The World Insurance Forum will be broadcast live via the Internet today and tomorrow.

The two-day conference, which features an array of industry leaders, gets under way at Tucker's Point Hotel this morning.

Panels of CEOs will discuss hot industry topics and then participate in hour-long question-and-answer sessions.

Organisers have announced that those unable to attend will be able to follow the event in real time via a webcast through the World Insurance Forum website (www.worldinsuranceforum.com).

Questions for the panellists to answer during the Q&A session can be sent by e-mail to info@worldinsuranceforum.com

Finance Minister Paula Cox will open the event at 9 a.m., followed by an introductory address from Patrick Liedtke, secretary general of the Geneva Association.

RenaissanceRe CEO Neill Currie will moderate the first panel, discussing "Industry Leadership: The Next 10 Years", which starts at 9.30 a.m. A full hour has been set aside for questions from 11 a.m.

On the panel are Swiss Re CEO Stefan Lippe, Lloyd's chairman Lord Peter Levene, Liberty Mutual Group CEO Ted Kelly and Marsh & McLennan CEO Brian Duperreault.

The afternoon discussion, from 1.30 p.m., moderated by Catlin Group CEO Stephen Catlin, will focus on Enterprise Risk Management. On the panel will be Axis Capital CEO John Charman, Bermuda Monetary Authority CEO Jeremy Cox, Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority vice-chair Monica Machler and HCC Insurance CEO John Molbeck.

Organisers of the biennial event were aiming to attract around 200 attendees, who will be admitted by invitation only, with applicants expected to be senior managers.

The event which started out in 1993 as the Bermuda Insurance Symposium has earned a reputation as providing industry thought leadership with a global perspective.

Tony Knapp, president and director of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science, will open tomorrow's programme with a scientific overview of climate change.

That will be followed by a panel on potential costs and opportunities for the industry from climate change, moderated by Axis Capital chairman Michael Butt.

The panel will comprise David Bresch of Swiss Re, Peter Hoeppe of Munich Re, Rolf Tolle of Lloyd's, Barney Schauble of Nephila Capital and Kyle Danish of Van Ness Feldman.

Tomorrow's final session examine the boundaries for risk assumption between the public and private sectors, moderated by Arch Capital CEO Constantine Iordanou.

Two more Bermuda CEOs will feature on the panel — Mike McGavick of XL Capital and David Brown of Flagstone Re. They will be joined by The Chubb COO John Degnan, Swiss Re's David Bresch, Wharton School professor Scott Harrington and Ray Spudeck, chief economist of the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.