OVERVIEW

AGENDA 

SPEAKERS 

REGISTRATION 

ACCOMMODATION 

Daniel Kraft, MD
Executive Director, Exponential Medicine and Faculty Chair, Medicine Singularity University 

1. Highlight why health benefits no longer need to be considered in silos, and how plans can start looking at their investments in health benefits in a more holistic manner by explaining how drug, short-term disability and long-term disability data sets can be integrated.
2. Review how total Burden of Illness can be used to measure returns on investments made to treat chronic diseases.
3. Review key findings from an analysis of drug and disability claims on nearly 40,000 Canadians over a 3 year period, and begin a broader conversation in the benefits industry with respect to further research that can be considered with respect to the impact of optimal health outcomes to plan sponsors.

Nadia Darwish
Vice-President, Market Development, Sun Life Financial 

1. Educate and engage clients and internal stakeholders
2. Understand unique challenges and opportunities for FS
3. Design a program that drives behavior and plan member results
4. Demonstrate value through robust metrics processes

1. Understand how alternative investments can diversify participant portfolios
2. Learn how liquid alternatives more effectively manage volatility
3. Recognize how to position liquid alternatives in DB and DC portfolios
4. Learn what plan sponsors around the globe are doing to improve participants retirement income

 
Peter Gove  
Innovation Leader - Health Management, Green Shield Canada

1. Understand the impact of behavior on the development of chronic disease
2. Learn what works and what doesn’t work when trying to change behavior
3. Understand some of the weaknesses of present plan design
4. Become aware of international success stories that can inform program and benefit plan design 

Sally Bradley-Golding
Vice President, Strategic Alliances, Financial Engines

Janet Rabovsky
Director, Investment Consulting Services, Towers Watson

Learning objectives: 

1. Learn about the relevance of genomics in treatment reimbursement and drug plan benefit management.
2. Understand the health economic framework of Precision Medicine - the impact on the direct cost of medications vs the cost of disability management.
3. Enhance understanding of the Genetic Non-Discrimination Act and protection of patients’ privacy.
4. Evaluate “Precision Medicine” delivery models and the collaborative approach to patient management to reduce cost of care.

Erik S. Weisman, Ph.D. 
Investment Officer and Portfolio manager, Fixed Income, MFS Investment Management

1. What does it mean for demographics to go from a tailwind to a potential headwind? How important has this tailwind been in the past and how important might the headwind be in the future?
2. Are global demographic trends priced into the asset classes investors may be considering? If not, are there great opportunities in select countries and sectors for investors who do understand the implications of aging populations and can avoid the pitfalls?
3. Is there a demographic tipping point at which the population of one country or region is falling so rapidly that it can no longer be viewed as a viable place for investment? Are other countries and regions gaining population at rates that make them more interesting?
4. What are the major challenges facing markets and policymakers going forward? Can we find reasons for optimism that we may be able to offset the growth-depleting and disinflationary forces from aging?

1. Comment mesurer la diversification de vos portefeuilles?
2. Comment récolter l’entièreté de la prime de risque?
3. Quels sont les avantages apportés par une diversification maximale?
4. Indices capi pondérés efficients? Ou marches efficients?

Brian Lindenberg
Senior Partner, Mercer

Exchanges or marketplaces have gained considerable traction in the US market for both active employees and retirees.  It is anticipated that interest in private exchanges will increase exponentially over the next 5 years with upwards of 45% of the US market considering the merits of this new delivery channel for employee benefits.  Exchanges have quickly moved from a new idea to a mainstream option.  This session will explore what is happening south of the border and identify both the challenges and opportunities related to bringing this concept into the Canadian market.   More specifically, a number of organizations are looking at the opportunities to introduce retiree exchanges into Canada.  What might these exchanges look like and how might they impact the delivery of benefits to both existing and future retirees? 

1. Understanding private exchanges or marketplaces.
2. Understanding the challenges and opportunities for the Canadian marketplace
3. Understanding the opportunities to provide retiree benefits in a different way (in Canada)
4. What might the future look like for retiree exchanges in Canada?

This session is intended for anyone who might be interested in innovative solutions for the Canadian market.

Michael T. Boychuk, FCPA, FCA
President, Bimcor Inc.

The financial crisis provided defined benefit pension plan sponsors with a front row seat on understanding the risks associated with their plans.  Pension plan funding and techniques for de-risking moved from routine review to the top of the agenda for Boards of defined benefit sponsors.  This session deals with de-risking, techniques, issues and tools and a case study in how one plan sponsor set about to de-risk their plan.

Matthew Kuckuk
Practice Leader, Business Intelligence, Big Data and Analytics, CGI

In this session Matthew Kuckuk of Canadian technology firm CGI will discuss the current state of the evolution of Big Data, with a special focus on what companies are doing to realize value from their data through analytics.  He’ll present examples from insurance as well as other industries: banking, government, energy, manufacturing and transportation, to show the wide range of insights organizations are getting from data, and how many of them apply in more than one industry. 

Matt Miles
Vice President, Product & Marketing, Group Benefits & Retirement Solutions, Manulife Financial

Users of the Canadian health care system have not needed to behave like true consumers in the past, resulting in a health care value chain lacking transparency and an efficient flow of information. Forces are emerging in the market that will lead to more informed consumers making more informed choices. But is our industry really ready for these changes? What will be the implications of this shift? Who is best positioned to take advantage of the opportunities and challenges this will create? Join us as Matt Miles discusses what happens when a patient becomes a consumer.

1. What are the trade-offs between a guaranteed pension and a pension delivered by best endeavours?
2. Can we nudge people into better behaviours?
3. How much choice do people need, want or can cope with?
4. Can Canadians learn from Britain (and vice-versa) or are circumstances too different?

   

Mike Kennedy 
National Leader, Health strategies & Solutions, Aon Hewitt 

  

Elsa Fornero
Professor of Economic, University of Turin, Former Minister of Labour and Welfare of Italy

1. How to identify points in the process where privacy is an issue, and how to deal with these challenges
2. The importance of elevating mental health from a wellness issue to a risk management imperative
3. How to prepare managers, leaders and plan sponsors to deal with these issues
4. How to target your investment to provide the best level of support to your organization and your employees

1. Understanding of how responsible investment has developed in Europe
2. Insight into the growth and future of responsible investment and some of the emerging trends
3. Understanding of how a leading UK based global fund manager is operating in this space
4. Greater clarity around a hot topic for responsible investment (stranded assets)