July 22, 2011
We hear politicians and pundits talk about a “jobless recovery” or a “no growth recovery”, and how current economic conditions may be the “new normal”. How is consumer behavior adapting to these economic conditions and other developments, and what are the implications for our business?
The 2011 SIR Webinar Series will continue on August 16th with a free-ranging discussion among an expert on consumer behavior and our own practitioners from the P&C and Health sides of the business to put his findings in context.
SIR Members & recent SIR conference attendees can register at no charge.
To register for this free one-hour webinar, which will begin at 2:00 Eastern/ 11:00 Pacific, simply email the SIR Vice President – Events, Richard Skyba. (If your email security has disabled the link, email Richard at rskyba@comcast.net and make the subject line of your email “Registration for 8/16 webinar”.)
About the August 16th webinar:
The Nielsen Company is in the market every day to collect what the consumer is thinking and doing. Transforming this information into practical application is key. In this webinar our panelist from Nielsen will present a number of current findings on consumer behavior and representatives from State Farm and BlueCross/BlueShield will share their views on potential impacts for the insurance business.
For example, if gas prices are up and consumers say they will eat out less because they can’t afford the gas or the luxury? Conventional wisdom is that people driving fewer miles means lower frequency for auto insurers. But what are some other effects? A shrinking premium base for commercial coverages purchased by restaurants? Growth among grocers as people spend more for their stay-at-home meals? More fraudulent claims from failing businesses? Will the change in diet help the life/health industry in the long run?
This is just one of the topics we will ask our panel to think through.
Join us for this provocative webinar as panelists from the Nielsen Company, Regence BlueCross BlueShield, and State Farm explore various recent consumer sentiment results and possible implications for our industry.
About the speakers:
Kevin Heiser is Staff Director – Strategic Resources at State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington, IL.
After a decade in systems at State Farm, Kevin has been involved with research at the company for the past 20 years. He has previously conducted consumer research, studied the economy and competitors, and served as a strategic advisor to a product line.
Kevin currently leads a group charged with identifying and monitoring emerging trends (0 to 24 months); studying the foresight window (5 to 20 years); and supporting innovation at State Farm.
Kevin has a diverse academic background that includes degrees from Parkland College, Moody Bible Institute, and Taylor University. He has earned numerous insurance designations and he served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Insurance Research for many years. Kevin is a Past President of the SIR.
James Russo serves as Vice President, Global Consumer Insights for The Nielsen Company and is based in New York. He has more than 17 years of experience in marketing, sales, business development, and research across the retail and manufacturing industries.
His responsibilities at Nielsen include leadership in integrating the company’s efforts to leverage and customize its broad array of insights and analytics to enhance growth strategies for its clients.
One of Mr. Russo’s main areas of expertise is in developing foresights from understanding the dynamics of current economic conditions and what clients can do to maximize opportunities and minimize risks. These insights are presented across industry sectors at the most senior levels. As a result James is one of today’s leading experts on consumer attitudes and behavior, prominently and frequently featured in the nation’s top business outlets.
During his seven years with Nielsen, he also served as General Manager, delivering strategic insights and analysis of significant trends impacting retailers and suppliers. In addition, he launched “Executive Perspective,” offering unique industry insight and foresight to hundreds of consumer packaged goods executives.
Mr. Russo earned an MBA and BA from St. John’s University in Queens, New York, and is a frequent contributor to leading media outlets such as: CNBC, Bloomberg News, Fox Business, Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.
Richard Skyba is Director of Product and Marketing, Regence Life and Health. Regence currently provides specialty products for over four million members in several markets throughout its four-state service area of Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Idaho.
Richard joined Regence in 2006 to manage the competitive intelligence function. Shortly thereafter he was asked to oversee the specialty products division, an area that included eight lines of business. Recently, Richard was promoted to lead the product and marketing area within Regence Life and Health. Since joining Regence, Richard has played a part in designing and launching several new products including voluntary dental; vision and critical illness products; as well as offerings in life & disability; EAP; vision; administrative services; stop-loss; group & individual dental; short term medical; small group medical; individual and group Rx; and Integrated Health Solutions, an innovative new suite of services that is targeted at the self-funded market.
Prior to joining Regence, Richard worked with ODS Health Plans and Group Health Cooperative in forecasting, product development, and business intelligence capacities. He is an active participant in several organizations that serve professionals in the insurance industry. Richard is on the board of directors for both the Oregon Hospice Association and the Society of Insurance Research. He is also an active member of both the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) and his local chapter, Oregon Association of Health Underwriters (OAHU).
SIR 41st Annual Conference
If you have not already registered for this year’s Annual Conference, which will be in Long Beach, California October 16th – 19th, you will want to lock in your spot now. Use this link to register now, and then come back to the site for more detail as we announce the value-packed agenda that is being built around keynote speaker Brian Sullivan.
If you have any questions about your SIR membership, your access to Members-Only resources, or any of the Society’s activities, please contact Ed Budd at 317-398-3684.
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