John Charlery

Dr. John Charlery is the Executive Director of the University of the West Indies Global Institute for Climate-Smart and Resilient Development (UWI-GICSRD) and also a Researcher and Associate Professor at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in the Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics. Before joining the academic staff of the UWI, he was the Deputy Director of the Barbados Meteorological Services, where he served for several years. He is therefore a self-described Meteorologist-turned-Computer-Scientist-turned-Climate-Modeler and has directed his attention mostly in the areas of simulation and dynamic modeling. A significant part of his ongoing research and publications is in climate modeling, interpretation of climate models’ results, and climate scenarios generation. He developed the Climate Modeling Laboratory at the Cave Hill Campus of the UWI and has been running it since its inception in 2002. At this modeling centre, the emphasis is on dynamic downscaling and statistical regional climate modeling over the Caribbean. He is a member of the Caribbean Climate Modelers Group, which comprises cross-sectional and cross-discipline representation from the campuses of the UWI and the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET). He is a scientist at the CARICOM Center for Climate Change (CCCCC or 5Cs) as well as a long-standing member of the Board of Governors of that institution. His primary interest is in the identification and development of methodologies, that address “smaller-scale” issues within the global climate change processes, and focuses on the development of best-fit methodologies for climate model downscaling for the Caribbean. For more than a decade he has served as the principal climate change specialist on a host of regional projects. As the Executive Director of the UWI Global Institute for Climate-Smart and Resilient Development (GICSRD) he leads a team of some of the best scientific minds within the University of the West Indies.

Sapna Chatlani

Sapna Chatlani is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and has been with Colina Insurance Limited since 2008. During her time with the Company, she started off in the Actuarial Department where she led the Health Unit for 7 years and the Individual Life and Annuity Unit for another 7 years. She subsequently assumed the role of Vice President of the Group & Health Benefits Department in 2022.

Sapna originally started her actuarial career in the actuarial department of a large Caribbean insurance company where she spent approximately five years. Prior to arriving in the Bahamas, Sapna spent approximately two years in Ernst and Young in their London office working in their Actuarial Services area.

Leslie Lee Fook

Leslie Lee Fook is a name of legend in the business world. His revolutionary digital transformation strategies and expert knowledge are unrivalled, making him one of the most sought-after figures on Caribbean shores.

His career spans over twenty years with experience in Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, and Artificial Intelligence. Typically serving enterprise and government customers, he aspires to create a globally competitive region using data which positively impacts every Caribbean life! He was also named as an honorary speaker at The CTU’s Prime Minister’s Summit which amassed over 100 leaders from across the region.

Leslie believes that we all someday will become data citizens. He hopes to tap into the deeply creative nature of our Caribbean people so we can foster development in a community that’s highly sought after for its talent and expertise, transforming us into the “India for Analytics.”

Ian Galt

Ian Galt is an extensively experienced professional within the ICT and Telecommunications Sectors with over 45 years of experience.

Ian is presently Group Chief Information Officer at ANSA McAL. His responsibility spans ten Business Sectors, over fifty Companies and nine geographies

Prior to this Ian has spent the last four decades working for four Multinational ICT / Telecommunication Companies and one Caribbean region Conglomerate in Executive capacities.

These include Digicel Central America and the Caribbean, (Chief Revenue Officer), ANSA McAL, (Group CIO and Services Sector Head), Cable and Wireless PLC, (Managing Director Products and Services followed by Managing Director Government Business), and Fujitsu, (Country Manager followed by Executive Vice President Caribbean and Central America).  

During these periods he has sat on ten Boards and has been the Chairman of eight Boards. He has sat on the Board of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce and is a committee member of the Trinidad and Tobago IFC (FinTech) Company. He also sat on the Board of Nuklyus, a JV Company between TSTT and E IDCOT in Tobago.

In 2023, he became the first CIO in Trinidad and Tobago to sit on the LATAM Innovation Advisory Council for Vation Ventures. Ian has worked extensively in the UK and Europe for over ten years in addition to having extensive experience working in multiple Caribbean and Central America locations.

Constance Hoo

With over 20 years of proven success in the Insurance industry, Constance Hoo currently holds the position of Vice President, Employee Benefits Administration at Guardian Life Limited, Jamaica, with overall responsibility for the successful leadership of the Employee Benefits Division.

Her insurance career began in 1997 at Dyoll Life, Jamaica as a Provider Relations Officer, then Crown Eagle, First Life and Life of Jamaica, after which she found her sweet spot at Guardian Life Limited.

A Registered Nurse with over 26 years’ experience to her credit in both the private and public sector, including Bustamante Hospital for Children and University of the West Indies, Private Wing, she also holds an Executive MBA from University College of the Caribbean.

