Evolution not Revolution, of Improved Risk Innovation

As CEO of Goose & Gander, a boutique consulting firm focused on the application of technology in the insurance industry, Kenneth identifies and helps accelerate the adoption of progressive solutions spanning underwriting and risk management to claims. With an obsession for applying new thinking to old problems, Kenneth is not only focused on new Insurtech entrants but also opportunities to translate and transfer best-in-class solutions from other industries to the insurance sector.

As former Managing Partner and COO at WeGoLook, an on-demand field inspection platform, Kenneth led market strategy, product innovation and operations through multiple periods of rapid growth, including expansion from the US into Canada and the UK. In 2017, he positioned the business for exit to Crawford & Company, the largest global and publicly traded IA firm.

David Tobias grew up working in the insurance industry. His father founded Research Specialists, Inc. over 47 years ago. David took that business over and scaled it into a national company with more than 500 inspectors working for some of the largest U.S. insurance companies. In late 2015, David co-founded Betterview (with David Lyman) to provide the insurance industry with insights around buildings and properties. A San Francisco–based venture-backed company funded by Nationwide Insurance, EMC Insurance and MaidenRe (among others), Betterview’s predictive analytics and risk management platform provides fast, accurate and actionable information about any property in the United States.

Joey is responsible for the daily operations of a catastrophe claims services firm. Joey works with each client to ensure their processes and procedures are integrated into our operational methods. Joey also consults with carriers that do not maintain disaster response units to develop fully customized claims management and handling operations.

Sridhar Manyem is director, industry research and analytics at AM Best. Sridhar is the head of the industry research team and his responsibilities include publishing AM Best’s perspectives of topical issues relating to the insurance industry and possible implications to AM Best’s Credit Ratings.

Prior to joining AM Best in 2017, Sridhar was at The World Bank as a senior credit officer responsible for implementing reinsurance credit risk framework at MIGA (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Association). Before the World Bank, Sridhar was a director at Standard & Poor’s, and was responsible for a portfolio of insurers, as well as a lead enterprise risk management (ERM) specialist reviewing ERM and ECM frameworks for a portfolio of (re)insurers and multiline insurers.

Sridhar worked at Nationwide Insurance’s ERM function, where his areas of responsibilities included strategic asset allocation, asset-liability management and risk modeling. He has taught basic economics and finance courses at the graduate level and undergraduate level at Ohio Dominican University and serves on the adjunct faculty at Rowan University teaching courses on finance, insurance and risk management.

Sridhar graduated with an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and has an undergraduate in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.