More than 350 attendees from both the P&Cand Life & Health insurance worlds gathered for two days ofeducational seminars and networking events at the 2014 AnnualInsurance Executive Conference, hosted by the National UnderwriterCo.

At the Grand Hyatt in New York on Dec. 4 and 5, presentersfocused on two recurring themes: talent management, including theissues of an aging workforce and how to recruit younger workers tothe industry, and the effective use of technology to better servecustomers as well as to attract new customers.

The conference kicked off with an opening keynote address fromPeter Hancock, president and CEO of AIG. Speaking to the largeaudience of attendees, Hancock described himself as an optimist andnoted that “the industry has plenty of room for growth.” He advisedthe audience to look carefully at particular customer segments tounderstand the issues and create solutions. Hancock also noted thatgovernment has become more of a competitor as the “insurer of lastresort,” although the insurance industry best does the job ofdefining the scope—and price—of those risks.