Musa Ibrahim

Musa Ibrahim is a Chartered Accountant by profession, specializing in the Financial Services Industry for over 25 years. He has worked for market leading organisations that offer: Banking, Insurance and Asset Management, Mutual Funds, Merchant Banking, Investment advisory, Retirement Planning, Life Insurance and Property & Casualty Insurance. Over his 31 year working experience, he has held various high profile / senior positions. Some include Company Secretary, CFO, Finance Director, Executive Director and Managing Director. He is currently the President of the Insurance Association of the Caribbean Inc. (IAC).  

Paul Inniss

Paul is a successful and results driven insurance executive who has worked across all business segments within the financial services industries over the last thirty (30) years. He has extensive knowledge and experience in leading high-performance teams in the insurance and banking sectors across the English & Dutch speaking Caribbean. He has proven successes in implementing and executing business strategies for large regional financial institutions across seventeen countries.

HIGHLIGHTS OF CAREER LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

• Executive Vice President & General Manager – Sagicor Life Inc – Barbados
• Director, Insurance Association Caribbean
• Director, Barbados Jazz Society
• Director, Insurance – CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank
• Chief Operating Officer – Island Heritage Insurance Company
• General Manager for Barbados & Eastern Caribbean Islands with Pan American Life Insurance Group
• Past President – General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB)

PROFESSIONAL EDUCAION/DEVELOPMENT

• MBA – Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland
• Fellowship (FCIP) - with Specialization in - Risk Management, University of Toronto/Insurance Institute of Canada, Toronto, Canada
• Canadian Risk Manager (CRM) - Institute of Risk Management - Canada
• Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) - Insurance Institute of Canada, Canada

Paul is the current President for the Optimist Club Barbados Central for the Year 2021-2022 and his association with Optimist International, dates to the year 2001. Paul has a passion for helping others, especially children and chose the Optimist Club of Barbados as the service club through which he wants to serve the children of Barbados. In addition, Paul provides mentorship and support to musical groups with a focus of helping the youth to develop their musical talents as part of their development.

Ghassan Karam

Ghassan Karam is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries with over 12 years of combined experience in actuarial consulting and InsurTech. His comprehensive journey through these sectors has given him a unique vantage point to understand the complex challenges and opportunities they present. Ghassan holds a degree in Actuarial Science from Universite de Montreal.

Today, he oversees three critical products at Equisoft: /Manage (PAS on the Cloud), Back Office Productivity Tools for Insurers, and Analytics Solutions. Ghassan's vision is to deeply connect the world of insurance with the latest technological innovations, fostering productivity, and endowing insurers with the agility demanded by today's dynamic markets.

Raymond Knight

Raymond Knight is the Senior Director – Insurance, Financial Services Commission Jamaica. He has had responsibility for the development, and administration of regulatory and supervisory programmes under the Insurance Act in Jamaica since 2018.

Mr. Knight has over 20 years of experience in regulation, finance, risk and compliance. His work experience has spanned the regulation, securities/wealth, and insurance sectors.

Mr. Knight holds a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours in Accounting and Management Studies from the University of the West Indies, an MBA from the Manchester Business School, and an LLB from the University of London.

Axel Kravatzky, Ph.D.

Dr. Axel Kravatzky is Managing Partner of Syntegra-ESG, advising and guiding leaders on how to develop, activate and amplify the power of their brand and people to positively impact society and the natural environment profitably.  As the practice lead for Integrated Governance and Strategy he has been working with Boards of Directors, Board Committees and Executives for over 20 years. His specialties are the financial, state-owned enterprise, utilities, and non-for-profit sectors.  Axel was the founding Chairman of the Caribbean Corporate Governance Institute (CCGI) and lead the development of the first and only accredited Corporate Governance training programme in the Caribbean region.  Axel is currently the Vice Chair of ISO/TC309 Governance of Organizations, serves as the co-convener and technical editor for ISO/TC309/WG1 which developed the global benchmark on good organizational governance: “ISO 37000:2021 Governance of Organizations — Guidance”, and is the project leader of “ISO 37006 Indicators of effective organizational governance – Guidance”.

Dr. Keith Nurse

Keith Nurse is the President of the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts Trinidad and Tobago. He is the former Principal/CEO of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in Saint Lucia. He has worked in multiple roles at the University of the West Indies as the World Trade Organization Chair, Executive Director UWI Consulting Inc., Director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, Senior Fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies and Senior Lecturer Institute of International Relations. He has also worked as adjunct faculty at the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business in Trinidad and Tobago and at the Institute for International Development and Cooperation, University of Ottawa. He has worked as Senior Economist and Advisor on Structural Policies and Innovation to the OECD Development Centre in Paris, France.

