Amy Shore

Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer
Nationwide

Amy Shore is executive vice president and chief customer officer for Nationwide. In this role, she is accountable for developing and executing Nationwide’s customer strategy to maximize customer acquisition and drive retention to ensure that Nationwide delivers on its mission. In addition, Amy is responsible for managing Nationwide’s corporate real estate and aviation departments. 

Previously, she served as President, Nationwide P&C Sales & Distribution. In this role, Amy led P&C agency sales for Nationwide. Her team oversaw staff sales supporting all channels, field sales operations for exclusive and independent agents, and relationship management for larger national agencies/brokers. 

Amy has over 30 years of experience in the P&C industry, including over 20 years in varying leadership positions across Nationwide. She has leadership experience in a variety of business functions including sales, underwriting, product/pricing, customer service and general management. She has served as executive sponsor for the Nationwide All Women’s Associate Resource Group and national chair of the company’s United Way campaign. 

Amy holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University and is a graduate of the Women’s Senior Leadership Program at the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. She also is a Chartered Property/Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU). Amy is actively involved in her local community. Currently, she serves on the boards of trustees of Bowling Green State University and the Columbus Symphony. She is a past board member and treasurer of United Way of Delaware county and remains active in their Women’s Leadership network. 

Denise Campbell

SVP – Client Executive
Marsh

Denise Campbell started her professional journey working in the A&R department of Atlantic Records after completing her Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology at NYU. Motivated by her desire to work in what she considered a more stable industry, she began a role with AIG’s multinational department as an Administrative Assistant in 2008. From there she would take on many roles within the firm before her final role as an AVP, Client Director before leaving AIG to join Marsh as a Client Executive in late 2020.

At AIG, Denise led the Black Professionals Employee Resource Group, for two award winning years, after which she served as Business Advisor to the ERG along with her former Co-Chair until her departure in 2020. Today she sits on the leadership for the Marsh African Heritage Colleague Resource Group.

In addition to her work within her companies, Denise serves on several non-profit boards. In 2020 she was elected President of the National African American Insurance Association New York TriState Chapter. She held a position on the Insurance Federation of New York Advisory Council until 2019 and is currently serving on their Board. She also serves on the Board of the Water Street Club. Through these organizations she works tirelessly to bring diverse talent into the insurance industry and provide them with the exposure and knowledge they need to stay and advance their careers. She’s been acknowledged by Insurance Business America in their Leading the Change and Hot List editions in 2020, and had a profile done on her by Advisen during Black History Month, 2020.

Denise also has a Certified Project Manager Designation from the Project Management Leadership Group, Inc.

Nirali Shah

Partner ‑ Financial Lines
McGill & Partners

Nirali is a Partner in McGill and Partners Financial Lines group and is based in New York City. Nirali has nearly 20 years of industry experience and a proven track record of success in a variety of roles.

Her substantial experience in handling complex risks and background as an underwriter greatly helps clients shape an ideal risk mitigation strategy. Nirali’s focus is on Financial Lines insurance, including D&O, Employment Practices, Fiduciary, Crime, E&O and Cyber Insurance.

Prior to joining McGill and Partners, Nirali was a Director and the U.S. IPO leader for Willis Towers Watson. In this role, Nirali was responsible for creating and executing strategy for IPOs (including SPACs and de-SPAC transactions) across practices and industry classes. Nirali personally handled placement of numerous IPOs, SPACs, and de-SPAC transactions, including some of the largest global transactions that have happened in the last 3 years. Additionally, Nirali created content and resources providing insights on D&O insurance in the context of these complex transactions.

Nirali previously worked for Marsh & McLennan, with a focus on large and complex business. During her time with Marsh, Nirali also led multiple teams and was responsible for portfolio and talent management. She also contributed to technical policy language efforts and insights in conjunction with the D&O Product leader.

Before her time with Marsh, Nirali spent 10 years at Chubb & Son as a Senior Underwriter. Her underwriting background spans multiple industry classes as well as product segments. Nirali also served as a Multinational Placement Expert as well as a Technology Segment Expert in a national capacity. She was also engaged in helping to create a new D&O policy form with the legal and product teams at Chubb.

Nirali has her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Rutgers University and her Juris Doctor from New York Law School.

Lael Chappell

Director, Insurance Distribution – Property & Casualty
Coalition, Inc.

Lael Chappell is a results-driven leader specializing in risk advisory / insurance distribution while also being recognized as a transformative advocate in the digital evolution of the insurance industry (Insurtech). Lael is a global-focused executivewithextensive broking and underwriting expertise including the structuring and negotiation of alternative risks, integrated risks, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and real estate solutions.

