Dustin Yoder is an insurtech entrepreneur dedicated to creating the next generation of insurance sales, service, and policyholder engagement. The son of a top Silicon Valley insurance broker, Dustin found his passion during his high school days working at the family brokerage and quality testing early benefits software. That experience brought him into the insurtech arena in 2012, making him an early leader in the space.

As a young business visionary, Dustin built, and eventually sold, Vendus Product Labs, an enterprise product development company that served clients such as Genentech, Stanford University, and Honda.

Following that success, he formed Sureify with a goal of revitalizing life insurance for the end consumer. This endeavor took him through twists, turns, and the occasional fall, but it ultimately landed him in a position of influence in the insurance space, enabling leading insurers digitally from the inside out.

Dustin’s passion for bettering the life insurance industry has not waned. He continues using his entrepreneurial spirit, product mindset, and insurance enterprise experience to meaningfully impact the industry his father started in 40 years ago.

Dustin holds a BS in finance from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He lives with his wife and daughter in San Jose, CA.

Reinsurance Strategy and R&D Leadership – Ammon has spent most of the past seven years working with two major, global reinsurers on approaches to utilizing new data and technologies to anticipate impacts to underwriting workflows and actuarial pricing assumptions. These efforts cover the entire life cycle of the process from early product concept and design, underwriting, policy issuance and admin and claims administration for various Life and Health lines. The focus is on building visibility into the data, predictability into the outcomes, production monitoring for early detection, and optimizing the time, resources and costs.
Analytics and Modelling – Over the past 10 years Ammon has led and worked with data and analytics to bring models to the life and health, and adjacent markets. Teams have developed models to deliver key insights to optimize workflows, transform underwriting, drive producer and operational quality, and create visibility into every step of the life cycle. The key to success is understanding the business challenges and being able to translate the insights into workable solutions that deliver real impact in realistic time frames.
Product Management and Innovation – A key passion and focus for Ammon has been anticipating and planning for future market needs in coordination with business and technical leaders over the past 25 years and matching business needs with the right solutions with high rates of success.

Ayan Sarkar is the Chief Revenue Officer at Haven Technologies, a disruptive player that has built deep capabilities in the life, annuity and disability insurance spaces.

Ayan’s focus is on helping drive competitive advantage in insurance through the powers of digital, data and ecosystem. Ayan has 25 years of experience across major insurance markets (P&C, L&A and retirement) and the end-to-end insurance value chain.

Before joining Haven Technologies, Ayan helped build the insurance practices at Salesforce, Guidewire and McKinsey.

Ben Brantley has fifteen years of experience in the enterprise software arena, most recently in advisory roles with software startups in the domains of retail finance, automotive, and energy. Before joining Sureify as CTO in 2021, Ben was Head of Technical Sales, and then CTO, at Guidewire. In that position, he blended his sharp insight, innovative talent and smooth customer skills into a successful mix that helped the company grow and forge its influence as an insurtech leader.

Ben studied computer science at Caltech and served as a faculty member there for five years after graduating. He lives with his wife and daughter in California.

As the Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Bryan Padgette is responsible for developing Sureify’s clientele, with a focus on growth in North America. Usually the first face a client sees, Bryan is key in introducing Sureify’s platform to insurance executives and identifying critical needs that the platform can help solve. He also uses his charisma and industry insight as a frequent speaker at conferences focused on innovation in insurance.

His more than 15 years of professional experience and leadership have been focused on delivering technology-driven business services and solutions, providing outstanding client service and driving revenue growth. Before joining Sureify in 2016, Bryan applied his skillset in multiple SaaS companies, including Validic, the world’s leader in IoT data delivery.

Bryan attended Elon University, graduating with a dual Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Business Management. He lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and three children.

Before founding Atidot in 2016, Dror spent 11 years as an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces Intelligence Corp, working with AI and cybersecurity. He brought his knowledge to the commercial world as a consultant for many Israeli startups following his military intelligence career. Ultimately, his love for data and technology drove him to build Atidot, applying his expertise and passion to provide the life insurance industry with a solution to support data-driven decision-making and optimization of policyholders’ premiums.

Holding a BSc in Physics and Mathematics and an MSc in Management Sciences and Information Technology from Tel Aviv University, Dror is a sought-after speaker at international Insurtech conferences.

Residing in Palo Alto, California, Dror is married with three adorable girls.

Eric Lawless FSA MAAA works as an actuary within the Workplace Solutions division at Transamerica, specializing in new business reporting and pricing for retirement products. He has been with Transamerica for ten years since graduating from Northeastern University, and previous worked in both valuation and modeling for group supplemental health products. He has experience with building models and processes from the ground up and has an interest in computer programming.

