CLM’s recent Chief Claims Officer Summit once again brought together thought leaders and key decision makers for a day of learning, candid discussion, and shared insight into the issues claims leaders face every day. Just as importantly, the Summit offered attendees the opportunity to discover how their peers are confronting many of the same challenges—and to exchange ideas and strategies for addressing them.
The day-long event featured four sessions with compelling speakers and timely topics, including the state of risk and insurance, claims in the age of AI, litigation management guidelines, and P&C workforce industry trends. New this year was an end-of-day roundtable that gave attendees the opportunity to discuss among themselves the issues and ideas of greatest importance to claims leaders.
Kim Moody, Golden Bear Insurance Company, found particular value in that peer-to-peer exchange. “There is a lot of value in being able to talk candidly with other people who are actually running claims organizations. Sometimes hearing how another carrier is handling the same problem is as valuable as the formal presentation.”
Attendees found “Litigation Management Guidelines: Stronger Outcomes Through Clarity and Partnership” particularly helpful and thought-provoking. Says Glen Bronstein, Sompo, “The discussion raised an important question: in our understandable effort to control legal expense, have we imposed requirements that are adversely affecting the business model of defense counsel and, in turn, making it more difficult for firms to attract and retain talented lawyers?”
He goes on to add, “That should concern the industry because this is precisely the talent we depend upon when significant litigation arises.”
The session also resonated with Moody. “The litigation management discussion also hit home for me. One of my biggest priorities is making sure we are getting useful information from counsel early enough to actually make decisions.”
She continues, “I liked that the discussion focused on the relationship between the carrier and counsel and getting everyone aligned early rather than simply focusing on legal bills.”
“Claims in the Age of AI” also stood out for attendees, with its timely subject matter reflecting an issue that is increasingly top of mind throughout the industry. Says Bronstein, “... the race to realize the benefits of AI is causing carriers to pursue individual use cases, which has both advantages and drawbacks. There is tremendous value in the innovation and experimentation taking place, but there is also a risk of developing a collection of point solutions without a coherent long-term architecture.”
He goes on to state, “... there is the additional reality that claims must compete for finite development dollars, often with underwriting, which can present some difficult choices about where technology investment will have the greatest impact.”
Moody especially enjoyed the AI session, both because she uses the technology in her own work and because of her interest in where it is headed. She notes, “What I do think it can do is help us get through large amounts of information faster, identify what may be missing, and spend more of our time on the decisions that actually require judgment.”
She also appreciated the session’s focus on balancing AI’s potential with appropriate safeguards. “I also thought the discussion around the risks and controls surrounding AI was important. We are all learning where it works well and where a human still needs to be very much in the loop.”
Moody summed up her experience at the Summit this way: “Overall, I thought the Summit was very practical. I came away with several things I could actually take back and think about within my own claims operation, which is ultimately what I look for when I attend an industry event.”
To be a part of this gathering next year in Dallas, mark your calendar for Sept. 8, 2027.