PartnerRe chief executive officer Patrick Thiele will be the keynote speaker when the Society of Insurance Financial Management (SIFM) holds its 50th annual conference in Bermuda next week.

SIFM principally comprises chief financial officers, controllers, chief accountants and other financial executives from within the insurance industry, including insurance professionals from the leading public accounting firms.

The event, at the Fairmont Southampton hotel, starts on Monday morning with Mr. Thiele's address.

Bradley Kading, president of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) will then speak in a session focused on "Meeting Global Public Policy Challenges".

Another well-known speaker Bermuda Monetary Authority CEO Matthew Elderfield, the Island's top financial regulator, will talk on "Bermuda Standards and Regulation".

The conference will also feature a session on "Catastrophe: The Story of Bernard L Madoff, The Man Who Swindled The World", featuring New York-based authors Deborah and Gerald Strober.

Swiss Re senior vice-president Thomas Holzheu features in a session on "Property & Casualty Industry and Economic Outlook", while the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud's executive director Dennis Jay will highlight "Trends In Insurance Fraud".

Tuesday's morning sessions will start with an industry outlook from credit rating agency AM Best.

That will be followed by a tax panel looking at developments including legislation, featuring Christopher Puglia of Deloitte, Addison Shuster of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Joseph Vaccaro, tax director of Alico.

Other topics covered include an update on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and lawsuit protection.

The conference closes on Wednesday at 11.30 a.m. after the final two sessions.

For more information, log onto the SIFM website www.sifm.org