Automation in Insurance: Balancing Heart and Hand

Presenters: Dawayne Eason, CPCU, CHFC, CLU, Martha Ducharme, CPCU, MBA, Ramya Sunad, CPCU, ARM-E, Simi George, PhD, MBA, CPCU

Nov. 29, at 2 p.m. ET

For an industry that is built with risk transfer for people at its core, automation can seem contradictory to that mission. Though automation is a common practice at present, organizations still struggle with balancing digital automation and people.  What does automation mean for an organization and what could it mean to the individuals that make up the organization?  This discussion will consider a general automation change environment in technology and expectations of the impact for people as automation continues to evolve.

Changes in automation affect different areas and roles throughout the industry, from underwriting and claims to policy quoting and issuance. By the end of this webinar, attendees will better understand how much automation work the industry has accomplished so far, which opportunities have been challenging to automate, and whether regulation is helping or hurting the insurance industry to improve automation.

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Dawayne Eason, CPCU, CHFC, CLU

Data Analyst 

State Farm Insurance
 

Dawayne Eason is a Data Analyst for State Farm Insurance. He has more than twenty-three years’ experience in the insurance industry. Beyond professional designations, Dawayne has earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Charleston Southern University and a Certification in Data Science & Analytics from Georgia Tech.  Dawayne has served within his Atlanta CPCU Chapter, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the CPCU Society’s Information Technology Interest Group Committee and is now the Chair of the Innovation & Technology Committee.   In his spare time, Dawayne has an appreciation for cooking methods using a grill & smoker, enjoys a few rounds of golf and being a sports spectator.

Martha Ducharme, CPCU, MBA 

Senior Carrier Client Account Manager 

HOMEE
 

Martha Ducharme has over 29 years of experience working in the insurance and technology industries and participates in vendor and industry conferences. Martha currently works for HOMEE as a Senior Carrier Client Account Manager where she maintains client facing interaction providing business improvement opportunities and workflow assessment. Prior to HOMEE, Martha has worked as a multi-line claim representative, a branch manager for a top 10 insurer as well as working for insurance focused data technology companies as an analytics account manager and as in technical product consultation. 

Ms. Ducharme graduated from Ferris State University with a bachelor’s degree in Insurance. She has earned the CPCU, ARM, AIM, AIC, AIS, AIT and AIDA designations.  Martha also earned her MBA from Capella University and is licensed for Property & Casualty in the State of Michigan.  She has served on the Board of the West Michigan Chapter of The CPCU Society, worked with AICPCU/IIA, is an alum of Gamma Iota Sigma, is a member of ISACA, and supports community activities with a local AMBUCS chapter.  In 2011 Martha began serving on the Information Technology Interest Group Committee through the National CPCU Society, as of 2022 this has converted to the Technology and Innovation Committee.

Ramya Sunad, CPCU, ARM-E 

Lead Property Underwriter 

USAA
 

Ramya Sunad is a CPCU, ARM-e and is currently with USAA as a Property Underwriter for catastrophic geohazard perils. She started her insurance career in 2005 and has worked in all domains of the industry (MGA, Broking and Carrier sides) in both personal and commercial lines. She is passionate about the instrument of Insurance and hopes to make a difference by helping build resilience to the world we live in.

Ramya has her Bachelors in Electrical & Electronics Engineering, MBA in Marketing Management and Masters in Insurance Management. Ever since her CPCU designation in 2011, she has served as a volunteer leader of The CPCU Society and currently on the Executive Committee and Leadership Council of The CPCU Society.

Simi George, PhD, MBA, CPCU

Chief Data Science and Product Officer 

NeuralMetrics
 

Simi is a Scientist Leader with a 20+ year history in data science and descriptive statistics. She is experienced in delivering global impact via cutting-edge products and data-driven management. Prior to joining NeuralMetrics, Simi was with the Chirish Group as a Senior Consultant and Lead Data Scientist. In her previous roles, she headed the Data Science and Applied AI organization for the AXA XL Chief Data Office, spend 8 years developing and launching B2B products with product ownership responsibilities at SCHOTT Technology Group, and was a post-doctoral researcher focused on microelectronics R&D at the UC Berkeley/US DOE led Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Simi holds a PhD in Physics from University of Central Florida, MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, and is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). Simi has 7 patents, published works include her thesis, 2 book chapters, 14 peer reviewed publications in leading scientific journals, and 24+ proceedings papers in scientific conferences with 70+ presentations around the world.