Lael is currently the Director, Insurance DistributionatAttune Insurance (AIG, Two Sigma, Hamilton Insurance) and is responsible for identifying partnership opportunities and coordinates the execution of the distribution strategy for retail brokers, wholesale brokers, and agency networks nationwide. Lael joined Attune in 2019 from Willis Towers Watson where he served as a Client Director within their Real Estate & Hospitality Practice. Prior to Willis Towers Watson, Lael spent time at Marsh & McLennan focused on client development for their National Brokerage Practice. Lael started his career at Zurich where he participated in their Associate Rotational Program before joining their Strategic Risk Solutions Group as a Deal Architect -Excess Liability Underwriter.

Lael completed a dual Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Finance and in Risk Management and Insurance at the University of Georgia while also completing a certificate program for Personal Success & Organizational Leadershipfrom their Institute for Leadership Advancement. Lael has also completed a certificate in Investment Banking with a concentration in Private Equity and Real Estate Financing at NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Laelhas earned full alumni status at Harvard Business School after completing the Program for Leadership Development andis a 2020 Masters of Business Administration graduate ofthe EMBA Global Asia Program jointly conferred by Columbia Business School, London Business School, and the University of Hong Kong.

Marya Propis

Executive Vice President | Retail Distribution
RT Specialty

Marya Propis serves as Executive Vice President, Retail Distribution for RT Specialty. She has over 27 years of experience in the insurance industry as a sales and distribution executive, focusing on the development and implementation of corporate and field broker engagement strategies. Marya’s broad range of experience includes growth and sales strategies, the development and delivery of sales training programs, and go-to-market initiatives. Her product expertise includes both the domestic commercial and personal lines segments, and she has extensive experience working in the surplus lines industry.

Marya joined RT Specialty in September 2020 when Ryan Specialty acquired All Risks, Ltd., the then largest privately owned wholesale broker in the US. Prior to joining All Risks, Ltd., Marya spent 13 years with AIG, and she began her insurance career in 1995 in her hometown of Buffalo, NY.

Marya earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and communications from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, where she is currently a trustee. Marya also serves as immediate past Chair and Board Member at Large for the Spencer Educational Foundation and has dedicated herself to education and leadership initiatives, supporting women in leadership and emerging industry talent.

Ellen Greiper

Partner
Lewis Brisbois

Ellen Greiper is a partner in the New York office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Construction Practice. She has more than three decades of experience defending multi-party construction and construction defect cases in the state and federal courts of New York. Ellen is also a member the firmwide 24/7 Rapid Response team for trucking clients and has extensive experience representing large fleet trucking companies in a wide range of transportation matters.

An appointed arbitrator for the district courts in Nassau County, New York, Ellen — who also has extensive experience litigating high-exposure premises liability, Labor Law, and personal injury matters that arise from construction site accidents and trucking accidents — is also a mediator for trial-ready cases in the Supreme Court of Nassau County. Ellen’s streamlined discovery techniques and proactive approach to complex litigation translates into effective and expedited solutions for clients.

Ellen is a prolific author and frequent speaker on emerging issues in the construction industry, she is also a member of several professional industry organizations, including the Construction Specifications Institute, DRI’s Construction Defect Committee, and the Professional Women in Construction, where she served on the Board of Directors of its New York Chapter, the organization’s founding and largest arm. She also currently serves on the board of NAWIC where she is a Director of its New York Chapter. Ellen has chaired DRI’s Construction Law Conference and the Construction Defect, Claims & Litigation ExecuSummit in 2017 and 2018, and has served as a presenter at the Women in Insurance Leadership ExecuSummit in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Ellen is also a member of the Advisory Board for Advisen

In 2013, Ellen co-authored a comprehensive survey examining a cross[1]section of construction cases from around the country for Mealey’s Litigation Reports: Construction Defects (updated in 2017). She is also coauthor of the New York State Bar Association’s Construction Site Personal Injury Litigation, first published in 2014 and updated in 2018.

In 2016, Ellen was named an Achiever by the Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women, an annual honor bestowed by the organization on a select group of women who demonstrate extraordinary professional accomplishments and leadership.

