Caren Alvarado
Vice President Regulatory Affairs & Industry Relations,
A&H Division, Crum & Forster

Session:
Law and Regulation Update

Caren Alvarado is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Industry Relations for the A&H division of Crum & Forster, a fully owned subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings. She has been with Crum for over 10 years and has over 30 years of strong, versatile experience in regulatory compliance, responsible for all aspects of federal and state regulatory compliance for multi-state insurance companies. She possess extensive knowledge in a broad range of regulatory matters related to the insurance industry including product filings, market conduct, complaint handling, policies and procedures, marketing support, operations, claims and other insurance matters for a variety of life, A&H products and P&C products for our division and related entities, acting as the primary communications link between her company and the regulatory agencies.

Kyrah Brandt
Director of Operations
Trip Mate, Inc.

Session:
Claim Fraud: On the Rise—Our Front Line Challenges

Kyrah Brandt is the Director of Operations for Trip Mate, Inc., partnered with Generali Global Assistance.  With nearly a decade of Travel Insurance experience, Kyrah brings expertise in claims administration and processing, customer and client experience, as well as a special interest in fraud detection and prevention. While Trip Mate operations are based in sunny South Florida, Kyrah lives in the Midwest with her loving & supporting husband of 7 years, 3 children (at home) and 5 rescue dogs! Kyrah is passionate about going to concerts with her children, traveling to new places and trying new foods with her husband. Kyrah’s business motto is “treat your employees well and they’ll treat your clients well.”

H. Michael Byrne
Partner
McDermott, Will & Emery LLP

Session:
Law and Regulation Update

H. Michael (Mike) Byrne has extensive experience in complex insurance transactions, regulation and InsurTech matters. He advises U.S. and international insurers and reinsurers, investors, producers and technology companies on a broad range of matters, including obtaining regulatory approvals and conducting due diligence for M&A; obtaining approvals for affiliate transactions; forming, licensing and structuring business operations; drafting and negotiating distribution and administration agreements; and developing and obtaining approvals for unique products. He delivers practical and business-focused counsel on novel issues.

Michael Camacho, MBA, CFP, CLU, CHFC, CHS, FLMI                                       

CSI Brokers Inc., President
THIA, President

Session:
Travel Insurance: Snapshot Around the World!

Michael Camacho obtained his degrees from the University of Toronto and Dalhousie University and began working in the insurance industry in 1990. He has worked with London Life and World Travel Protection. In 2000, Michael joined Credit Security Insurance Brokers Inc. (now known as CSI Brokers Inc.) and has been its President since May 2001. In 2017, he co-founded Snowbird Advisor Insurance Inc.

In 1998, Michael was one of 25 people who attended the meeting in Lakeland, Florida, which would later become The Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada. Between 2009 and 2022, he co-chaired THIA’s Annual Conference and became THIA President in June 2022.

Carl Carter
Chief Commercial Officer
Blink Parametric

Session:
Insure Tech Trends: How Technology Enhances the Customer Experience

Carl Carter is Chief Commercial Officer for Blink Parametric, a multi-award-winning global leader in travel insurance parametrics and real-time assistance.

Blink Parametric works with global travel insurers, brands, and financial institutions to differentiate their propositions, generate revenue and remove the everyday disruptions from travellers and consumers lives.

Carl has over 25 years’ innovation, marketing, development and Managing Director/board level experience within UK and international insurance, assistance, and financial services sectors. He has direct experience with US, UK, EU, and global travel insurance markets, having developed, underwritten, distributed, and administered travel insurance products globally.

Having formerly held President/CEO/Managing Director roles at a major travel insurance provider, a global health/travel insurance MGA, as well as an international assistance organisation, Carl has a strong background in global strategic product innovation and diversification. He puts this to practice at Blink Parametric, where he works closely with existing and new brand partners around the world to develop commercial relationships and deliver competitive edge.

He is a Chartered Marketer, industry-recognised keynote speaker, former guest lecturer at Oxford University, and the long-serving past Chairman and co-founder of the Association of International Medical Insurance Providers, as well as having served on the executive committee of the UK Association of Travel Insurance Intermediaries.

Maximiliano Fausciana

Regional Financial Institutions Partnerships & Business Development Director
AXA Partners

Session:
Travel Insurance: Snapshot Around the World!

Maximiliano Fausciana joined AXA Partners in 2016 and has over 25 years of experience in product and business development, focusing on retail banking and assistance services. He initiated his career at AXA in Argentina as Sales and Marketing Director. In 2019, he was appointed Regional Financial Institutions and Partnerships Business Development Director and has played a key role in building and growing our Financial Institutions business across the LATAM region.

