CLIEDIS held its annual seminar ‘Mission Possible’ on April 2, 2025.

A common theme set by our Keynote speakers, Nikolas Badminton and Simon Chan, was shifting our mindset from “What Is” to “What If”.  We discussed the future of technology in general, practical terms for the industry, and even how to best prepare for our own retirement.

We topped the event with an impressive panel of top advisors to discuss their businesses and hear their insights.

Rather than have us tell you about it, here’s what some of the attendees had to say on LinkedIn.

Want to read more? You can read these posts in detail and add to the comments via the CLIEDIS LinkedIn page. Please follow us!

From Sean Downey CIM, FCSI – President @ Financial Horizons, an attendee

Last week, carriers, distributors, and technology partners came together at CLIEDIS’s Mission Possible Seminar in Toronto to align on a shared goal: improving how data is delivered and accessed across our industry. It was a meaningful step forward in strengthening collaboration and modernizing data delivery, which is critical for improving the advisor experience.

A standout moment for me was the advisor panel with Jeff Wilson, Tara Downey, Brian Laundry, and Suzanne Schultz CPA, CA, CFP, CLU, who gave great insights into why better access to data is critical. While there’s still work to be done, this was the right next step toward greater data consistency.

Financial Horizons is proud to support CLIEDIS and work with partners committed to making it easier for advisors to do business. Advisor success drives client success – and that’s a future we’re all invested in.

Thank you to Darlys Corbitt, Heather LeBlanc and the entire CLIEDIS board for organizing a great conference and all you do for our industry.

From Ray Adamson @ Adamson Advisory Group LLC who facilitated our Industry Tech Analyst Panel

Thank you to CLIEDIS for the opportunity to moderate the Industry Tech Panel at your 2025 Seminar: Mission Possible. It was a privilege to share the stage with three incredibly insightful panelists: Byren Innes of Jennings Consulting, Jamie Rodgers from Gartner, and Rob Meikle with Info-Tech Research Group.

A few key takeaways from our session:

• Data readiness is the gatekeeper to innovation – without strong, accessible data, it’s impossible to fully leverage AI or automation.
• Legacy systems are costing us more than just dollars – they’re limiting agility, trapping valuable data, and contributing to knowledge loss as experienced staff retire.
• Composable tech is a key step forward – low/no-code, APIs, and modular architecture are helping organizations evolve without “rip-and-replace” disruption.
• Advisor productivity is critical – with fewer advisors joining, and more retiring from, the industry technology must support, not replace, the human relationship.
• Consumers are expecting more – self-service, embedded offerings, and real-time responsiveness aren’t “nice-to-haves” anymore, they’re expected.
• The pace of change is accelerating – we need bold investments and a culture ready to adapt.

Huge thanks to CLIEDIS for curating such a thoughtful agenda, and to the audience for bringing sharp questions and energy to the discussion.

Let’s keep the conversation going — what tech trends are you seeing reshaping insurance in 2025, and beyond?

From Simon Chan @ Adapt with Intent Inc. and the afternoon Keynote speaker on “What’s Next: Longevity & the Future of Retirement”

Retirement isn’t a finish line anymore – it’s a design challenge.

That was one of the ideas I shared in my keynote at the 2025 CLIEDIS Annual Seminar yesterday, and it clearly struck a chord with the audience.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to an insurance conference, and it was energizing to be back in the room with carriers, distributors, and advisors who are rethinking the customer experience and exploring how we support longer lives and more holistic retirement planning.

What stood out most? There’s strong interest, especially from the distributor and advisor community, in reimagining retirement models, modernizing advice, and meeting clients where they are in this era of 100-year lives.

It was also great to reconnect with former colleagues like Julie Martin, CPA, CA, BBA, Rob Park, Michelle Nelles, Cristina Cerqueira, Kathy Schmidtke, Victor Da Silva and meet so many insurance leaders who are driving meaningful change including Ray Adamson, Dennis Craig, Jeff Wilson, Mike Quackenbush, Rocco Casullo, Brian Laundry, Bobbisue Edmondson, Susan R. Grandy, Tara Downey. Thank you for the great conversations!

And this momentum isn’t just in Canada. Just last week, fellow Stanford Center on Longevity Global Ambassador Annie Coleman delivered a keynote to the ING leadership team in Milan, Italy and came away with the same insight: Financial services leaders are leaning in and interested in building a longevity strategy for their business.

I am grateful to the CLIEDIS team (Darlys Corbitt, Tana Sabatino) for designing such a thoughtful event and to everyone who approached afterward to share their ideas. These conversations contribute to a broader shift we’re seeing globally, which is exciting!

From Tchat N Sign, an attendee

Back from Toronto — and inspired more than ever!

On April 2nd, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 CLIEDIS Annual Seminar – “Mission Possible” at the beautiful One King West Hotel.

It was an energizing event bringing together industry leaders to explore the future of retirement, longevity, and how data is reshaping the way we work, plan, and innovate.

Why was Tchat N Sign there? Because we want to be part of the change — and CLIEDIS is laying the digital foundation for it.

