'THE' CONFERENCE FOR THE
LIFE (RE) INSURANCE INDUSTRY
LIFE (RE) INSURANCE INDUSTRY
- Thursday 24th September 2026
- The Bloomsbury Hotel, London
Join us for ReDIRECT 2026
Thursday 24th September 2026 | The Bloomsbury Hotel, London
ReDirect 2026 and the 'Transition'.
Our industry is in the midst of what we’re calling the Transition: a period shaped by unprecedented public‑to‑private ownership shifts, the convergence of insurance and asset management, a significant move towards private credit as the backbone of long‑term liabilities, and an evolving global regulatory response—particularly in the UK—seeking to recalibrate the growth of funded reinsurance in PRT and other life markets.
Against this backdrop of structural change, ReDirect 2026 will bring together leaders, thinkers and practitioners to explore what these shifts really mean, what comes next, and how to position for success. As ever, the conference promises a day of lively debate, fresh insight, and the exceptional networking and collaboration that ReDirect is known for.
Full Agenda below!
Agenda
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 - 09:00 | Registration open & Welcome Coffee Networking & Exhibition Room | Queen Mary Hall, 2nd Floor |
| 09:05 - 09:10 | Welcome Comments from the Organising Committee Robert Chaplin - Partner, Head of Financial Institutions Group in Europe, Skadden Pretty Sagoo - CEO, Just Group Plc Marc Beckers - General Manager, MBeckers |
| 09:10 - 09:30 | Industry in Transition Jeff Poulin - CEO, Canada Life Re |
| 09:30 - 09:50 | Public versus Private - Capital and Investors Anant Bhalla - Senior Partner, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Global Insurance Business, JAB Holding Company |
| 09:50 - 10:20 | Life (re)insurance. Despised by the public market? Loved by the private market? Hamstrung by regulators? Henrik Matsen - Partner, Henry Costa Partners Andrew Crean - Senior Insurance Analyst, Autonomous |
| 10:20 - 10:45 | Asset-Intensive (Re)Insurance: Reflections from the US and implications on the UK Prannoy Chaudhury - Principal, Milliman Stuart Reynolds - Principal, Milliman |
| 10:45 - 11:15 | COFFEE BREAK Networking & Exhibition Room | Queen Mary Hall, 2nd Floor |
| 11:15 - 11:45 | PANEL: Crossing borders - delivering global life reinsurance solutions into new markets Kirsty Maclean (Moderator) - Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher Katie Daly - EVP and Global Head of M&A, Reinsurance, and Pensions, Athene Angela Li - Vice President UK Reinsurance Business, MetLife Kerry McMullan - Head L&H Structured Solutions, Swiss Re |
| 11:45 - 12:05 | Taking the Long view - Investing successfully in UK Life Insurance Lorenzo Lorilla - Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Brookfield Wealth Solutions |
| 12:05 - 12:25 | Two Markets, Two Directions: UK and Japan Funded Re Jamie Campbell - Vice President, Business Development, RGA |
| 12:25 - 13:55 | NETWORKING LUNCH Networking & Exhibition Room | Queen Mary Hall, 2nd Floor |
| 13:55 - 14:15 | Geographical Transition : Relocating Reinsurance, how the middle east might take its place Mark Wilson - CEO of RIQ and Board Director of BlackRock, RIQ and BlackRock |
| 14:15 - 14:35 | Bermuda – growing in strength and stability Chantal Cardinez - Global Head of Financial Solutions & CEO Hannover Re Bermuda Ltd, Hannover Re |
| 14:35 - 14:55 | European Life Insurance: the Bankers’ Perspective Paul Miller - Senior Managing Director, Fenchurch Advisory Partners |
| 14:55 - 15:15 | Navigating private credit: Insights for UK life insurers Gareth Haslip, FIA PhD - Global head of strategy and analytics, JP Morgan Asset Management |
| 15:15 - 15:45 | COFFEE BREAK Networking & Exhibition Room | Queen Mary Hall, 2nd Floor |
| 15:45 - 16:05 | Resilient under Stress: Funded Re Emily Penn - Managing Director, Macquarie Asset Management Andrew Sooboodoo - CRO, InEvo Re |
| 16:05 - 16:25 | Structuring Reinsurance in New Markets: Practical Insights from Industry Perspectives Emily Eskandari - Director, Client Solutions, Continental Europe, Pacific Life Re Hugo Laing - Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton Nienke Van der Wal - Achmea |
| 16:25 - 16:45 | Taking Life Reinsurance into the 2030s Brian Ring - Co-head of UK Life, Oliver Wyman |
| 16:45 - 17:00 | Closing comments from the Organising Committee Robert Chaplin - Partner, Head of Financial Institutions Group in Europe, Skadden Pretty Sagoo - CEO, Just Group Plc Marc Beckers - General Manager, MBeckers |
| 17:00 - 20:00 | Networking Drinks and Canapés Coral Bar, Ground Floor |
Organising comittee
Robert ChaplinPartner, Skadden
Rob focuses on the insurance and asset management sectors, advising on international and domestic reinsurances, mergers, acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures. He has extensive experience in transactions involving financial sponsors and their in-house (re)insurers, asset managers, portfolio companies and other private capital-owned vehicles. His clients include U.K.-, Europe-, U.S.- and Bermuda- based insurers, reinsurers, brokers and intermediaries, and asset managers. Rob counsels on regulatory issues (with a particular emphasis on prudential matters, including Solvency II and Solvency UK), schemes, restructurings and reorganizations, capital raisings, life and non-life portfolio transfers, longevity transactions, and distribution and other material commercial agreements.
Marc BeckersGeneral Manager, MBeckers
Since December 2021, Marc is self-employed and focuses on advising insurers on solving complex insurance-related projects, in particular derisking insurance balance sheets through legacy transactions or retrocession of longevity risk. In addition, Marc is working with the ClaimsCarbon team on quantifying CO2 emissions of claims handling. Previously Marc was a partner at TigerRisk Partners where he ran the EMEA region and the Global Life practice. Prior to that, Marc led Aon’s analytics team and structured solutions team for EMEA. He led several unique M&A transactions and complex life reinsurance solutions. Before that, Marc was M&A banker at Salomon Brothers focusing on insurance M&A across Europe. Marc is a life actuary by training with 34 years of experience.
Pretty SagooManaging Director, Just Group
Pretty leads the Defined Benefit Solutions team and is a member of the Group Executive Committee at the Just Group Plc. A subject-matter expert in bulk annuities she has significant practical experience in driving change, innovation and creating sustainable growth. Pretty joined Just from Athora in 2022, the specialist insurance and reinsurance consolidator, where she was head of new business and pensions. Previously head of pricing and execution for Pension Risk Transfer at L&G and head of insurance and pensions solutions at Deutsche Bank. She has a PhD in Physics from Imperial College