Now in his new role, he’s been appointed as Head of Business Development for Financial Institutions at AXA Partners US, expanding his role to develop commercial activities in the US Market.

Mr. Fausciana leads the Regional Credit Card Programs team, which focuses on managing business, product, and services with one of AXA’s main customers, plus the business development with other financial institutions. Before joining AXA Assistance, he held various positions at Assist Card International and different banks and mutual funds in the Argentinean market.

Mr. Fausciana has a degree (with honors) in international affairs from Universidad del Salvador. He also holds an Enterprise Management Program degree from Universidad del CEMA, and an Executive Development Program degree from Kellogg School of business at Northwestern University.

Sasha Gainullin
Chief Executive Officer
Battleface

Session:
Insure Tech Trends: How Technology Enhances the Customer Experience

With over 25 years’ experience in the travel insurance industry, Sasha knows how to deliver on customer needs in emergency travel, medical assistance, emergency evacuation and claims management. For today’s travelers, Sasha combines this experience with a team-based approach to find innovative tech-based solutions for delivering relevant products and services.

Prior to battleface, Sasha worked for AIG Travel Guard and the Tangiers Group, where he focused on customer service while developing and leading international medical, logistics and travel assistance operations.

More often than not, you’ll find Sasha working alongside his team, answering phones, selling travel insurance policies, and managing emergency assistance cases. This gives him a real sense of what global customers are truly looking for in today’s environment.

Duke de Haas
Vice President, Deputy General Counsel
USA Allianz Partners

Session:
Law and Regulation Update

Philip R. “Duke” de Haas currently is Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, USA at Allianz Partners, which is a travel and specialty insurance company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Prior to coming to Allianz, Duke practiced law at the law firm Troutman Sanders LLP (now Troutman Pepper) from 2011 to 2015, where he conducted a financial services and utilities regulatory practice, including before the Virginia State Corporation Commission and Virginia Bureau of Insurance.

From 1997 to 2011, Duke served in a variety of capacities at the Virginia State Corporation Commission, including five years as an attorney or General Counsel for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance. In that role, he was involved with enforcement actions, Affordable Care Act implementation, receiverships, and other life, health, property, and casualty insurance matters.

Prior to coming to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Duke served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in a small town in southern Virginia. Duke has a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School.

Billy Hayes
Writer, Actor, and Film Director
Las Vegas, Nevada

Session
Legal Services—All the Pieces

Billy Hayes was arrested at the Istanbul airport in 1970 with two kilograms of hashish (cannabis) taped to his body and was sentenced to life in prison. Five years later, Hayes escaped from Imrali Island prison in the dead of night—rowing 17 miles across the Sea of Marmara in a raging storm. On his return to the United States, Hayes wrote Midnight Express, which was an instant best-seller and made into an Academy Award-winning film. When the film was released in 1978, Hayes became a mythical figure—a modern-day Billy the Kid. Fifty years later, he remains a cultural anti-hero known throughout the world.

Since publishing Midnight Express, Hayes has had an extensive career as an actor, director, writer, and public speaker. His second book, Midnight Return: Escaping Midnight Express, explores his life after prison and the parallel lives of those he left behind. In 2013, Hayes published The Midnight Express Letters: From a Turkish Prison 1970-1975, a collection of the original hand-written letters used to write his first book. Midnight Express Epilogue: Train Keeps Rolling was published in 2022.

Hayes has written and directed several plays, including Cock & Bull Story, which received the 1992 L.A. Drama Critics Circle, L.A. Weekly, and Drama-Logue awards. He then wrote and directed the film version. He directed the Amnesty International production of William Inge’s award-winning The Last Pad in Los Angeles. Hayes adapted the prison drama The Cage for an all-female cast in New York City and performed in it himself in Los Angeles at the original Odyssey Theatre. His direction of Washington Square Moves earned the 1993 LA Weekly Production of the Year award. He also staged the critically acclaimed Break of Day at the Lillian Theatre. He developed and co-produced the CBS TV movie The Bachelor’s Baby, starring Scott Bakula. In 2006, Hayes received the LA Weekly Best Actor Award for his performance in the one-act play Shuffle, Shuffle, Step, a tribute to Samuel Becket. He is a member of the Actors’ Studio West Playwright/Director Unit.

His desire to tell his own story and to correct the misconceptions created by the highly fictionalized motion picture version of Midnight Express led him to write his one-man show, Riding the Midnight Express with Billy Hayes, which had its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2013, with a return engagement at the Fringe in 2014. The show has had two critically acclaimed runs off Broadway and toured the world from London’s Soho Theatre to Melbourne, Australia. In April 2017, it played to sold-out audiences in Beirut, Lebanon.

