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The success of the second BrokerTech Connect conference validates the belief of its parent organization, BrokerTech Ventures, that it can be a convener of stakeholders across the insurance industry, says Mike Victorson, BTV co-CEO and CEO of M3 Insurance. The Chicago conference doubled in size in 2026, including insurtechs working with the top brokerages. This shows that BTV is no longer a startup but rather has a role in guiding the future of the industry, Victorson tells the Leader’s Edge Podcast.

Crawford & Co. is dedicated to ensuring that its institutional knowledge is passed from experienced claims adjusters to the younger generation, Chief Sales Officer Mark Cunningham tells the Leader’s Edge Podcast. That means establishing training programs that help replicate the learning that today’s dispersed and remote workforce would have gleaned in person at yesterday’s office. But it also means accommodating flexibility in older workers’ schedules rather than simply ushering them into full retirement, he says.

In this episode of the Leader's Edge Podcast, reporter Russ Banham discusses his October cover story on cyber-enabled cargo theft. From the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in 2021 to today’s supply chain disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the freight shipping industry is no stranger to risk. But Russ’s feature examines an evolving version of an old threat–cargo theft from trucks. In today’s multibillion-dollar world of cyber-enabled larceny, criminal rings exploit digital tools to trick shippers, freight brokers, and motor carriers into unknowingly handing over valuable goods.

In this episode of our personal lines podcast series, associate editor Chris Hann sits down with Walid Nehme, Chairman at Associated Alliance. Nehme shares what it was like growing up in Lebanon during a time of war, how that conflict shaped him and his family into becoming more resilient, and how his love of mathematics led him into a career in insurance.

A string of high-profile art heists in France, as recently as early September, highlights the unique risks in holding these pricey pieces. Tyler Najeer, who specializes in fine arts and jewelry risk management for Gallagher, joins the Leader’s Edge Podcast to discuss the landscape for insuring high-value fine art and collectibles, and what exposures help enable these thefts. Najeer also shares his experience working in the brokerage space and how it’s grown in recent years to cover collections of Pokémon cards, Lego sets, and so much more.

In this episode, Leader's Edge speaks with Lance Malcolm, president of U.S. network solutions at Crawford & Co., about wildfire resilience in Europe and the United States. With wildfires scorching Spain and southern France this summer, and nearly 8 million acres burned in the United States to date in 2026, Malcolm draws parallels between the two regions’ exposure and building practices. He discusses decentralized U.S. building codes versus Europe’s national standards, shares why brokers should push clients to fortify their properties, and considers how fire response planning has evolved over the past several decades.

In this episode of our personal lines podcast series, associate editor Chris Hann interviews Jennifer Hill, Vice President and Operations Director at Harmon Dennis Bradshaw, a partner with Higginbotham. Hill shares how a college major switch from accounting to risk management set her on an unexpected path into insurance, stories from her formative years breaking into the industry in New York City, and so much more.

The new chair of The Council of Employee Benefits Executives (CEBE), Kenneth Olson, joined The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers Vice President of Government Affairs Audra Jackson for a discussion during the 2026 Employee Benefits Leadership Forum. CEBE is the executive committee that guides The Council’s government affairs team in benefits-related advocacy and policy decisions.  Olson, vice president of EB growth at brokerage BroadStreet Partners, discusses his priorities as CEBE chair, the “frustration and anger” over healthcare affordability and the complexity of change that would bring it in line, and the qualities he looks for in new industry talent.

Talking with Leader’s Edge at the 2026 Employee Benefits Leadership Forum, Dennis Gushue, ThreeFlow’s senior vice president of sales, discusses why he sees increased desire among carriers for data integration. He also dives into the AI experimentation he sees in the industry, how to spot pitfalls in that work, and weighing AI vendors.

In this episode recorded live at The Council's Employee Benefits Leadership Forum, Leader's Edge Podcast Producer Zach Ewell sits down with Isabelle Moins of APRIL International to talk international health insurance. Moins maps out how historically insuring expats abroad has given way to a new class of digital nomads and remote employees, needing new benefit solutions. From simplified digital-first coverage to the risks of under-assessing employer needs abroad, this conversation dives deep into the trends reshaping corporate international health insurance.

Construction continues to reshape America's landscape, with demand growing for more efficient airports, improved hospitals, and larger sports complexes across the country. In this episode, Jon Tellekamp, chief underwriting officer of construction for the Americas at AXA XL, joins the Leader’s Edge podcast to discuss how insurers are responding to the needs and risks of large scale modern day construction. We cover the biggest trends in what’s being built today, how rising costs are shaping underwriting and risk decisions, and the workforce and casualty exposures on the jobsite, before looking ahead to what Tellekamp sees on the horizon for the industry.

John Butler, cyber product lead for E-Risk, a Nationwide company, explores supply chain vulnerabilities, AI powered threat actors, and more. From expanded attack surfaces and AI-powered threat actors to supply chain vulnerabilities and governance gaps, this conversation explores what businesses, brokers, and underwriters need to do to adapt to these evolving challenges. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nationwide.

In this episode of our personal lines podcast series, associate editor Chris Hann interviews Jack Butcher, Chairman and CEO of Vantage Insurance Partners. Butcher shares personal stories and reasons why he’s spent part of his career volunteering with fire and emergency rescue services, how his life of volunteering draws parallels to his career in insurance, lessons he’s learned from mentors, and so much more.

During the 2026 Employee Benefits Leadership Forum in May, the outgoing chair of The Council of Employee Benefits Executives (CEBE), Lisa Hawker, sat down with Kerry Finnegan, former senior partner at Mercer and also a past CEBE board chair, now a senior advisor at Oliver Wyman. CEBE is the executive committee that guides The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers government affairs team in benefits-related advocacy and policy decisions.  The two discussed a range of topics, including the changing role of the benefits broker and the plan sponsor in an environment of increased fiduciary duty, talent and training in the AI era, and advice for new CEBE Chair Ken Olson, vice president of EB growth at BroadStreet Partners.

Eric Rentsch, Zywave’s chief product officer and head of emerging markets, talks with Leader’s Edge onsite at the 2026 Employee Benefits Leadership Forum. The conversation centers around AI use in insurance industry operations and covers issues including embedding AI more effectively into existing workflows, roadblocks to implementation and strategies for overcoming them, how to measure AI ROI, and that recent industry uproar over AI being used in personal lines distribution.