NAFA Annuity Distribution Summit Agenda

The following is subject to change and current as of September 30, 2024. All presentation times are listed in Central Time. Download a PDF of the agenda HERE>>

Tuesday, October 1

Time Session Description Location
1:00-6:00 PM CT NAFA Inaugural Charity Golf Tournament A charity golf scramble to raise funds for Jump$tart, an organization committed to increasing financial literacy nationwide for all, with a focus on #FinancialSmartsforStudents Cottonwood Valley Course

Wednesday, October 2

Time Session Content Speaker/Presenter(s) Location
8:00AM – 5:00PM CT Conference Registration Ballroom Lobby
10:15AM – 11:15AM CT Education Committee Meeting October in-person meeting Education Committee Members Ballroom A
10:15AM – 11:15AM CT Membership Committee Meeting October in-person meeting Membership Committee Members Amphitheater
10:15AM – 11:15AM CT Gov’t & Legal Affairs Committee Meeting October in-person meeting Government & Legal Affairs Committee Members Pecos River
11:30AM – 12:50PM CT Women’s Annuity Network Luncheon Fire Your Fear — An empowerment session for female attendees Deirdre Van Nest, Keynote Speaker, Speaking Coach and Story Strategist, Crazy Good Talks® The Gallery
11:30AM – 12:45PM CT Lunch Pavilion
1:00PM – 1:45PM CT Carrier Roundtable Discussions amongst Carrier peers Carrier Members Ballroom B/C/D
1:00PM – 1:45PM CT Distribution Roundtable Discussions amongst Distribution peers Amphitheater
1:00PM – 1:45PM CT Industry Innovators Roundtable Discussions amongst Vendor, Indices and Innovator peers Vendor, Indices and Innovator Members Ballroom A
2:00PM – 2:15PM Opening Ceremony Commencement of the 16th annual Annuity Distribution Summit Andrew Payne, VP & General Counsel, Creative One, and Kevin Mechtley, VP-Business Development and Chief Innovation Officer, North American Company Ballroom B/C/D
2:15PM – 3:15PM CT Keynote Session: Mastering the Game Within the Game One of golf’s best teachers shares techniques that can help high achievers level up Hank Haney, Renowned Golf Instructor, Author and Podcast Host, with Moderator Chris Bailey, VP IMO Annuity Distribution, Nationwide

Sponsored by Nationwide

 Ballroom B/C/D
3:15PM – 4:00PM CT Redefining the Future of Annuity Distribution An inside look at trends and influences shaping the future of distribution from the IMO executive perspective Tony Compton, President of Annuity Marketing, Advisors Excel, Karen Essary, COO, Ideal Producers Group, and Patrick Kelly, CEO, Signal Advisors

Moderated by Jason Krohnke, VP/Head of National Accounts, American Equity

 Ballroom B/C/D
4:00PM – 4:15PM CT Break/Prize Giveaway
4:15PM – 5:00PM CT Get to the “YES!” Quicker How to increase trust, connection & likeability in 3 minutes or less Deirdre Van Nest, Keynote Speaker, Speaking Coach and Story Strategist, Crazy Good Talks® Ballroom B/C/D
5:00PM – 6:00PM CT Evening Reception Mix and mingle with sponsors, attendees and guests Pavilion

Thursday, October 3

Time Session Content Speaker/Presenter(s) Location
7:00AM – 8:30AM CT Breakfast & Networking Browse the Exhibit Hall and enjoy a bite to eat   Pavilion
8:30AM – 8:35AM CT Welcome Kick off of Day 2 events Chuck DiVencenzo, President & CEO, NAFA Ballroom B/C/D
8:35AM – 9:00AM CT Bo Johnson Spirit Award Presentation of NAFA’s most prestigious award Honored recipient and award nominator(s) Ballroom B/C/D
9:00AM – 9:45AM CT How to Be the Most Trustworthy Person You Know In this session, we examine common trust issues, explore how customers, prospects, and stakeholders assess our trustworthiness, and explode some of the myths about trust, replacing them with not only research-based truths, but practical ways to become the most trustworthy person you know! Andrew Sykes, CEO, Habits at Work Ballroom B/C/D
9:45AM – 10:15AM CT An Economic Outlook: Critical Insights & Trends Industry leaders examine national and international policies, positions and influences driving our economic and the future of annuities