Amy Friedrich

President of U.S Insurance Solutions
Principal Financial Group

Amy Friedrich is president of U.S. Insurance Solutions with Principal Financial Group®. As of 2021, U.S Insurance Solutions serves nearly 100,000 employers and more than 3.5 million people. Friedrich leads 3,500 employees responsible for group employee benefits, life insurance, disability insurance, and nonqualified deferred compensation, along with the distribution arm, which includes Principal Securities®, the broker-dealer organization, and network of affiliated financial professionals. Friedrich joined Principal® in 2000 in a performance improvement role for Corporate Strategic Development. Later, as a director in that division, she helped define a long-term strategy for the specialty benefits division and in 2004, she moved into that area. Since then, she’s held many leadership roles, including second vice president in 2006 and vice president of group benefits in 2008, a role in which she led the segment to above-industry growth. She took on oversight of individual disability insurance in 2015 when she was named a senior vice president. She assumed her current position in 2017. In 2021, Friedrich was listed as one of a named inventors on a granted patent covering a system and method for benefits enrollment.

She is active in community organizations including United Way and the Greater Des Moines Partnership. She’s also a member of the Board of Trustees of: Buena Vista University, LL Global (the parent company of LIMRA), LOMA, and Secure Investment Institute®; Friedrich is also a member of the Forbes Business Council focused on small and medium-sized businesses.

She holds an undergraduate degree from Buena Vista University and a master’s degree from Purdue University.

Ashley Hunter

Founding Partner
A Hunter & Company

Ashley M. Hunter is the Founding Partner of A. Hunter & Company, a global risk management advisory and consultancy firm.

Prior to founding A. Hunter & Company, Ashley was the Managing Director of HM Risk Group,  an international insurance brokerage and risk management firm. In her role as Managing Director of HM Risk Group, Ashley assisted startups and corporations with alternative risk transfer schemes and reinsurance placement globally. Under Ashley’s leadership, HM Risk Group became a leader in the development of niche insurance products for the sharing and assistive reproductive technology industry. In addition to working with industry leaders, HM Risk Group was instrumental in the creation and development of policy forms for several multinational insurance companies. Prior to founding HM Risk Group, Ashley worked in various management positions for State Farm Insurance Companies and AIG Insurance Company. Ashley contributes on risk and the implications on emerging markets to global publications and is a frequent panelist and speaker at industry events. Ashley is an active member of Professional Liability Underwriting Society, Women in Private Equity and The Waters Street Club. Ashley currently serves as a Board Member for International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT), as Director for Affordable Central Texas, and is a Trustee for Zach Theatre in Austin, Texas. She was previously a gubernatorial appointee and served on the board of Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority. Ashley has an MBA from Texas A&M University. She also has a BM in Music Theory and Composition from Centenary College of Louisiana and is an accomplished concert violinist.

Ayesha West

Head of Cyber Liability underwriting
Everest Insurance

Ayesha West is the Head of Cyber Liability underwriting for Everest Insurance where she oversees all aspects of underwriting, strategy, and partnership development. Ayesha has kept Everest on the leading edge of innovation in coverage and services, as well as in harnessing the benefits of big data in risk selection, risk mitigation and portfolio modeling.

Ayesha obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the Fordham University School of Law and earned a B.B.A (cum laude) from the American University in Dubai with concentrations in Accounting and Finance.

Elissa Doroff

Head of Claims, Americas
Mosaic Insurance

Based in New York, Elissa brings more than 15 years of industry knowledge and works with Mosaic’s brokers and insureds throughout the Americas to guide coverage under the company’s six product lines. She started her insurance career as claims counsel with AIG and later was cyber and technology product manager at AXA XL. Elissa also has extensive experience counseling companies and proactively mitigating risk from her tenure on the broker side, including roles at Marsh and Lockton. Prior to 2006, she began her legal career in tax with Deloitte

James Riviezzo

Executive Vice President – Growth & Partnerships
Briza

James Riviezzo currently serves as Executive Vice President of Growth & Partnerships for Briza -a Toronto-based, early stage technology company which has built the first unified API for smallbusiness commercial insurance in the United States. James joined Briza in December, 2020 as thecompany’s first Head of Business Development. As a member of Briza’s Senior Leadership Team,James owns the full customer lifecycle for Briza’s carrier, brokerage, and technology partners -championing Briza’s customers in decision making across the organization. Growth &Partnerships encompasses defining and maintaining Briza’s revenue strategy, including GTM,marketing eectiveness, sales execution, partnership management, pricing, contracting,business intelligence, and customer success.

James brings over 20 years of financial services salesleadership experience to Briza. Prior tojoining Briza, Mr. Riviezzo spent over six years atAmerican International Group (AIG) as Directorof the firm’s US Client Engagement Practice. Priorto AIG, James led marketing, sales, and clientrelations for the Northeast region of the UnitedStatesfor Safety National Casualty Corporation,and began his insurance career as a broker withMarsh,USA.

