“Great overall session. Great location. Great events. Very well run overall.”

-Paul Taliaferro
CFO
Farmers Alliance Mutual Insurance Company

7 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Registration

8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Optional Workshop: Communications for Financial Managers: Making Your Message Loud and Clear
Surprisingly, in an era dubbed the "communication age," many executives consider inadequate and ineffective information exchange between managers and employees a primary concern. In fact, in a survey produced by Robert Half Management Resources, they found that 61% of CFOs said the biggest mistake companies make in managing their employees is not sufficiently, or successfully, communicating with them.

Jeannie Ballew
Founder & President
Ideas in Action
Detroit, Mich.

Financal Professional Credit - 3.0 CPE Credits (Communications).

8:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Optional Workshop: The Four Disciplines of a Healthy Organization
This workshop is based on the disciplines in Paul Lencioni’s book, “The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, which focuses on the belief that most companies have enough organizational intelligence, intellectual property and human capital to succeed, but ultimately fail because they lack ‘organizational health’.

This interactive workshop will explore four leadership practices that enhance the health of an organization so its people are engaged in serving the organization’s mission, not their personal agendas. Ultimately, when everyone is focused on achieving the goals of the organization, it achieves great results and its people experience high job satisfaction.

Cathie Leimbach
President and Senior Consultant
Agon Leadership
Vermilion, Ohio

HR Professional Credit - Submitted for approval

1 – 1:15 p.m.

Welcome & Introductions

1:15 – 2:30 p.m.

Keynote Address: Overview and Outlook for the P/C Insurance Industry: 2012 and Beyond
We welcome Dr. Hartwig, president & chief economist, Insurance Information Institute, for an information-packed presentation providing a comprehensive overview of the outlook of the property/casualty insurance industry and insight on what has happened in our industry and economy during the past year as well as what might be in store for the years ahead.

Dr. Robert Hartwig
President and Chief Economist
Insurance Information Institute
New York, N.Y.

Financial Professional Credit - 1.5 CPE hours (Economics)
HR Professional Credit - Submitted for approval

2:30 – 2:50 p.m.

Break

2:50 – 3:50 p.m.

General Session: Ward Benchmarking Survey Insights – Important Trends in Insurance Company Operations
This interactive session will discuss trends in insurance company operations based on a benchmarking survey jointly conducted by NAMIC and Ward Group in late spring 2012.

The presentation will help attendees:

• Identify where companies are focusing resources and the drivers of those decisions
• Identify where companies are focusing resources and the drivers of those decisions
• Better understand how companies are adapting to current economic conditions in terms of expense controls and spending limits
• Examine common challenges and concerns senior management expect to face in the future related to the balance between growth and profit
• Gain perspective on labor challenges, market trends, and considerations for future strategy
• Analyze current labor trends and future staffing expectations

Jeff Rieder
President
Ward Group
Cincinnati, Ohio

Financial Professional Credit - 1 CPE credit (Specialized Knowledge & Applications)
HR Professional Credit - submitted for approval

3:50 - 4:10 p.m.

Break

4:10 - 5:30 p.m.

Roundtable Discussions
Join fellow operations professionals in roundtable discussions focused on HR, financial and other operations topics. Attendees will have the opportunity to select their discussion topics of choice.

6 p.m.

Networking Activity

7:30 a.m. – 3:35 p.m.

Registration

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

Concurrent Session A: Best Practices in Executive Compensation – Making Mutuals Even Better
This informative session, Josh Bewlay, vice president, Ward Group, will review benchmarks and elements of effective mutual insurance company executive compensation plan design. Josh’s combined experience as an executive compensation consultant and insurance professional provide him with the background to provide critical insight on issues including:

• Current trends in executive compsensation
• Competitive pay for top executives at mutual insurance companies
• Total compensation opportunities for C-leve executives
• Comparison of mutual to stock company executive compensation
• Future issues and trends

Josh Bewlay
Vice President
Ward Group
Cincinati, Ohio

HR Professional Credit - Submitted for approval

Concurrent Session B: Analytics: A Cross-Functional Solution to Information Overload
Predictive analytics and business intelligence tools and management practices are rapidly being adopted and evolved across the insurance industry. High-profile results are often touted within specific functional areas. Yet there remains a broader ROI that can be achieved through integrated analytical modeling of information from finance, sales, marketing, pricing, underwriting, and claims. Rapid advances in analytics are enabling companies to translate their wealth of enterprise-wide information into cohesive, actionable strategies directly targeting profitable growth.

Steve Callahan
Practice Development Director
Robert E. Nolan Company
Dallas, Texas

Financial Professional Credit - 1 CPE hour (Business Management and Organization)

9:30 – 9:50 a.m.

Break

9:50 - 10:50 a.m.

Concurrent Session A: Real Stories of Success in Succession Planning
Succession planning is critical to an organization’s long-range health and strategy. As the insurance industry faces an impending shortage of talent, it is especially important for companies to reevaluate their succession plans and understand the issues involved with maintaining long-term success.

This real-world panel presentation will provide attendees with insight on succession planning from various perspectives. Moderated by Margaret Resce Milkint, the panel will include three insurance industry CEOs divulging their unique stories.

Margaret Resce Milkint, Moderator
Managing Partner
Jacobson Group
Chicago, Ill.

HR Professional Credit - Submitted for approval

Concurrent Session B: Enterprise Risk Management & ORSA Update
James Stangroom CPA, managing director, Invotex Group, and Dan Daveline, financial regulatory manager, NAMIC, examine the current focus on company enterprise risk management programs, including the NAIC’s recently adopted Guidance Manual on Own Risk and Solvency Assessment. Jim will describe practical approaches for implementing certain aspects of ORSA and ERM. Dan will also provide an update on NAMIC’s efforts in this area on behalf of our members.