Chris Ratkovsky, VP/Senior Research Analyst, Franklin Templeton, Jason Zahn, Director – Equity Derivative Sales, Bank of America, Pratik Pareek, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs, and Pete Miller,  Head of Insurance Solutions, Invesco

Moderated by Jamie Branyan, VP Product Management, CANNEX

 Ballroom B/C/D
10:15AM – 10:30AM CT Break/Prize Giveaway      
10:30AM – 11:00AM CT Product Design and Meaningful Innovation Leaders of some of the industry’s top index providers will participate in a Q&A about what’s staying the same and what’s changing in annuity product design, and how it’s impacting independent distribution

Richard Macari, Head of Insurance Index Solutions, Nasdaq, Sarah Garrity, National Sales Manager, BlackRock, and Stephane Mattatia, Global Head of Index Client Solutions, MSCI and Phil Brzenk, Managing Director, S&P

Moderated by Dan Acker, President, SILAC

 Ballroom B/C/D
11:00AM – 11:30AM CT Women and Annuities Female leaders from all aspects of annuity distribution examine the role of women in shaping the future of retirement, and how distribution can better meet the needs of female savers

Patti Hausherr, VP Sales Strategy Leader, ATHENE, Sarah Williams, VP Marketing Communications, CreativeOne, and Zenniere Bowry-Thomas, AVP, Sales Development & Training, Nationwide

Moderated by Lori Seaton, Director, Strategic Business Development, North American

 Ballroom B/C/D
11:30AM – 12:00PM CT Members Meeting Annual meeting of NAFA members, followed by lunch NAFA Members Only
*Non-NAFA members please proceed to lunch		 Ballroom B/C/D
12:00PM – 1:30PM CT Lunch & Vendor Networking     Pavilion
12:00PM – 1:15PM CT Future Leaders Fellowship Lunch & Learn: Getting Good at Getting Great In this invitation-only luncheon, participants will learn how top performers achieve excellence through deliberate practice paired with the right type of immediate performance feedback from a coach who has a model of excellence. Andrew Sykes, CEO, Habits at Work Pecos River
1:30PM – 2:15PM CT The Swiss Army Knife of Decision-Making Tools In this entertaining talk for leaders who make tough decisions in the face of uncertainty, participants will learn about “Fermi estimates” and how they can be used to make forecasts, judge risks, improve plans and even create an early warning system to protect from life’s disasters.

Dan Gardner, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Speaker & Consultant

Sponsored by Global Atlantic

 Ballroom B/C/D
2:15PM – 3:00PM CT The Future of AI in the Insurance Industry Technologists examine how AI is impacting various aspects of distribution, how attendees can leverage its benefits and what to expect going forward

Dave Peters, Director of Business Relationships Surancebay, and Jay Charles, Managing Director Head of Insurance Products, Luma Fintech, Doug Massey, EVP Sales, Hexure and Roy Goodart, VP of Product Management, IPipeline

Moderated by Tony Lengeling, Chief Compliance Officer, American Equity

 Ballroom B/C/D
3:00PM – 3:15PM CT Break/Prize Giveaway      
3:15PM – 4:00PM CT Behind the Curtain: An Actuarial Look at the Annuity Landscape Discover what factors are contributing to today’s product pricing and design, as well as how we think about the future of risk management

Vincent Cuevas, SVP Product & Marketing, Annexus, Kevin Cloud, VP and Product Actuary, CreativeOne, and Jill Esser, Chief Actuary, Magellan Financial

Moderated by Carrie Freeburg, SVP Product & Marketing, SILAC

 Ballroom B/C/D
4:00PM CT Closing     Ballroom B/C/D
4:00PM – 5:00PM CT Mix & Mingle Final reception for networking and exhibitor conversations   Pavilion
7:30PM – 9:00PM CT Chipping Contest & Local Beer Tasting   Sponsored by North American Pavilion
7:30PM – 10:00PM CT After Hours with Smith, the Band Yard games, Bourbon tasting, and cigar rolling Sponsored by S&P and North American Pavilion

Friday, October 4

Time Session Speaker/Presenter(s) Location
8:00-9:00 AM CT NAFA Board of Directors Breakfast NAFA Board of Directors Fairway Ranch
8:30-10:00 AM CT NAFA Board of Directors Monthly Meeting NAFA Board of Directors Fairway Ranch