CONFERENCE AGENDA
Wednesday, August 27, 2025: Organisational Resilience
13.00 - 13.30
Official opening of the Conference
Georgina Díaz Sánchez, CEO, Sociedad de Seguros de Vida del Magisterio Nacional (Costa Rica)
Andrés Elola, Chair, ICMIF Americas, and CEO, Surco Seguros (Uruguay)
13.30 - 14.00
Keynote presentation: Corporate governance: From good practices to responsible business conduct in the insurance sector
Tomás Soley Pérez, General Superintendent of Insurance and Securities (SUGESE) of Costa Rica
14.00 - 15.00
Do cooperative and mutual boards demonstrate effective governance?
Chair:
Catherine Hock, Senior Vice-President - International Relations, ICMIF
Panel:
Paul Hanna, Executive Vice-President, Member Relations, Governance and Corporate Services, Co-operators (Canada)
Bernardo Miranda, Member of the Board of Directors, Seguros Columna (Guatemala)
Walter Ocampos, President, Surco Seguros (Uruguay)
Boards are responsible for monitoring corporate performance and the successful execution of the company strategy. Part of their monitoring role is related to risk oversight. In recent years, heightened compliance requirements and new governance standards have triggered a wave of changes in risk oversight practices.
Are mutual and cooperative boards effectively helping to navigate the turbulent environment?
15.00 - 15.30
Coffee break
15.30 - 16.00
Keynote presentation: Key trends shaping the future of ICMIF members across the globe
Liz Green, Chief Executive Officer, ICMIF
ICMIF’s new CEO Liz Green will present an overview on the key trends that are impacting ICMIF members globally and could potentially shape the future of mutual/cooperative model across the Americas. She will cover trends such AI and emerging technologies, customer experience, people-first strategies, sustainability, and long-term opportunities for growth. The presentation will highlight how mutual/cooperative insurers are uniquely positioned to build more resilient communities and create lasting, sustainable impact in a rapidly changing market.
During the International Year of Cooperatives, Liz will also share her priorities as ICMIF CEO and what the Federation is doing to ensure its member organisations across the world are effectively collaborating across borders and acting as a collective force towards a resilient and thriving future.
16.00 - 16.20
Keynote presentation: Forecasting the urban landscape of 2050
Vanessa Durán Sanabria, Partner and DOP, Carazo Architecture (Costa Rica)
16.20 - 16.40
Keynote presentation: Quantifying climate risks to build resilient societies (case study)
Jorge Calvín, Commercial Director, Lobelia Earth (Spain)
16.40 -17.45
Innovating for tomorrow: Climate risk, urban future and the insurance sector
Chair:
Dwayne Elliott, VP & Director of Underwriting, AmericanAg (USA)
Panel:
Ramón Sánchez, Managing Director, Guy Carpenter (USA)
Jorge Calvín, Commercial director, Lobelia Earth (Spain)
Amid accelerating climate challenges and the reshaping of urban environments, insurers and reinsurers stand at a defining moment to lead in building a more resilient and sustainable future. By embracing innovation, data-driven insights and strategic collaboration, the industry has an opportunity to redefine risk, create new opportunities for growth and actively shape the cities of tomorrow.
18.00 -19.00
Welcome Reception for Young Leaders
18.00 -22.00
Welcome Reception
Thursday, August 28, 2025: Economic, operational and technological resilience
07.30 - 08.30
Young Leaders breakfast with CEOs
Dennis Córdoba López, Director, Technology, Sociedad de Seguros de Vida del Magisterio Nacional (Costa Rica)
09.00 - 09.30
Compliance strategy
Ignacio Maricich, Actuary, Forinsurers (Panama)
09.30 - 10.45
What do policyholders want, and what are the key obstacles to aligning insurance offerings with their demands?
Chair:
Lisa Gardi, Reinsurance Account Executive, Shelter Insurance (USA)
Panel:
Amílcar Córdoba, CEO, Seguros FEDPA (Panama)
Carlos De la Torre, Managing Director Latin America, AM Best (Mexico)
Saul Ordóñez González, Advocate, Insured’s Defense Center (CDA) (Costa Rica)
Daysi Rosales, CEO, Seguros Futuro (El Salvador)
The panel will discuss topics including the identification of policyholders' needs and expectations, how to match needs to outcomes, and how to consider obstacles to offering products that meet policyholders' expectations (if they exist, what are they?).
10.45 - 11.15
Coffee break
11.15 - 11.45
Equidad: A re-birth
A conversation between Néstor Hernández, CEO, Seguros Equidad (Colombia) and Andrés Elola, Chair, ICMIF Americas, and CEO, Surco Seguros (Uruguay).