He currently serves as an expert member on the Framework for Cultural Statistics, UNESCO Institute of Statistics. He has also served as a member of Hemispheric Programme Advisory Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, a panel member for the International Union of the Scientific Study of Populations and as an academic board member of the ACP Intra-Regional Observatory on Migration, International Organization for Migration. He served also on the advisory board of the WTO Academic Chairs programme and the OAS Inter-American Cultural Policy Observatory. He is a former member of the Economic Development Advisory Board, Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr. Nurse has worked as a researcher and consultant to governments and international and regional organizations in a wide range of areas such as trade policy, trade in services, intellectual property value capture, export diversification and global value-chain integration, industrial policy and innovation governance, creative industries, tourism, migration and diasporas, gender and economic restructuring, climate change and sustainable development.

Roland Riviere

Roland Riviere started his loss adjusting career in 1983 while based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Although the initial part of the work in the industry was focused on personal lines, a progression to a mix of personal and commercial lines lead to a higher concentration of commercial and industrial risks in the Caribbean region, eventually expanding cover to Central and South America.

Major loss experience in the Caribbean, and Latin American region includes multi-million dollar property damage/business interruption claims arising out of hurricanes, fire, machinery breakdown, explosion and other energy losses (including solar power generation). Roland’s portfolio of losses handled include manufacturing plants, infrastructure projects, leisure and hospitality industry, public utilities, retail and wholesale outlets. Roland also has extensive experience in managing and handling catastrophe claims, in particular hurricanes and earthquakes in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Dean Romany

Dean Romany started his career in the Insurance Industry over thirty-five years ago holding various senior positions within Guardian Group.  His career spanned various managerial positions at Caribbean Home Insurance Company Limited, later becoming the General Manager of the Trinidad Insurance Operations. His experience included being Technical Advisor at Caribbean Home NCB Insurance Company Limited in Jamaica, where he also lectured at the College of Insurance.

Caribbean Home Insurance later became Guardian General Insurance Limited and Mr. Romany was appointed Vice President of Technical Insurance. Since then, he held a number of Executive positions within Guardian Group including Executive - Business Transformation Unit at the parent company Guardian Holdings Limited (GHL). The positions held during the period 2004 to 2018 included the post of Vice President with responsibility for Technical Governance, Reinsurance and Risk Management, then Group Chief Underwriting Officer for the Property and Casualty division and Group Chief Risk Officer for GHL.   In 2018, Mr. Romany was appointed President of Guardian General Insurance Limited and sits on the Board of Governors of the Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Institute, and the Boards of the Association of Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Companies (ATTIC).

Daryl Senick

Daryl is a Consulting partner with over 20 years of professional experience providing technology services for Insurance. He is focused on serving P & C, Health, and Life insurers, as well as, Brokerages, TPAs, and Associations, with Assurance, Tax, and Advisory solutions to enable successful business transformation. We have assisted hundreds of clients looking to streamline their businesses and make technology work for them, winning many awards along the way.

Daryl as a results-driven technology executive is focused on strategic planning, execution excellence, and delivering value for our clients through the BDO Technology Solutions Practice. He has national responsibility for managing and growing the BDO Technology’s practices of Data Analytics, Application Modernization, Digital & Collaboration, and Productivity Automation.

Junaid Seria

Based in London, Junaid will harness Gallagher Re’s extensive catastrophe modelling and analytical expertise from across its dedicated teams in London, Ipswich and Mumbai as well as within the region for the benefit of local clients across Latin America and the Caribbean. Having trained as an actuary and with 15 years’ experience in various analytics roles at an insurer, reinsurer and consultancy, Junaid brings a wealth of catastrophe risk expertise, market knowledge and leadership experience to Gallagher Re. These include model governance post-Solvency II, catastrophe R&D, climate change and actuarial analytics. He has also served the industry as a member of various working groups such as EIOPA’s Catastrophe Expert Network, the Bank of England’s Climate Change, the Geneva Association’s Climate Change and Environment and as Chair of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries’ one on catastrophe risk. 

Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith is Sapiens VP of Life Product Strategy, responsible for the direction and roadmap of Sapiens digital suite of core solutions and eco-partners that support L&A insurers in the North American market. She started her career working for a large life carrier for several years and then moved into the software side. Jennifer held positions, prior to Sapiens, at EDS SOLCORP (now DXC Technology), SunGard, and Majesco, focusing on life insurance systems transformations and business process optimization for nearly 25 years.

Robert Soverall

Robert Soverall, Managing Director, Republic Life Insurance Company Limited, is an experienced financial services executive with demonstrated industry expertise in Insurance, Risk Management, Investment Management, Governance and Business Planning built up over the course of more than two decades.

Mr. Soverall holds a Bachelor of Science, Actuarial Science with Upper Second-Class Honors, City University London, Diploma in Business Management, University of the West Indies, Institute of Business. He is also a CFA Charter Holder and a Chartered Director.

