Michael Dunkley will become the first Premier of Bermuda to speak at a session of the insurance industry’s largest annual conference next month.

Mr Dunkley will speak about Bermuda’s historic US ties and the island’s global economic impact as part of a new Executive Leadership Track to debut at the Rims 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia.

The Bermuda Business Development Agency announced today that the Premier will join four other Bermuda-related speakers at Rims 2017 from April 23 to 26.

The event is expected to attract 10,000 risk-management professionals, service providers, senior executives and other decision-makers from a range of industries, plus 400 exhibitors.

“I feel very privileged to represent Bermuda so prominently at an industry event that has been very significant to our island over many decades,” said Mr Dunkley, one of ten executive speakers on the new track — including Brad Kading, president of the Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers, and Stephen Catlin, executive deputy chairman of XL Catlin and chairman of the Insurance Development Forum.

“The government is grateful to Rims for the opportunity to highlight Bermuda’s unique and substantial role as a world-respected international financial centre,” the Premier added. “The evolution of Bermuda’s highly respected market, our top-tier regulatory environment, our role in facilitating globalisation and covering losses from the world’s worst disasters — these are topics that should be interesting and relevant to the Rims audience.”

Rims organisers invited Mr Dunkley to be a guest speaker after the BDA successfully submitted two other session proposals on behalf of Bermudian industry stakeholders.

“We’re delighted to see Bermuda represented so strongly at Rims 2017, especially via the new executive leadership sessions,” said Ross Webber, chief executive officer of the BDA, which has co-ordinated Bermuda’s presence at the prestigious event for the past four years.

“There have been very few, if any, Bermuda speakers at Rims in recent years.” Webber noted. “Given the prominence of our island in the global insurance industry, this seemed like an anomaly we needed to address, so the BDA drove an effort to encourage Bermuda’s inclusion.

“It’s a fitting way to highlight the world-class talent in our jurisdiction, along with the innovation and global impact that have been hallmarks of Bermuda’s risk industry for the past half-century.”

The Premier is scheduled to deliver his hour-long presentation, “Small wonder: Bermuda’s supersized impact on the world of risk”, on the afternoon of Monday, April 24.

It will coincide with a session on captive insurance at the same time, featuring Bermuda’s Brian Quinn, founding director of Granite Management, and Al Gier, president of Bermuda Captive Owners Association and global director of corporate risk management and insurance at General Motors. Mr Quinn and Mr Gier will talk on the topic, “Cutting-edge captives: how to combat hail, hackers and non-human drivers.”

The following day, April 25, another executive leadership presentation will feature a moderated panel on the Insurance Development Forum, moderated by Abir’s Mr Kading.

The panel will include the IDF’s Mr Catlin, along with Joaquim Levy, managing director and CFO of the World Bank Group, and a representative from the United Nations Development Programme. The panel will discuss the industry-led initiative created last year to close the ‘protection gap’ and increase insurance penetration in emerging markets.

“RIMS continues to find ways to energise its annual conference and deliver impactful educational programming that empowers attendees to better serve their organisations and advance professionally,” said Stuart Ruff-Lyon, Rims vice-president, events and education. “The Executive Leadership Track gives our attendees access to world business leaders and the strategies they use to achieve greatness. We are proud to add this feature to the RIMS 2017 experience.

“Bermuda plays an important part in the insurance industry and has been a long-time supporter of Rims initiatives,” Mr Ruff-Lyon added. “Bermuda’s Premier is a great addition to the Rims Executive Leadership Track. He brings a wealth of knowledge and is a well-respected leader who will provide attendees with a unique perspective on the country’s very large impact on the world’s economy.”