Seguros Equidad, an insurer with over 55 years of experience in the Colombian market, faced significant financial strain following the 2013 regulatory changes—a situation further worsened by the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, which brought the company to the brink of collapse. Today, the company is experiencing a resurgence, supported by reinsurers and a dedicated team whose efforts not only stabilized its operations but also positioned it as a strong, forward-looking insurer and a pioneer in digital insurance products.
11.45 - 12.00
The capital conundrum in mutuals and cooperatives
Catherine Hock, Senior Vice-President - International Relations, ICMIF
12.00 - 12.30
Incident response: Challenges and solutions considerations for executives
Eder Ribeiro, Director, Global Incident Response, Transunion (USA)
This session will focus on three major categories of risk arising from incident response (IR) and IR claims that attendees should be aware of. Presented in a systematic method, Eder Ribeiro will address a multitude of risks, what executives must know about them, and what actions they should consider. The session will cover topics ranging from ransomware, phishing and generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) risks. It will also cover insights on these various risks and actionable considerations leaders can take to mitigate their exposure or enhance their response abilities.
12.30 - 14.00
Lunch
14.00 - 14.30
Artificial intelligence: opportunities, risks and governance
Juan Vargas, Internal Audit Director, Seguros Múltiples (Puerto Rico)
14.30 - 15.30
Addressing the implications and challenges of AI/digital innovation in insurance
Chair:
Eder Ribeiro, Director, Global Incident Response, Transunion (USA)
Panel:
Mariano Bravo, Corporate Director, Fraud Prevention, Money Laundering, and Terrorist Financing, Grupo San Cristóbal (Argentina)
Liliana Cardozo de Cano, CEO, Tajy Insurance (Paraguay)
Maximiliano Mecoli, Data Science Leader, Grupo San Cristóbal (Argentina)
The swift rise of technological and digital innovation in the financial sector (‘FinTech’) will have far-reaching effects on the insurance sector. FinTech presents significant opportunities for financial inclusion and policyholder value, but also poses operational and conduct risks. The current surge in alternative data sources and advanced data analytics has a particular impact and the potential to disrupt the insurance market.
15.30 - 16.00
Coffee break
16.00 - 17.30
Annual General Meeting
Friday, August 29, 2025: Environmental, Health and Social Resilience
09.00 - 09.30
Cooperatives as catalysts for sustainable innovation
Gricel di Bert, Head of Strategic Sustainable Management, La Segunda (Argentina)
In a global scenario marked by increasingly complex social, environmental, and economic challenges, cooperativism is positioned as a solid and effective tool for generating resilient, inclusive, and sustainable business models.
In this International Year of Cooperatives, it is essential to recognize and promote the social and economic value that these organisations bring to our communities, as well as their ability to transform realities through cooperation and social innovation.
The role of cooperativism in creating a more sustainable and inclusive world becomes even more relevant at a time when social and environmental transformation is essential.
09.30 - 11.00
Sustainability through cooperation: alliances and partnerships to maximise impact
Chair:
Matthias Arzbach, Project Director, DGRV (Costa Rica)
Panel:
Betina del Valle Azugna, Sustainability Manager, Sancor Seguros (Argentina)
Nicolás Morales, Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, Microinsurance Network (Colombia)
Yasy Morales Chacón, Co-coordinator of PROESS-UCR, Vice-President SSE-FI, International Forum for Social Economy
Achieving sustainability at scale requires more than individual effort—it demands collective action. By joining forces cooperative and mutual businesses, communities, and civil society can pool resources, share knowledge, and amplify their efforts.
The session will show that fostering strategic partnerships is not just beneficial – it is essential for scaling solutions, accelerating innovation and ensuring that sustainability goals are inclusive and achievable.
11.00 - 11.30
Coffee break
11.30 - 12.30
Opening up and diversifying an insurance market: challenges and opportunities
Presentation by Dr Helton Freitas, President, Seguros Unimed (Brazil).
Conversation between Georgina Díaz Sánchez, CEO, Sociedad de Seguros de Vida del Magisterio Nacional (Costa Rica), Tiago Freitas, Processes and Client Success, OCB (Brazil), and Andrés Elola, Chair, ICMIF Americas, and CEO, Surco Seguros (Uruguay).
On December 9th, 2024, Brazil enacted a new Insurance Law legalizing the operations of mutual societies and regulating the operations of insurance cooperatives. The new legislation, which will come into effect at the end of 2025, grants insurance cooperatives greater operational freedom, setting the stage for a more dynamic and inclusive market. As cooperatives expand their services, consumers will gain access to more affordable and diverse insurance options, including more personalized and locally adapted solutions that better serve policyholders’ needs.
12.30 - 13.00
The vision of young leaders
The vision of young leaders, a session led by Dennis Córdoba López, Director, Technology, Sociedad de Seguros de Vida del Magisterio Nacional (Costa Rica).
13.00
End of the Conference and Lunch
16:00
Gala Dinner
Departure from hotel at 16:00.