Their API roadmap is a bold and practical step toward true industry interoperability. By enabling real-time access to critical policy data, it promises to streamline advisor workflows and modernize the client experience across the board.

Nikolas Badminton challenged us to think beyond “what is” and explore “what if,” while Simon Chan pushed us to imagine how we’ll serve century-long lives with sustainable innovation and redesigned retirement models.

And a special thank you to the advisory panel for their transparent, real-world perspective on leveraging data to tackle today’s challenges!

At Tchat N Sign, we strongly believe that the future of our industry lies in interoperability, automation, and digital trust. That’s exactly why we showed up — to listen, learn, connect, and contribute.

Thank you, CLIEDIS, for an impeccably organized and truly impactful event. Looking forward to the next one!

Tara Downey – Principal & Financial Planner @ Trū Insurance & Investments and Advisor Panel participant

It was such a pleasure to be a part of this esteemed Advisor panel at the CLIEDIS 2025 seminar. We had a great conversation sharing the impacts of technology & data on our businesses. I brought the passion for serving clients and the desire to partner as an industry to create an elevated experience for our clients.

Thank you to Darlys Corbitt for inviting me to be a part of this panel and to all the industry participants for allowing me to share my story.

Michelle Munroe – VP, Insurance Services IG Wealth Management and CLIEDIS Board Member

Exciting discussions with industry peers on the transformation of client/advisor experiences through data, AI, and technology platforms. CLIEDIS members came together to share ideas, delve into new innovations, and visualize the future for distributors, manufacturers, and platform providers. The session delivered valuable insights for all participants.

Proud to embark on this journey as a newly appointed Board Member.

Grace Apea – AVP Software Development at Equisoft and a member exhibitor

Congratulations to CLIEDIS on their 30-year anniversary! Equisoft was proud to be a part of the recent 2025 Annual Seminar, “Mission Possible,” in this significant year. As long-standing members, we’re strongly committed to supporting all industry stakeholders and helping to optimize the exchange of data that powers our businesses.

Data and data exchange are fundamental to successful digital transformation, and the CLIEDIS event was a unique opportunity to hear how they impact different parts of the industries. Carriers and distributors discussed their challenges with the data availability needed to optimize their business operations. Advisors shared the challenges they experience in accessing the quality data needed to manage their practices.

From the discussions we had throughout the day, it’s clear that we’ve come a long way since 1995 in optimizing data exchange and that the industry is poised for true transformation. At Equisoft, we’re excited about how solutions like Equisoft/centralize and Equisoft/connect contribute to the optimization of data transfer between distribution stakeholders to solve their very real pain points.

Charlie Conran – President and Founder of Life Design Analysis and a member exhibitor

What a great time connecting with everyone at the CLIEDIS 2025 seminar in Toronto earlier this month!

We’re excited to be working alongside CLIEDIS and ivari Canada to integrate the new Cash Value API directly into our platforms — starting with our partners PPI with Amplifi and HUB Financial Inc. with Propel.

This collaboration is a big step forward in making inforce data more accessible and actionable for advisors, and we’re happy to soon share the results of our work with ivari — including some innovative new features built around this integration.

We hope to see more carriers adopt this standard — the momentum is growing, and the benefits for the industry are clear.

Bob Paajanen – Sales Director – Life & Wealth @ DXC Technology Canada Co. and member attendee 

Members of DXC Technology Insurance Software and BPS recently wrapped up our attendance at two days of CLIEDIS events, underscoring our commitment to strengthening the Canadian Life Insurance community who run Ingenium and Capsil.

A few of the key takeaways were shifting industry thinking; simplifying end to end processes between Carriers, MGA’s and Advisors by taking a cross-industry perspective; moving faster to adopt the CLIEDIS API road map.

Like it was expressed at the end, everyone in attendance wants the same things and we are up to the challenge supporting our customers.  We already have 2 customers on this journey with us and we were encouraged by the discussions with others at the event to engage with us in this regard.

To our Canadian Ingenium community:  we will continue to come meet you where you are and find ways to accelerate adoption of the CLIEDIS standards together as members and partners.

Bobbisue Edmondson – Consultant, Insurance and Investments Operations @ Jennings Ltd, an attendee  

Great day at CLIEDIS including this {Industry Analyst} session. Thanks Darlys Corbitt, Tana Sabatino and the CLIEDIS board for putting it all together.

Byren Innes – Managing Director, CEO & Executive Consultant @ Jennings Consulting Ltd,  and Industry Tech Analyst panel participant

 Pleased to have contributed to another successful CLIEDIS Annual Seminar. Thanks to my fellow panelists, Jamie Rodgers and Rob Meikle and moderator Ray Adamson.

Meghan Lafferty – Director of Technical Security at Barrington Wealth Partners & Insurance Consultant at VirtGate

 ThinkPort was thrilled to make a presence at another valuable and informative CLIEDIS AGM. We are looking forward to growing the industry connections we have made this week!

About CLIEDIS

CLIEDIS is the only objective resource dedicated to advancing standardized data exchange for the Canadian life insurance industry. If you want to exchange data, you need CLIEDIS at your side.