradition and history, and modernity and innovation. Moreover, she tackles breaking glass ceilings, and building inclusive environments within the workplace.
Continuously evolving technology is changing the way travel insurance is bought and serviced – but do technology providers know what insurers really want, and are insurers considering what the consumer wants?
This session will explore the latest tech trends shaping today’s travel insurance ecosystem, look at how to decide on the best technology for your business, and assess how tech providers and insurers can better work together.
We’ll also be asking how far we should go when it comes to travel insurance product innovation and to what extent differentiation is friend or foe.
Through an exploration of some of the key innovations in the global travel insurance space, this session will assess the pros and cons of different types of travel protection products – and how they are utilising innovation and technology. It will look at how new solutions fit into the existing marketplace. And ask how we ensure that evolving travel-related cover is meeting shifting consumer expectations while shoring up insurer integrity.
Across the entire travel insurance and IPMI lifecycle, automated processes are driving efficiencies, speed to market, real-time underwriting, and fraud detection. Resultantly, customers reap such benefits as friction-free insurance purchasing, straight-through claims processing, and in-path policies customised to their specific needs.
By looking at a range of successful tech-led innovations in travel insurance and IPMI, this session will assess how technology is helping insurers to address key pain points – in their business and for their customers.
And by way of an interactive forum, it aims to help insurers find the right tech solutions to meet their current challenges.
FIDA (Financial Data Access) and the evolution of open insurance is creating unprecedented opportunities for financial institutions to create innovative and more personalised traveller protection products – at speed. This session will provide an overview of current data sharing legislation, its effects on insurance marketplace competition, and how insurance providers can maximise the opportunities available to them through open insurance initiatives.
These mini talks will showcase innovative technology being harnessed by the global travel and health insurance industry – to provide an insight into the digital evolution of this marketplace. Through dual presentations – with both the insurer or assistance provider, and the ‘enabler’ – attendees will learn how different technologies work in practice to solve real-life industry challenges. How is technology making the complex simple? What exciting tech solutions are shaping today’s travel and health insurance industry? And what’s the ROI?
DEVELOPING YOUR INNOVATION MINDSET – led by Harvey Wade, Managing Director, Innovate21
This fast-paced, collaborative workshop will enable participants to:
– Recognise the unique perspectives we all bring to innovation
– Encourage greater innovation collaboration across their teams
– Determine the clear purpose of innovation for their organisation
– De-risk innovation to improve ideas
– Learn ways to test and prototype solutions
Participants will identify their innovation mindset and when it best shows up in the innovation lifecycle. By understanding how they can best use their innovation superpowers, they will have better innovation outcomes.
The workshop will then introduce proven frameworks that move innovation from an outcome to an ‘enabler’. Recognising that innovation is a strategic lever, these frameworks identify and prioritise innovation focus areas across multiple timelines.
The session concludes with a focus on de-risking innovation through assumption spotting and experiments. Participants will leave with practical approaches that can be immediately applied in their world.
UNLEASHING YOUR THOUGHT LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL: A COLLABORATIVE WORKSHOP FOR TRAILBLAZING LEADERS – led by Lorien Cross, Founder, Chimera Content Marketing
This dynamic, collaborative workshop will demystify thought leadership and equip attendees with practical steps to create engaging content that builds credibility and trust with their audience.
Through interactive activities, participants will learn how to define thought leadership, and explore the benefits of establishing their business as a thought leader even during times of economic uncertainty. The session will include best practise methods for creating content that nurtures conversations and leads, including tools, processes, and tactics.
Together, we’ll create a fictitious company and audience profile and explore how to tackle the challenges facing the industry today. Then, we’ll dive into the steps of creating a unique thought leadership concept, from a content creation plan with different types of content, to channel distribution, key message amplification and lead generation tactics, and progress and success measurement.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have a clear understanding of how to apply practical steps, even during a recession, to establish their business as a thought leader.
THE SLIDING DOORS MOMENT OF CHOOSING THE RIGHT ASSISTANCE PROVIDER VERSUS THE WRONG ONE – led by Dan Kaine, Partner, Risk & Crisis Advisory, Inherent Risks
Sliding Doors [Definition]: How a seemingly inconsequential moment can alter the trajectory of a future event.
In this workshop, Dan Kaine will present three scenarios based on recent, real-life case studies, where critical decisions made by insurers several months prior had both positive impacts, and negative consequences – to both the policyholder(s), and to the insurer(s).
He will broach the facts from three mass-scale claims events, presented in the style of a Sliding Doors scenario, which clearly identifies the importance of choosing the right response provider, versus not.
This workshop will be interactive, and the goal is to help participants understand how to ensure they are Conduct Risk compliant, and how to improve outcomes for both the traveller, and the insurer.
TO BOOK YOUR PLACE IN ONE OF THIS YEAR’S WORKSHOPS, email hello@this-network.com. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
At the end of day 1, INNOVATE THIS conference attendees are invited to gather over wine, beer, mocktails and light bites – to discuss their key take-aways from the day’s sessions and network in a relaxed environment.
Hosting this year’s ‘Stay & Play’, Clearspeed invite you to join them and raise a glass to innovation and conversation!
But there’s more. This is networking with a purpose. By being a part of the Clearspeed Gives Back series, you will have the opportunity to support our local community. Clearspeed will be partnering with Clean the World, who are on a mission to save millions of lives around the globe, by collecting and recycling discarded soap and plastic bottles from hospitality partners.
During ‘Stay & Play’, our attendees will have the opportunity to assemble hygiene packs that will be distributed to children and families in need.
Travel and health insurers face unique challenges when it comes to making payments to international insureds. This session will give an overview of current and emerging options for cross-border payments and claims settlements. Address how payments companies are tackling key pain points for insurers faced with serving the ‘now’ generation. And look at why it matters – with a focus on the importance of understanding your customers’ emotional journey in order to deliver an enhanced customer experience and benefit from improved customer loyalty.
This session will take a thought-provoking look at claims transformation in travel insurance – and assess how far we’ve come in terms of business efficiencies, fraud prevention, and meeting customer expectations. How can your claims process shape your value proposition? How do we overcome current challenges in this field? And how can we better work together to restore customers’ faith in the claims process?
These mini talks will showcase innovative technology being harnessed by the travel and health insurance industry – to provide an insight into the digital evolution of this marketplace. Through dual presentations – with both the insurer or assistance provider, and the ‘enabler’ – attendees will learn how different technologies work in practice to solve real-life industry challenges. How is technology making the complex simple? What exciting tech solutions are shaping today’s travel and health insurance industry? And what’s the ROI?
Travel organisations are the original affinity partners for travel insurers, but new technologies have revolutionised the customer experience when it comes to purchasing travel cover via these partnerships. At the same time, travel organisations have realised tremendous revenue growth via ancillary offerings, including travel insurance. So, how can insurers best meet the needs of these distributors? What are these distributors looking for from their insurance partners? And how do we overcome some of the inherent challenges of working together?
Travel and medical assistance providers are agile by nature, adapting to fast-changing situations in their day-to-day work, and building out their solutions to meet shifting traveller and expatriate expectations – in all parts of the world. This session will explore some of the key innovations in travel and medical assistance, assess the importance of meaningful limits for medical coverage, and explore how the role of emerging technologies such as generative AI and wearables will develop in this space.
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