Board diversity, female leadership, cyber-risk, blockchain and climate change are among the topics on the 2018 agenda of the fourteenth Bermuda Captive Conference, which will be held from June 11 to 13 at the Fairmont Southampton.

There will be a mix of moderated panels and round tables focusing on fast-changing insurance issues, including insurtech, US tax reform, pensions and employee benefits, healthcare and cyber-risk, and investment strategies.

“A major highlight of this year’s event is the number of captive owners we have speaking,” said David Gibbons, agenda committee chairman.

“Over the last three to four years, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in the number of captive owners and risk managers attending the conference and we thought it was very important they hear from their peer group. The Bermuda Captive Owners Association has been extremely supportive and many of its members are now taking part.”

Major client corporations self-insuring through Bermuda captives include General Motors, Caterpillar, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and True Value Hardware Stores. Risk managers and other representatives from these and other companies will participate in the conference, including a round table devoted to captive owners on day two of the conference.

“The round table is the first of its kind for our conference, and it will be interesting to hear captive owners in various life cycles of their captive talk about what they’re thinking about, what’s important to them, what they’re looking for in terms of a domicile, a market, level of service, regulation and risk management — and why Bermuda provides that,” said Mr Gibbons.

Key industry sessions will explore the issue of board diversity and the perspective of millennials, while an opening-day session spotlighting female corporate leaders, titled “Women in the Captive Industry — Empowering Industry Awareness”.

Grainne Richmond, president of the Bermuda Insurance Management Association said: “It’s important to recognise the impact of diversity within the industry, particularly that of women, Bermudians, and young insurance professionals, as the captive insurance sector evolves.

“We’ll highlight some very successful women — senior executives who are excellent role models for young men and women. We feel their insights will inspire the whole audience, especially younger attendees who are just heading into captive careers.”

There will also be a panel on US tax reform, together with a global economic outlook from HSBC Securities and Barclays Wealth economists, and spotlight speeches from Derreck Kayongo and Jonathan Reiss.

Michael Parrish, conference chairman, said: “Our agenda committee has worked hard and taken a fresh look to provide sessions we feel will be topical, thought-provoking and informative. We’re pleased a large number of captive owners representing notable companies are participating on panels, along with experienced captive practitioners. We look forward to lots of engagement, networking and discussion.”

The Bermuda Business Development Agency is promoting the conference at a number of upcoming events overseas, including next month at the International Cyber Risk Management Conference in Toronto, and the Rims 2018 conference in San Antonio, Texas, and on May 2 at the BDA Executive Forum in New York, where the keynote speaker will be Brian Duperreault, CEO of American International Group.

Conference details are available from the website http://bermudacaptiveconference.com or e-mail at info@bermudacaptive.bm