Filip Sramel

Filip Sramel has been with Gallagher Re (Willis Re) for more than 10 years.

He holds the role of Regional Director and is a member of the Latin America and Caribbean Executive Committee and heads the up London desk for the region.

Filip is also a member of the EMEA leadership team, responsible for Large and Complex Clients. He manages large accounts and leads client teams across Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

His career in reinsurance began in 2004 as an underwriter with Sava Re, Slovenia where he eventually became a Director of Underwriting.

Filip holds a B.A. degree in Law from University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Patrick Ward

Mr. Ward is currently a Non-Executive Director of Bahamas First General Insurance Company Ltd. He is the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bahamas First Holdings Limited and its principal subsidiary Bahamas First General.

The Bahamas First Group is the country’s largest property and casualty insurance organization with premium writings in excess of $150 million, ranking it in the top tier of companies in the Caribbean Region.

Mr. Ward has held various technical and managerial jobs within the Insurance Industry over the last 25 years, and, over this period of time, he has attended various overseas courses and short-term work secondments to United Kingdom based insurance companies and institutions. He has extensive experience with reinsurance transactions and is recognized in the Caribbean as an industry leader.

Mr. Ward is a proud graduate of St. John’s College and qualified as an Associate and Fellow of the Insurance Institute of Canada in 1987 and 1990, respectively. In 1994 Mr. Ward graduated from the University of Miami Business School Executive MBA program with honors (Beta Gamma Sigma).

He was appointed Non-Executive Chairman of the National Insurance Board between 2007 and 2012, and Non-Executive Chairman of the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation between 2017 and 2020. He continues to serve as a Director on various other Civic and Company Boards. He has also assisted the Government of The Bahamas, in various capacities, on matters related to the insurance sector.

He is a past Chairman of The Bahamas Insurance Association and in April of 2005 the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), Bahamas Chapter, nominated him “Boss of The Year 2005/2006.

Warrick Ward

Warrick Ward has over 20 years of diversified financial sector experience, having served in several senior roles within both the public and private sectors.

Since January 2023, Warrick assumed the role of the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Commission, having most recently served as the Managing Director of AltoComp Consulting Inc. - a boutique firm offering corporate finance and strategic advisory services to a range of clients.

Warrick also served as a Senior Manager in the Advisory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he offered advisory services ranging from corporate finance and financial modelling to merger and acquisition strategy. Warrick also served previously as Chief Executive Officer of NCB Capital Markets (Barbados) Limited, and within the public sector, he has served in senior positions at the Financial Services Commission in Barbados, the Barbados Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Central Bank of Barbados.

Warrick has a diversified background in finance, economics, compliance, and other policy-related work. He has chaired several policy-making committees and boards of directors. He currently sits on the Macroprudential Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).

Warrick was educated at the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill), and the University of Southampton in the UK, where he has been awarded degrees in economics, accounting and finance. This seasoned leader has also completed several short-term studies, including courses at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard Law School.

He continues to share his varied experiences through his interaction with students, as a part-time Lecturer in the Banking and Finance Masters programme at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus.

Jeff Waters

Jeff Waters joined Moody’s RMS in 2011 and is based in Bethlehem, PA. As part of the Product Management team, he is responsible for product management of the Moody’s RMS North Atlantic Hurricane Models.

Jeff provides technical expertise and support regarding Moody’s RMS North Atlantic Hurricane model solutions and their applications throughout the (re)insurance industry. He also generates product requirements for future updates and releases, and helps develop the overall product strategy, messaging, thought leadership, and collateral to ensure its commercial and technical success.

Waters’ background is meteorology and atmospheric science with a focus in tropical meteorology and climatology. Jeff holds a B.S. in Geography/Meteorology from Ohio University (’09), and a M.S. in Meteorology from Penn State University (’11). He is a member of the American Meteorological Society, the International Society of Catastrophe Managers, and the U.S. Reinsurance Under 40s Group, Inc. He has earned both CCRA and CCRMP designations as well.

Dr. Colin Young

Dr. Colin A. Young, a Belizean national, is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (CCCCC) headquartered in Belize SINCE January 2020. Prior to his appointment at the CCCCC, Dr. Young served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Social Security Board, a parastatal entity that administers Belize’s Social Security Fund from 2017 to 2019 were he championed contribution reform, technology transformation and numerous legislative changes. Dr. Young also served as the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, the Environment, Sustainable Development where he had overall responsibilities for all of the portfolios, including climate change, other than agriculture as well as the CEO in the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology and Public Utilities from 2012-2015. Dr. Young has served on numerous boards including the Green Climate Fund, a financial mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He holds both a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut in the United States.