Dan Daveline
Financial Regulator Manager
NAMIC
Kansas City, Mo.

James Stangroom, CPA
Managing Director
Invotex Group
Washington, D.C.

Financial Professional Credit - 1 CPE hour (Management Advisory Services)

10:50 – 11:10 a.m.

Break

11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.

Concurrent Session A: Workplace Flexibility: The Next Imperative for Business Success and HR Leadership
Workplace flexibility has become a key business strategy to leverage the talents and skills of today’s increasingly diverse, aging, and multi-generational workforce. In this session, attendees will learn how flexible work arrangements such as job sharing, flexible scheduling, phased retirement, and telecommuting can drive employee engagement, productivity, retention, and benefit the bottom line. Lee Webster, director of HR Standards, SHRM, will also examine key HR strategies for implementing flexibility as well as legal issues to consider. Attendees of this session will also hear about new resources and opportunities as a result of SHRM’s partnership with the Families and Work Institute, including the “When Work Works” initiative.

Lee Webster, JD-MBA, SHRM
Director of HR Standards
SHRM
Washington, D.C.

HR Professional Credit - Submitted for approval

Concurrent Session B: Trends and Guiding Principles in Property/Casualty Expense Management
Property/casualty insurers today face compressed underwriting and investment returns, and understandably look to expense control to improve performance. Yet the quest for expense efficiency holds risks for the insurer, particularly in loss control and in meeting ever-changing customer expectations in this competitive environment.

In this session, Stephan Christiansen, managing director, Conning, will share insights from Conning’s recent study on property/casualty expense management which examined insurer expense trends between the years 2004-2010. Stephen will share insights on the commonalities among superior-performing insurers and will discuss the correlations of higher expense ratios with lower loss ratios among this group.

Stephan Christiansen
Managing Director
Conning
Hartford, Conn.

Financial Professional Credit - 1 CPE hour (Finance)

12:10 – 1:15 p.m.

Lunch

1:15 – 2:15 p.m.

Concurrent Session A: Everything HR Should Know About Social Media from a Generation Y Attorney
Whether you like it or not, your employees use social media at work. Even if you have a firewall, your employees can use their smart phones to access Twitter and Facebook. However your employees choose to engage in social networking on and off company time, this session will give you the necessary tools to avoid the potential legal issues that an otherwise unprepared organization could face. This is one issue that certainly cuts to the needs of the business.

In this session, you will learn how to develop a bulletproof social media policy tailor-fit to your organization.

Eric Meyer
Partner
Dilworth Paxson LLP
Washington, D.C.

HR Professional Credit - Submitted for approval

Concurrent Session B: Everything You Need to Know About the Cloud
The "cloud" or "cloud computing" has become one of today's most talked about buzz words. But what can the cloud mean to your business and how can it cut your operating expenses? Join Sloan Plumer, chief technology officer, CSC, for an informative session on this emerging issue in insurance company operations.

Sloan Plumer
Chief Technology Officer
P&C / General Insurance Division, CSC
Blythewood, S.C.

Financial Professional Credit - 1 CPE hour (Computer Science)

2:15 - 2:35 p.m.

Break

2:35 - 3:35 p.m.

Concurrent Session A: FLSA Updates
Join this interactive session that will review the latest cases, regulatory developments, federal and state legislative trends impacting wage and hour administration including and not limited to exempt and non-exempt classification, corporate and individual liability, recordkeeping requirements, pay deductions, overtime, compensatory time and more.

Christine V. Walters, MAS, JD, SPHR
Independent Consultant & Author
FiveL Company
Westminster, Md.

HR Professional Credit - Submitted for approval

Concurrent Session B: Understanding Insurance Company Mergers & Acquisitions
This valuable session will address the accounting considerations for mutual insurance company mergers and acquisitions. Brad Diericx, CPA, partner, and Josh Keene, CPA, partner, Johnson Lambert, will begin by providing an accounting overview of M&A transactions including statutory and GAAP considerations. They will also provide you with a management “to-do” list during M&A transactions. In addition, Brad and Josh will address specific M&A considerations for mutual companies.

Brad Diericx, CPA
Partner
Johnson Lambert
Chicago, Ill.

Josh Keene, CPA
Partner
Johnson Lambert
Chicago, Ill.

Financial Professional Credit - 1 CPE hour (Accounting)

5:30 p.m.

Optional Dinner

7:30 – 11:15 a.m.

Registration

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:30 - 9:45 a.m.

Concurrent Session A: Leadership for HR Professionals

Concurrent Session B: Developing Strategic Leadership Skills for Financial Professionals

9:45 – 10 a.m.

Break

10 - 11:15 a.m.

Closing General Session: Employment Law: Legislative & Regulatory Update
What’s the latest legislative (federal and state), regulatory and legal news impacting HR administration? Join this interactive and engaging presentation that will bring you the latest HR news presented in mini case-study format with practical tips for enhancing your policies, procedures and practices related to HR administration.

At the close of the session, participants should be able to:

1. Name and describe at least two current federal and state legislative, regulatory or legal trends that have the potential to impact HR practices;
2. Compare and contrast those trends with their organizations’ current policies, procedures and practices;
3. Describe proactive measures they may take to enhance compliance.

Christine V. Walters, MAS, JD, SPHR
Independent Consultant & Author
FiveL Company
Westminster, Md.

HR Professional Credit - Submitted for approval
Financial Professional Credit - 1 CPE hour (Business Law)

11:15 a.m.

Seminar Concludes