VCU School of Business Hosts Risk Management and Insurance Conference

By Tom Gresham

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business will host the 6th Annual Risk and Insurance Studies Center (RISC) Conference, which will highlight technological changes on the horizon of the insurance industry, on March 13.

A lineup of speakers and panelists will appear at the conference to address the potential profit and pitfalls of “Tomorrow’s Technology Today.” The conference registration starts at 7:30 a.m., and the conference will be held at Snead Hall, 301 W. Main St.

Among the speakers at this year’s conference are:

• Jeff Yates, executive director of the Agents Council for Technology, IIABA, who will deliver the keynote address on “New Technologies Drive Changes in the Insurance Industry.” Yates works with independent agents, companies, vendors, user groups and industry associations to advance effective technology solutions and improved business processes within the Independent Agent System.
• Chris Tignor, chief information security officer, Capital One Financial Corporation, who will speak about “Protecting Against the Evolving Cyber Threat.” Tignor led an overhaul of the information security policy, program and operations at Capital One.
• Panelists Alex Ricardo, privacy director for the Beazley Breach Response Programs, The Beazley Group (“Breach Crisis Management”); Bryan Tierney, regional underwriting manager for executive liability, Chartis (“Social Media Revolution”); and Grayson Walters, information security officer, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (“Emerging Threats”) will also appear.

The conference will conclude with the closing round of the Risk Management and Insurance Challenge. The challenge is hosted by the VCU Risk & Insurance Studies Center and Gamma Iota Sigma – Alpha Mu Chapter, and it is sponsored by Spencer Education Foundation. VCU’s School of Business will host nine teams from colleges and universities nationwide, including its own team of students, in a complex risk management case competition.

Corporate sponsorships are available for the conference, and individual registrations may be purchased for $125. For more information about sponsorships, contact Deborah Little, director of the Risk and Insurance Studies Center, at 804-828-1486 or dslittle@vcu.edu. In order to register, visit http://www.business.vcu.edu/risc/conference.html.

VCU’s Risk and Insurance Studies Center is part of the Department of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate in the VCU School of Business.