Hayes continues to work to correct the negative images of Turkey and the Turkish people created when the film was released. In 2007, he was invited back to Turkey to speak to a convention of law enforcement officials. His life-long journey had finally come full circle, and it was documented in Midnight Return—the Story of Billy Hayes and Turkey.

Hayes credits the yoga he has practiced every day since he was incarcerated with getting him through the hard times and keeping him centered. Billy met his wife, Wendy West, at the Cannes Film Festival when Midnight Express premiered there in 1978. They’ve been married since 1980 and currently live in Las Vegas.

Larry G. Henning, CFE CIFI
Senior Vice President­–Counter Fraud & Risk Solutions,
Allied Universal Compliance and Investigations

Session:
Claim Fraud: On the Rise—Our Front Line Challenges

For the past 45 years Mr. Henning has been a professional investigator, investigations executive, and security risk executive. Mr. Henning has 12 years in law enforcement with a large metropolitan Atlanta police department, with nine of those years assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division where he attained the rank of Lieutenant; nine years with the Nationwide Insurance Enterprise as Corporate Manager of Special Investigations at their headquarters in Columbus, OH; and for the past 24 years he has been the Senior Vice President with Allied Universal Compliance and Investigations (formerly G4S).

Mr. Henning currently has responsibility for the Allied Universal Anti-Fraud Consulting, SIU & Insurance Solutions, and is based in North Carolina. He serves corporate risk and insurance risk clients with expert insurance counter-fraud and insurance solutions consulting and Corporate Risk Investigations globally. He leads internal investigations to support the Allied Universal Legal Department and outside counsel and supports our business development with major clients of the Compliance and Investigations practice.

Mr. Henning previously had responsibility for 26 states in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Mid-West, to provide expert Corporate Investigations, Risk/Security Assessment, Executive Protection, and Security and Anti-Fraud Consulting globally to G4S Corporate Risk clients.

In addition, Mr. Henning has been, and continues to be very active in several professional investigation, security, and insurance fraud organizations. He served on the ASIS investigation Standards Committee and is a Past President of the International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU) which has more than 35 chapters and 5,000 members around the world. Other professional organizations Mr. Henning has been a member of include the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators, American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), National Healthcare Anti-Fraud Association, Insurance Committee for Arson Control, Advisory Member to the Board of Governors of the National Insurance Crime Bureau and several others. Mr. Henning has earned professional designations as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator (CIFI).

Mr. Henning is an internationally recognized and sought-after speaker on many topics within the corporate investigations and insurance fields. Mr. Henning has conducted numerous lectures and seminars for hundreds of clients, and for the law enforcement, fire service, and private security and investigations communities.

Mark Kramer
Chief Technology Officer
Protecht

Session:
Insure Tech Trends: How Technology Enhances the Customer Experience

Mark Kramer is a high-energy technologist with deep fluency in software engineering, cloud infrastructure, and product development focused on start-ups and digital transformation. As CTO at Protecht, he leads product and engineering, developing innovative SaaS protection products that deliver peace of mind to consumers and incredible value to partners. Kramer has earned numerous accolades for pioneering sports and media workflows at scale in the cloud. Prior stints include Trax Retail, Pac-12 Networks, Future Publishing, and XM Satellite Radio. Residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kramer earned his B.A. in Telecommunications Management from the University of Alabama.

Peter Lefkin
Senior Vice President of Government and External Affairs
Allianz Partners

Session:
Law and Regulation Update

Peter Lefkin is Senior Vice President of Government and External Affairs for
Allianz of America Corporation. Hired as an Assistant Vice President in 1988 to open the Fireman’s Fund Washington D.C. Government Relations Office, he assumed an increasing level of responsibility before being named as Senior Vice President and Government and External Affairs Department Head in 1996. In this capacity he led the company’s state and federal lobbying efforts and was a liaison to national company and distribution trade associations.

In 2002, Mr. Lefkin assumed a parallel and enhanced role for Allianz of America, which includes, Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty, Allianz Life, U.S. PIMCO Advisors, Allianz Capital Partners, Investors, Allianz Worldwide Partners, Allianz Trade, and several other U.S. affiliates. Along with Brussels and Berlin, Washington, D.C. is one of three global government affairs representative offices of Allianz, SE.