James attended the University of Miami and receivedhis BA in Economics from MerrimackCollege, and a Performance Leadership Certification from Cornell University. James resides inNew York City, where he is actively involved with several civic, nonprofit and charitable groups,including the WSIA, NAAIA, City Harvest, and The John Street Insurance Association.

James can be reached via: [email protected],linkedin.com/in/jamesriviezzo,or @BrizaAPI

Secure time on James’ calendar here:https://calendly.com/riviezzo

Kelli Kresowski

Program Manager, SVP
AmRisc

Kelli Kresowski initially joined AmRisc in 2007. She’s responsible for managing the AmRisc Online team and product. Kelli began her insurance career as an Underwriter Assistant with U.S. Aviation Underwriters in 1999. After 3 years, Kelli moved to Houston, where she gained 5 years of valuable experience in Account Management with Hotchkiss Insurance Agency, Gallagher Healthcare, and Aon.  

Kelly Doherty-Schaffner

Executive Vice President, Head of North American Claims Group
Allied World

Kelly is Allied World’s Executive Vice President, Head of North American Claims. In this role she oversees all North American Professional Liability, Healthcare and Casualty claims, as well as Programs claims on a global basis. Prior to assuming this role, Kelly managed Professional Liability and Healthcare within the North American Claims Group. Before joining Allied World in 2007, Kelly managed a professional liability claims unit at Chubb handling D&O, fiduciary and financial institution errors and omissions claims. Prior to that, Kelly managed life and healthcare litigation at Cigna. In 2020 Kelly was named to Risk & Insurance’s ‘Executive to Watch’ list. She has a B.A. in English from the College of the Holy Cross and her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Payal Beri

CEO & Founder
RK Empathy

Payal, an organizational psychologist, and former clinical therapist elevates leadership through the lens of empathy and emotional intelligence. She helps organizations and leadership recognize how emotional intelligence transforms a culture of innovation and creates customer experiences through creating a psychologically safe culture that puts its people first.

Through her 15+ years of experience as a former clinical therapist and global leadership consultant for fortune 500 companies, she teaches her 3 pillars of leadership that help leaders transform emotional intelligence from an abstract thought to a tangible experience that directly impacts the growth of their company and the community they serve.

Rachel Simon

SVP, Executive & Professional Claims
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

Rachel is responsible for leading a team of claims professionals who handle complex claims under professional and commercial line coverages in the Executive and Professional Lines claims division of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance.

After practicing corporate defense litigation for a few years, she landed at a law firm specializing in insurance coverage where she became a partner. In 2013 she left private practice to go in-house, continuing to focus primarily on claims management in both technical and leadership roles. She joined Berkshire in 2021 and is having fun building an amazingly talented team. Rachel is passionate about focusing on issues that impact women in the workplace and is involved in DEI initiatives at Berkshire. Rachel is a graduate of Fordham Law School and Fordham University. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.

Laura True

Senior Underwriter
At-Bay

Laura True is a Senior Underwriter at At-Bay, where she develops relationships with key wholesale brokers and supports the Underwriting team in developing technical skills and underwriting Cyber and Tech E&O risk.  In her more than 25 years in the insurance industry, True has worked at providers including Chubb and Beazley and has underwritten Crime, Fiduciary, Insurance Agent’s E&O, MPL, Media Business, Cyber, and Tech E&O lines of insurance.  

Virna Rhodes

SVP & Manager, Workers Compensation Claims
Liberty Mutual Insurance

Virna leads the Workers Compensation Claims and Managed Care organization for Liberty Mutual Insurance and Helmsman Management Services. Her organization includes approximately 1600 employees across the United States who partner with customers, agents and brokers to help injured workers recover from workplace accidents and receive appropriate medical care for their injuries. These teams receive 300,000 new claims and pay nearly $3.6 billion annually.

Virna has been part of the Liberty Mutual leadership team since 2013 and has held a number of positions across personal and commercial claims units. Most recently she led the GRS NA Claims Shared Services team. She has also served as Assistant Vice President, Casualty Claims – Northeast and Regional Vice President, Safeco Claims – Northeast. Prior to joining Liberty Mutual, Virna spent over twenty years in claims leadership positions at Allstate Insurance and Farmers Insurance. Virna is currently the Co-Chair for the [email protected] Commerce & Partnerships Committee. She also serves on the board of directors for both the Inspira Health Network (NJ) and the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

She graduated from University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a B.S in Information Systems and obtained her MBA from the University of Baltimore. Virna is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and now resides in New Jersey with her family. She is very involved in her community and volunteers with three civic/philanthropic organizations (Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., Jack and Jill of America, Inc., The Links Incorporated).

