We are excited to announce our 2026 Annual Seminar, Together toward Tomorrow. This year’s seminar is shaping up to be even more exciting and informative than ever before and you will not want to miss it. Be sure to register and save your spot before all seats are gone.
The advent of AI forces unprecedented changes to our industry, affecting technology, business processes, staffing and expectations. How are we going to handle it? We will be exploring this topic and more at this year’s seminar: “Together Toward Tomorrow”.
Our Morning Keynote with Sébastien Sasseville – Together to the Top: Building Unstoppable Teams – will surely be an awe-inspiring talk on teamwork, as he uses his stories of climbing Mount Everest and completing Race Across America to outline the principles that enables teams to collaborate efficiently and reach peak performance to separate themselves from their competition and reach the top.
Bill Pieroni of DXC Technology will enlighten us on what we have to look forward to business-wise with a compelling discussion on Agentic AI: The End of Business as Usual.
We are still finalizing the agenda so check back for updates.
A block of rooms has been reserved at One King West for this event at a rate of $309 plus taxes per night and is offered based upon availability between the dates of May 10, 2026 and May 15, 2026. You must call the hotel directly at 1-866-470-5464 or 1-416-548-8100 and request the In-house reservations department. Be sure to reference CLIEDIS as the event to receive the discounted rates.
10:10 BREAK & VENDOR SHOWCASE
12:00 LUNCH & VENDOR SHOWCASE
14:00 BREAK & VENDOR SHOWCASE
“To sit on the summit isn’t success, it is to be part of success.” — Sébastien Sasseville.
When you are roped together with your teammates on Everest, there are no silos, and you learn very quickly that you are co-dependent. If you don’t do everything in your power to make others successful, you aren’t going anywhere.
Top performing teams have a lot in common. In this awe-inspiring talk on teamwork supported by breathtaking imagery, thrilling stories, and scientific research, Sasseville outlines the principles that enables teams to collaborate efficiently and reach peak performance to separate themselves from their competition and reach the top.
Speaker: Sébastien Sasseville
The insurance industry is undergoing a once-in-a-generation transformation driven by Agentic AI – intelligent systems capable of adaptive, self-directed decision-making across the value chain. As early adopters accelerate past lagging incumbents, the gap between capability maturity levels grows into a structural divide, reshaping cost models, customer experiences, and competitive dynamics. This session will showcase practical, high-impact examples of AI in underwriting, claims, and benefits, and outline what it takes to transition from automation to orchestration.
Speaker: Bill Pieroni, Global Growth & Strategy Executive for Insurance Software, Business Process Services, and AI Solutions at DXC Technology
Is the Canadian insurance industry ready for Agentic AI? How do we, as an industry body, close the ever widening gap between our current technology and the direction the world is going. If we don’t work together, can we succeed?
The panel participants will reflect on the morning presentations and consider how this impacts us.
Panelists:
Bill Pieroni, Global Growth & Strategy Executive for Insurance Software, Business Process Services, and AI Solutions at DXC Technology
Melissa Carruthers, National Life and Health Insurance Strategy and Transformation Leader in Canada at Deloitte Canada
Jiten Puri, CEO & Co-Founder, PolicyAdvisor
Moderator: Ray Adamson, Zinnia
AI is the topic of today. But it cannot be implemented in isolation without addressing other technologies within the corporation and across the industry. Carriers will discuss their Technology strategy inclusive of AI. We will get a better understanding of how has AI changed what the plans might have been a year or two ago.
Panelists:
Mike Delorme, AI AVP at Manulife
Daneyal Anis, AVP Data Science COE – Head of AI at Sun Life
Emily Yue, VP Performance & Innovation, Canada Life
Rav Bharania, Chief, Digital Transformation at BMO Life
Moderator: Michele Munroe, VP Insurance Services at IG Wealth Management
Thought leadership on the compliance challenges faced in the Canadian Life Insurance industry in the face of AI and data security.
Speaker: Nina Kavalinas, Vice-President, National Compliance at Financial Horizons
We know CLIEDIS is about data but we often forget the reasons why it is so important.
Data excellence is not a technical requirement, but the essential foundation for AI success, advisor productivity, and industry competitiveness.
By connecting data quality to business outcomes that matter to each stakeholder (carrier, distributor, advisor), we create alignment around shared goals while maintaining accountability for mutual progress.
Board members have been working behind the scenes to develop a manifesto that shifts messaging from technical specifications to business impact.
This panel will present the details of this manifesto and the vision of CLIEDIS. They will share what gave them the impetus to do this work and what we all need to do to succeed.
Panelists:
Michelle Nelles, Director – Independent Advisor and Firm Journey at Sun Life
Michele Munroe, VP Insurance Services at IG Wealth Management
Julie Martin, Senior Vice-President, Business Operations at PPI
Erin McKee, Head of Insurance Partnerships & Programs at Manulife Wealth Insurance Services Inc
We invite you to visit our Vendor Showcase. Our vendors are looking forward to showcasing their products and offerings. Our goal is for attendees to see the technology that is available in the marketplace and how data is being utilized in practice.