The child of an artist and an accountant, Breitweiser is a creative problem-solver with a lifelong passion for bringing visionary ideas to life. As a Senior Analyst on State Farm’s Life/Health Innovation Team, Breitweiser brings a collaborative, disciplined, and strategic approach to risk-taking, and leads new opportunities for long-term, sustainable success. He enjoys cultivating startup partnerships that drive revenue, reduce expenses, and deliver digital customer experiences for a Fortune 50 company. Outside of the life insurance industry, Breitweiser applies his curiosity and passion to a variety of arts, non-profit, and civic initiatives in Central Illinois.

Ewelina (Evie) Mroczek, an Associate of Society of Actuaries, holds the role of Assistant Vice President of Product & Market Research in the Annuity Solutions division of Lincoln Financial Group. In her current role, she leads a team focused on monitoring the present and visualizing the future of retirement income supporting the individual annuity business line.

Evie’s insurance journey started with Lincoln 18 years ago. In her time at Lincoln, she had the opportunity to hold various roles while supporting multiple products offered in Lincoln’s life and annuity portfolio, including MoneyGuard®, i4LIFE® Advantage and the Lifetime Income Strategy in plan guarantee. This diverse tenure has proven to be the great catalyst to her ability to think creatively, and act strategically, with a strong ability to execute.

She is passionate about innovation and is a strong believer in challenging the status quo. This passion keeps her engaged and dedicated to the local Hartford InsurTech ecosystem movement, while actively creating ways to educate Lincoln Financial Group’s innovators.

Evie received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics & Statistics from University of Massachusetts Amherst and holds a Master’s Degree in Mathematics for University of Connecticut Storrs. She lives in Connecticut together with her husband Konrad and two children Adrian & Oksana.

Fred Tavan is SVP & Chief Pricing Officer at Legal & General America. He is leading actuarial, underwriting, and data science innovations. He works closely with distribution partners both internally and externally to disrupt the Term insurance marketplace in the pursuit of offering good value life insurance coverage to as many US families as possible. Prior to joining LGA, Fred was the Chief Analytics Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at Vida Capital. At Vida he was an innovation leader in the alternative asset class capital markets by blending actuarial science, risk management, product design, underwriting, and advanced/predictive analytics to develop strategy and revolutionize underwriting in the longevity risk space using AI. Prior to joining Vida, Fred was Chief Risk Officer and Chief Actuary at Sun Life US and the global head of insurance risk and reinsurance at Sun Life Financial. He was also Head of the Innovation Lab with a global mandate to accelerate innovation across a large, complex, multi-national financial institution. Fred has worked at some of the world’s largest Insurance Companies, Consulting firms, and global Reinsurance players. He has held positions of increasing responsibility in innovation, advanced analytics, risk management, reinsurance, mergers and acquisitions, capital management, pricing, planning, forecasting, valuation, taxation, and modelling systems. He has worked in Individual, Group and Wealth Management lines of business spanning over Canadian, US, UK, and international markets, Fred is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, American Academy of Actuaries, and Canadian Institute of Actuaries, and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary.

JJ Carroll joined AAA Life Insurance Company in January 2020 and currently serves as Vice President, Product Development and Innovation. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Carroll is responsible for developing and implementing AAA Life’s product and innovation strategy. She helps create the company’s innovation roadmap to support member penetration and profitable growth, and provides strategic direction on member-focused product design.

Prior to joining AAA Life, Carroll was the Senior Vice President of Swiss Re’s New Solutions Group, an innovation team dedicated to developing underwriting and customer experience solutions in life insurance.

Joe Saari is the Founder and Chairman of the Financial Fitness Group (FFG). Joe has dedicated his career to helping individuals improve their financial well-being. A well-known thought leader, who has been featured on CNBC, CNN, and Bloomberg TV, Joe brings over 20 years of experience as an academic, innovator, and leader in the field of financial wellness. He has served on the Governor’s Task Force on Financial Literacy and won numerous awards for his leadership in over 10 years of research and innovation in financial well-being. Before starting Financial Fitness Group, Saari was a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin.

John is the leader and co-founder of Coherent. Every day, John works to inspire the Coherent team to create a brighter, more inclusive future for the insurance industry. Having started his career in AXA and EY, John has accumulated a wealth of global experience in the insurance sector, most recently as COO and CIO at Manulife Asia. In his career to date, he has led teams in more than 45 countries across five continents. John believes Coherent’s technology will help customers to drastically improve the level of insurance penetration around the world.

Juan is a principal analyst at Celent and head of the insurance practice for EMEA, APAC, and LATAM. He is responsible for research and advice to C-level executives in the financial services industry, globally, in themes such as fintech, insurtech, innovation, emerging technologies and business transformation. He has been part of, and has accompanied, the launch and evolution of various innovative initiatives and business models in the financial services industry; lately being involved in the design and construction of a digital direct insurer.