Tracey Estes

Executive Vice President, Large Casualty
Arch Insurance

Tracey Estes is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience is the insurance industry. She has a track record of leading and empowering people to cultivate authentic relationships and strategically execute goals and objectives that support long-term profitability, sustained growth and differentiation in the marketplace. 

Tracey is currently the Executive Vice President at Arch Insurance Company and is responsible for managing the profitability and growth of the Large Accounts Casualty insurance book of business countrywide. She has spent the last 7 years of her career at Arch, and prior to her current role oversaw the growth and profitability of the casualty business in the Northeast, Southeast and South Central regions. Prior to Arch, Tracey spent 10 years with AIG, as a domestic casualty underwriter, international management consultant and manager of the international casualty products, including: middle market, DBA and large national accounts casualty. Prior to AIG she worked as a primary casualty broker with Marsh. She holds a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist Designation and Project Manager Certification. Tracey earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from The George Washington University in Washington DC. 

Connie Liu

Senior Vice President & Primary Casualty Leader
Aon

Connie Liu leads the primary casualty team in Los Angeles, CA and is responsible for marketing and servicing risk management casualty business based in Southern California and the west region.  

With 18 years of industry experience, Connie has predominantly serviced large risk management clients, including analyzing client risks, developing, and designing customized solutions, and marketing complex casualty programs. She serves clients in various industries, including entertainment, hospitality, food manufacturing, real estate, and retail. She first began working in the industry in 2004 and has been with Aon since 2009.  

Connie earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Southern California. She holds an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation. She is the recipient of Business Insurance magazine’s 2018 Breakout Award. 

Dr. Reut Livne-Tarandach

Assistant Professor of Management
Manhattan College 

Dr. Reut (Re’-oot) Livne-Tarandach is an Assistant Professor of Management in the O’Malley School of Business at Manhattan College. Dr. Livne-Tarandach is the co-founder and leader of the Community mini-community- an international group of scholars devoted to the study of community experiences in organizations. She is a member of the Compassion Lab- the world’s leading research collaboratory focused on compassion at work. Dr. Livne-Tarandach serves on the editorial board of the Academy of Management Journal, the premier empirical journal in management, and is an associate editor of the Business and Society Review Journal. She received her PhD in Organizational Studies from Boston College, and an MSc in Organizational Research from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. Dr. Livne-Tarandach is passionate about cultivating engaged scholarships that can create a new vision of organizations as life-giving sites. Her research focuses on humanistic practices in management, exploring antecedents, outcomes and processes underlying compassion, dignity and sense of community at work. 

Melike Oz Pasaogullari

Senior Vice President, Business Process Management
Arch Insurance 

Melike Oz Pasaogullari is Senior Vice President, Head of Business Process Management at Arch Insurance North America. Previously, she held the role of Senior Vice President, Business Process Management Lead for Delegated Authority at Arch. Prior to joining Arch in February 2020, Melike served as Head of Retail Product Development and Marketing at MassMutual. She also held several different positions in strategy, planning, project management and lean deployment functions at MassMutual. Additionally, she was Senior Business Consultant for Small Commercial Strategic Initiatives and Enterprise Small Business Strategy at The Hartford. Melike earned a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and operations research from the Pennsylvania State University and a B.S. in industrial engineering from Middle East Technical University. Melike is Co-Chair of the Arch Women and Allies Employee Network and was Chair of the Women’s Leadership Business Resource Group at MassMutual. In 2022, Melike was honored by APIW as an Extraordinary Women in an Extraordinary Year. 

Patricia Kocsondy

Head of US Cyber & Tech
Beazley

Patricia Kocsondy joined Beazley in July 2021 as the Head of US Cyber & Tech. In this role, Patricia is responsible for the strategic leadership, staffing and operations of the US Cyber & Tech underwriting team, as well as growth and distribution for the US Cyber & Tech portfolio.  

Prior to joining Beazley, Patricia held several roles in Chubb Limited’s North American Financial Lines division. She was senior vice president, E&O and cyber underwriting, responsible for the P&L of Chubb’s E&O portfolio, ran Major Accounts for Cyber & E&O, and oversaw the Canadian and small business operations for Chubb’s Cyber and E&O business.  Patricia also served as senior attorney in the General Counsel office of Chubb & Son, a division of Federal Insurance Company. She began her career handling surety and fidelity claims at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. 

Patricia holds a BS in International Political Economy from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service; a Master’s in International Relations from the Diplomatic Academy, Vienna, Austria; and a JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is admitted to the NY and CT Bars, and she is based in New York.