Brian Sullivan to Keynote SIR Annual Conference

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Well-known industry thought leader Brian Sullivan will deliver the keynote address at the 41st Annual Conference of the Society of Insurance Research, to be held in Long Beach, California October 16 - 19, 2011.

A journalist who has been covering financial services and the insurance industry for over 30 years, Mr. Sullivan heads his own annual C-suite meetings where he is famous for his prescient "20 trends in 20 minutes" presentation, and he is sought after by the management teams of major carriers for his penetrating insights and his willingness to candidly speak his mind. Sullivan is Editor-in-Chief of two leading newsletters for the property and casualty insurance business, the Auto Insurance Report and Property Insurance Report. Information about Mr. Sullivan's publications and meetings is available at http://www.riskinformation.com.

Mr. Sullivan has said that, while his remarks to the SIR conference will be shaped by what is happening in the industry at that moment, he will address at least two critical themes. First, he plans to discuss what it means to look for the essential truths of a market's dynamics when researching a company and a business; what it takes to understand the underlying direction of a business; and how to approach a critical analysis of corporate leadership. Second, he will look at the current state of the insurance business, especially in regard to long-term challenges he feels are not being met and enormous changes now at hand that might be turned into opportunities.

Conference Chair Laura Taccini, of the AAA NCNU Insurance Exchange, says Mr. Sullivan's comments should be of tremendous interest to the researchers, product managers, strategists, and CEOs who attend the SIR conference. "The Society's identity is 'today's practitioners looking into tomorrow' and the theme of the Long Beach conference is 'Navigating the Currents of Change.' Brian is the perfect forward-looking, plain-spoken thought-leader," says Taccini, "to jump-start our discussion of what our industry can expect in these tumultuous times and through the months and years ahead."

SIR President Candace Thornton agrees. "I cannot think of a better keynote for this moment in history. His insights will instruct, educate, and inspire our membership," says Thornton, who is with Competiscan LLC, a popular competitive research intelligence firm. "Remarkably, the SIR has doubled the number of conference tracks this year. So Brian's analysis will serve as the perfect springboard for our attendees to put everything in better context and get more out of their opportunities to network with our industry's thought-leaders, innovators, and best practice experts."

The SIR Annual Conference has been steadily growing in attendance and importance over the past several years, and this year's event is coupled with a great location. Described as the "waterfront center of Southern California," Long Beach is served by three airports and the conference hotel is just minutes away from the regal Queen Mary, the spectacular Aquarium of the Pacific, and hundreds of dining destinations. SIR President Thornton notes, "So many in this business are stretched to do more with less, and looking at turbulent times ahead. This extraordinary 3-day event is a timely opportunity to refresh our thinking, refocus our perspectives, and gain the contacts and insights that will make ourselves and our firms more competitive in 2012. I can't wait."

To learn more or to register for the SIR 41st Annual Conference, please visit http://www.sirnet.org and click on the "save your spot" banner.

About the SIR

The SIR is a leading forum for insurance practitioners from all aspects of the industry, focusing on emerging research approaches and industry issues for the benefit of individual members and their employers. SIR members have accountabilities in research, product development, competitive intelligence, marketing, strategic planning, and many other disciplines within the business.

For more information, see http://www.sirnet.org, email [email protected], or call SIR Executive Director Ed Budd at 317-398-3684.

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SOURCE Society of Insurance Research