Until October 1988, Mr. Lefkin was Federal Affairs Counsel to the American Insurance Association (AIA), a position he held for three years. Prior to his work for AIA, Mr. Lefkin served as Legislative Counsel for Representative Matthew J. Rinaldo (R-NJ), the ranking minority leader of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection, and Finance. In the early 1980s, Mr. Lefkin was a staff attorney in the Office of General Counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

A cum laude graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (1977), Mr. Lefkin received his master’s degree in public administration and Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University in 1980 and is a member of the Connecticut and District of Columbia Bars.

Mr. Lefkin served as past Chairman of the Government Affairs Committees for the Financial Services Roundtable, the Insured Retirement Institute, the American Insurance Association, and the Global Business Alliance. He continues to represent the Allianz U.S. affiliates in these organizations as well as the Investment Company Institute and the American Council of Life Insurers where he was Chairman of its Federal Political Action Committee Strategy Group. Peter is also a member of the Board of Directors of the German American Business Council, the Global Business Alliance, and the Defiant Requiem Foundation He serves a Member of the Advisory Committee for Moment Magazine. In addition, Peter is the Co-Chair of the Business Advisory Group of the Congressional Study Group on Germany.

In 2019 he was the recipient of the German American Friendship Award presented by the German Ambassador to the United States, Emily Haber. In 2021, Peter received the Community Leadership Award from Moment.

An avid adventurer, traveler, bicyclist, and hiker, Peter has visited almost 95 countries and has climbed the Kilimanjaro mountain peak in Africa, as well as mountains in the Russian Caucuses, Kenya, Borneo, Sri Lanka, Peru, Ecuador, and Kyrgyzstan. He also biked the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo, the C&O Canal from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh, the Natchez Trace as well as the Ohio and Erie Trail from Cincinnati to Cleveland. Three summers he joined with 15,000 other riders in Iowa’s annual RAGBRAI ride from the Missouri River to the Mississippi River. His most recent adventure journey was spent in Senegal and Gambia . He makes his home in Washington, D.C. and Lost River, West Virginia.

Heather McIntyre
Chief Operations Officer
Allianz Partners

Session:
Insure Tech Trends: How Technology Enhances the Customer Experience

Heather McIntyre joined Allianz Partners in 2022 as Chief Operations Officer. An insurance industry veteran, she’s focused on customer care, with an approach centered on empathy, community, and understanding.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an MBA in marketing from the University of Tampa, Heather spent over 19 years working for GEICO, where she eventually became Vice President of Customer Experience and Customer Relationship Management. Her passion for helping people has also led her to volunteer for United Way and work with Women United, the Early Learning Coalition, and March of Dimes. Heather strives to live by Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quote, “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

She believes that personal growth comes from getting out of your comfort zone, be it work, life, or travel. Her favorite travel memories include the 17 “mini vacations” she took with her family one summer. Together, they traveled around Florida and New England, making up for time lost to the pandemic and forging memories along the way.

Kristin Toth
Vice President of Operations,
On Call International

Session
Claim Fraud: On the Rise—Our Front Line Challenges

Kristin Toth serves as Vice President of Operations at On Call International. In this role, she leads the Global Response Center Team toward fulfilling On Call’s mission of helping travelers, every day, in their time of need. Since joining On Call in 2006, Kristin has served in a variety of roles including Director of Training & Quality and most recently, Senior Director of Operations. Kristin’s time at On Call has given her unique insights into the travel risk management industry, from overseeing complex medical evacuations to navigating through the challenges of a global pandemic. Through this experience, Kristin leads, inspires, and guides On Call’s Global Response Center Team toward providing consistently positive customer experiences both today and into the future.

Kristin attended Keene State College, where she majored in Historic Preservation. As a passionate learner, she has attended Tourism Crisis Management courses at the University of Florida, West Jet Airlines, and the Family Assistance Foundation. Outside of the office, Kristin’s hobbies include working on the restoration of her turn of the century home in southern New Hampshire, urban gardening, and competing in gaited dressage with her Tennessee Walking horse.

Cynthia Yanaros
VP Operations
Crum & Forster Travel Insured International

Session;
Claim Fraud: On the Rise—Our Front Line Challenges

Cynthia (Cindy) Yanaros joined Crum & Forster Travel Insured International in 2015 as Director of Claims and is currently Vice President, Operations. Cindy is responsible for the Customer Service, Claims, and Quality Assurance departments.

Prior to joining C&F TII, Cindy spent 25 years in the financial services industry working for Travelers Life & Annuity, Citigroup and MetLife in operations, retention, and marketing. Cindy has Global experience with startup companies in Japan and China and was responsible for establishing the organizational structure for Operations, Technology, Product and Sales as part of her role in the joint ventures.

Cindy holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from Southern Ct. State University and currently resides with her husband in Cromwell, CT and patiently awaits the birth of her first grandchild in August.