Bermuda International Long Term Insurers and Reinsurers is to stage its annual conference virtually for the first time as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The representative body for the island’s long-term insurers said today that the annual International Life and Annuity Conference will take place on September 18.Headline online speakers for the half-day conference are Gaudenz Silberschmidt, director of the World Health Organisation, and Dame Inga Beale, former chief executive officer of Lloyd’s of London.Dr Silberschmidt will discuss how WHO and the insurance industry can work together to mitigate the health and financial effects of future pandemics, while Dame Inga will give her insights on how to effectively change organisations to become more diverse and inclusive.Biltir, which represents 62 long-term insurance, reinsurance and servicing companies in Bermuda who provide life and annuity products and employ 540 people on the island, announced in May that it was cancelling the physical conference due to the pandemic. This year’s conference is the seventh time the event has been held.“The health and safety of our members, speakers, attendees and staff are always of preeminent concern, so I am very excited to announce that Biltir is able to hold our annual Life and Annuity Conference as a virtual event this year,” said BILTIR executive director Ronnie Klein.“We are thrilled that speakers of the calibre of Dr Silberschmidt and Dame Inga will be giving their valued insights about the industry to our members and virtual attendees around the world. Bermuda has a well-earned reputation as a global centre of insurance innovation, and we are delighted to able to organise such a quality event in the middle of a global pandemic. This year’s conference could be the best ever, and attendees can enjoy it from the comfort of their home or office.”The conference will also get an update from the Bermuda Monetary Authority on Bermuda’s Solvency II equivalence and National Association of Insurance Commissioners reciprocal jurisdiction, in addition to its efforts to increase support for the growing long-term insurance and reinsurance sector on the island.Sponsors of the event are EY, the Reinsurance Division of the Society of Actuaries, and Bermuda Business Development Agency. Full details of the conference appear on the Biltir website at www.biltir.bm