Juan’s career spans more than 30 years in the insurance and banking IT industries. He is a frequent speaker at industry events, contributor to many conferences, and evaluator for technology competitions. He is also a professor in various insurance related academic institutions and has experience mentoring in diverse industries.
Juan has consulting expertise on core insurance system selection, partnership selection, innovation management, project/vendor management, market entry strategy, and due diligence support for IT acquisitions and partnerships. ​
Prior to joining Celent, Juan was Corporate Vice President at Sistran, where he directly contributed to expanding its presence throughout 14 countries, including the US and key Latin American markets. He brings a deep understanding of core and noncore systems projects and operational business models.

Juan also brings to the practice a deep expertise in HR transformation. Before joining Celent, he advised and helped execute a new HR strategy for a group of 450 IT employees working throughout the Americas region. As part of his job at Celent, he plays a role as agent of change for financial institutions; by engaging through lectures, moderating workshops, and other type of interventions he contributes to business transformation. His work in this field since the late 90’s includes multi-national, regional, local, private or state-owned financial institutions undergoing transformation programs.

Juan has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Catolica Argentina. His background includes several roles in cross-border, multicultural environments.

Justin DiPietro is the Co-Founder and COO of Glia, where he is responsible for product strategy and direction and day to day operations. Justin stays up to date on trends in technology and artificial intelligence to ensure that Glia’s vision to combine the human touch with technology to create the best customer experience is carried out. Prior to Glia, he worked alongside Dan serving as a consultant working with top enterprises on customer and technology strategy. Justin grew up in New Jersey and is a graduate from Pennsylvania State University. In his spare time, Justin enjoys scuba diving, traveling and surfing.

Lawrence has over 25 years of operations and technology experience in Financial Services and is a life insurance subject matter expert. Demonstrated accomplishments helping companies to transform business strategy and operational processes and to implement new technologies, turning change into opportunity from strategy through execution. Recognized as a thought leader, team builder and strategic thinker. Proven record working with senior leadership, driving innovation, leading large global teams and developing enterprise-wide solutions.

Prior to EXL, Lawrence was a Senior Director at Capgemini, Partner at DXC, Director at KPMG, SVP at Lehman Brothers, Senior Manager at EY, Vice President at JP Morgan and Senior Associate at PwC.

Mike Porco is the Head of Technology for Pacific Life’s recently formed Institutional division. He is responsible for technology strategy and investment, as well as the development of platforms capable of supporting rapid product ideation and growth.

Prior to this role, he led product teams responsible for large application portfolios supporting Pacific Life’s Investment and Real-estate businesses as well as merger integration and divestiture decoupling.
Mike holds an MBA from UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business and A BS in Computer Science from California State University, Long Beach.

Nick Zambruno joined Human API in 2016 as the first insurance go to market hire responsible for revenue growth, new vertical expansion, and strategic partnerships development. He specializes in creating custom solutions for life insurance carriers, distribution partners, reinsurers, insurtech companies, and enterprise partners, designed to drive digital transformation with Human API’s Health Intelligence Platform. Prior to Human API, Nick has held several business development and advisory roles at companies based in Silicon Valley.

Ryan leads Glia’s insurance vertical sales team. Ryan has 12+ years experience consulting with thousands of Carriers, MGAs, TPAs and Agencies on digital transformation, increasing throughput and reducing churn. Ryan’s business passions include team building, GTM strategy, and agile learning.

Todd Buchanan is Coherent’s Chief Executive Officer, USA, leading the growth of innovative technology solutions in the insurance and investment markets across the United States. Previously as an executive in AIG’s Life and Retirement Division, Todd was responsible for a team of 500 employees, and was named Manager of the Year nine times. He also held the position of Senior Vice President, Market Management and Strategy, for a large life insurance subsidiary within AIG. Prior to his 24 years in the insurance industry, Todd served as a Captain in the US Army.

Todd Rodgers is the Chief Technology Officer at Haven Technologies, a SaaS company that leverages an industry leading technology platform to help carriers deliver new products and digitally transform their operations from quote to claim. Prior to launching Haven Technologies, Todd was Chief Technology Officer at Haven Life, a life insurance agency that takes a customer-centric, digital approach to improving the life insurance buying experience. Previously, he was at Citi Private Bank where he managed global development teams that worked to address complex financial needs of high-value clients.

Todd Seabaugh is Vice President, Innovation Initiative Lead for RGAX, the innovation accelerator of Reinsurance Group of
America, Incorporated (RGA). He is responsible for concept development and coordination and delivery of strategic business initiatives that move beyond the conceptual phase. Todd has led numerous projects in the areas of digital
distribution, digital underwriting, and financial underwriting evidence.

Todd, who joined RGA in 2008, has more than 20 years of experience in information systems management and consulting. He has held several positions at RGA, starting as Executive Director of Development, Information Management Services in the Information Technology department. Previously, he was with ITT Commercial Finance as Strategic Projects Manager, with IBM as a National Practice manager, and was Principal of the IT consultant Confidus Group Consulting, where he worked with more than 75 client companies in numerous business verticals. His Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in information systems
management with a minor in business and accounting is from Maryville University, St. Louis, Missouri.