2024 Wholesaler Leadership Summit Agenda

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

1:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Welcome and Opening Remarks

1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. -

Creating a High-Performing and Diverse Culture

As leaders of wholesalers, it’s more than just being a manager, it’s being a caretaker of your wholesalers’ careers. Learn how one company has developed real strategies and experienced real results in creating an environment of belonginess, inspiration and knowledge transfer for all their associates. Our speakers will share how they are using a flexible, hybrid work model to their advantage for recruiting, training, and development of new talent.

Kevin Macilvane - Senior Vice President & Head of National Internal Sales, Brighthouse Financial

Jeff Bragg - Director of Annuity & Life Internal Sales, Brighthouse Financial

Christine Zivica - ISO Recruiting/Talent Manager, Brighthouse Financial

2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Refreshment Break

2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Discussion Group 1 — Talent Management: All Shook Up

There’s a “whole lotta shaking going on” in wholesaling — recruiting, retention, training, development, team building, just to name a few. In this session, you’ll discuss and share with your peers the day-to-day challenges of management. It’s now or never to get your teams in sync as a high-performing ensemble.

4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Debrief 1

Return to the general session room where select groups will share highlights from their discussion groups.

4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Improvised Table Talk

Improvised, not choreographed is the theme of this session. Use this time to talk with your tablemates about what is foremost in your mind. Whatever it may be — interest rates, regulation, AI, culture — let the flow of the conversation be your guide. 

5:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. - The Duck Parade

Enjoy the 90+ year traditional Peabody Duck March where one of our attendees will be named Honorary Duckmaster.

5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. - Mix, Mingle, and Make a Difference

Together we will support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by making bookmarks for the children’s books graciously donated by attendees. The Peabody Memphis is generously donating drinks and refreshments to fuel and amplify our imagination and artistic talent while we have some fun and make a difference to a child.

6:45 p.m. - Gather in Hotel Lobby to Walk to Dinner Event

7:00 p.m. - Dinner Event at BB King’s Blues Club

Put your blue jeans on (or blue suede shoes!) and enjoy an evening with friends and peers accompanied by live music and authentic Memphis barbeque.

Thursday, May 2, 2024

7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. - Breakfast

8:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - Discussion Group 2 — The Compensation Blues

Creating competitive compensation plans, implementing incentive and reward programs, and conducting performance evaluations can be challenging and stressful. In this session, the topic is all things compensation related. Share with your peers what’s working and what’s not so you can jazz up your team’s packages with new ideas.

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Defrief 2

Return to the general session room where select groups will share highlights from their discussion groups.

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Keeping Wholesalers on Track

Having the right instruments to keep your wholesalers on track is essential to a rock-star wholesaling team. Join our fireside chat as we discuss the pain points of the sales process and how to overcome them.   

Dave Lacusky - Managing Director, Head of Distribution Strategy and Operations Individual Markets, Global Atlantic Financial Group

Adam Thomas - Vice President, Salesvue

Ron Rovner - Assistant Vice President, Member Relations & Sales, LIMRA and LOMA (Moderator)

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. - Break

10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Discussion Group 3 — Fine-Tune Your Teams

The right tools are instrumental in enabling your teams to work together the best they can. But with so many tools to choose from, it can be overwhelming for wholesaler leaders. In this session you will discuss everything related to the sales enablement process — from beginning to end.

11:45 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. - Lunch

12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Defrief 3

Return to the general session room where select groups will share highlights from their discussion groups.

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. - The AI Revolution and Its Impact on Wholesaling

AI is reshaping wholesaling as we know it. It has never been more important to understand AI and how it can have an exponential effect on your wholesaling organizations. In this interactive session, EY will teach us about the:

  •  Evolution of AI and differences between AI and GenAI
  • Application of AI/GenAI solutions to wholesalers with a focus on efficiency, innovation, and ROI
  • Future of AI and its implications for legal, risk, and compliance

Our presenters will also answer all your AI questions so please come prepared with a question or two.

Manish Dhyani - Partner, Technology Consulting — AI & Data, EY

Ammon Dixon - Managing Director, Financial Services Office, EY

Nimra Varghese - Insurance Regulatory Compliance Leader, EY

2:30 p.m. - Closing Remarks and Adjourn