Press access to the
Green Room
The 2026 Policy Makers puts state insurance regulators and carrier and MGA executives on the record about how the industry actually runs. On the opening night of ITC Vegas, the inaugural class is in one room, and trade press and analysts covering the class are invited to join them.
Three angles the room gives you
The 2026 Policy Makers Annual Report is built from primary interviews and set against current industry data. These are the threads the executives in the room can speak to.
Regulators on the record about AI governance, claims standards and affordability
Florida Commissioner Mike Yaworsky, Colorado's Kate Harris and Jason Lapham, and Mississippi's Andy Case, each in their own words. "The black box era is over" is the regulator chapter's line on explainability, and the carriers deploying AI under those expectations are in the room.
The AI adoption gap, and the operating architecture that closes it
Nine in ten insurers are evaluating generative AI. Twelve percent report the data maturity to deploy it. The report documents how operations leaders are closing that distance, with Ascendex co-founder Andrée Bourgon and FOCUS President Pete Crowe.
Claims, talent and the margin that depends on operations
A 44-day average time to final claims payment against Prime-speed expectations, a 400,000-position talent gap with half the workforce projected to retire by 2035, and a delegated authority market dividing on operational discipline.
The full 2026 report is available here as a PDF, ungated for media.
Confirmed as of September 17
Carrier and MGA leadership with their teams, the analysts covering them, and the host. The list grows through the week of the event.
Carriers, reinsurers and MGAs
Analysts and the host
- Karlyn Carnahan, Mike Fitzgerald and Nate Golia · Celent
- Meredith Barnes-Cook and Carey Geaglone · Datos Insights
- Pete Crowe, President of FOCUS · host of The Policy Makers
- Nick Lamparelli · Insurance Nerds
Guests attend as executives of the companies named, not as spokespeople. Ask before you quote, and they will tell you what is on and off the record. Most of them came to be photographed for the cover and to talk about the year their teams had.
The night, from the press side of the room
Arrive whenever suits you. The two beats built for media are marked.
Doors
Every carrier, MGA and department in the 2026 class is named at the entrance. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
Pete Crowe opens the night
A short welcome to the inaugural class and why these leaders were chosen.
The numbers that have not been published Media
One cut from the report's data, provided to media before it reaches print. You hear it first. Publication terms for this segment are confirmed at the door.
The cover wall
Executives and their teams step into the 10′ Policy Makers cover for a professional photographer. Media are welcome to shoot alongside, and the official frames are available to you after the event.
The media window Media
Thirty minutes reserved for press and analysts with the executives in the class and with Pete Crowe. On the record unless a guest says otherwise.
The class photo
The full 2026 class in one frame. Cleared for editorial use with credit.
Event close
If you want a time with Pete or a member of the class at The Policy Makers Studio on the expo floor Wednesday or Thursday, Booth 1312, let us know.
The inaugural class of 2026
State insurance regulators, carrier and mutual executives, an industry chief economist, and MGA founders. Each feature is interviewee-approved and available as a PDF with headshot.
The series continues through 2026. New features from the executives interviewed at ITC are added to the report as they publish, and the 2027 class is selected from nominations that begin at ITC.
Everything is publishable, and most of it is ready now
Report, features and boilerplate below. Photography and headshots on request before the event, and the event frames within 48 hours after it.
The 2026 Policy Makers Annual Report
Seven chapters built from primary interviews and set against NAIC, AM Best, Conning, Capgemini, Triple-I and Guy Carpenter data. Appendix of key statistics with sources.
Individual features
Each leader's interview as a standalone feature, with the cohort portrait. Interviewee-approved.
- Kate Harris, Colorado Division of InsurancePDF
- Toni Logan, American IntegrityPDF
- Andrée Bourgon, Ascendex UnderwritersPDF
- Remaining features and headshots by request
Photography
Cover-wall frames, the class photo and professional photography will be taken at the event.
- Media are welcome to photograph and film in the room
- Ask guests before recording one-to-one conversations
Interviews after the night
The Policy Makers Studio records live interviews on the expo floor Wednesday, September 30 and Thursday, October 1 at Booth 1312, hosted by Pete Crowe.
- Time with Pete Crowe can be scheduled at the event
- The set is available to media for their own recordings by arrangement by request
The Policy Makers is an annual report and interview series on insurance operations, presented by FOCUS. The 2026 inaugural class features state insurance regulators, the Chief Economist of the Insurance Information Institute, and carrier, mutual and MGA executives, each on the record in their own words. The series continues through the year with live interviews recorded at The Policy Makers Studio at ITC Vegas.
FOCUS is an AI-enabled insurance operations partner for property and casualty carriers, MGAs and MGUs, with more than 25 years inside the work it now runs for others: underwriting support, policy administration, claims intake and servicing, licensed customer service centers, E&S taxes and filings, and accounting and billing. FOCUS has completed more than 30 carrier, MGA and service center launches, employs 300+ U.S.-based professionals, and maintains a Net Promoter Score of 80+. teamfocusins.com
Request media access
Media and analyst places are confirmed by the producer. Let us know by Wednesday, September 23 so your name and outlet are on the door list and your photography link is ready after the event. There is no cost. A colleague is welcome.
In the team-members field, enter your outlet and the name of any colleague joining you. The interview question at the end is for executives; media can leave it blank.
What to expect, and what we ask
Is the event on the record?
Yes. The program from the stage and the 8:15 media window are on the record. Individual guests may ask to go off the record in a one-to-one conversation; honor that. Publication terms for the 7:50 data segment are confirmed at the door.
Can we film or record?
Photography and video in the room are welcome. Ask guests before recording one-to-one conversations. For longer recorded interviews, The Policy Makers Studio on the expo floor Wednesday and Thursday is the better set, and the producer can book it.
Who decides which executives we talk to?
You do. Tell the producer who you want to meet, before the night or at the door, and she will make the introduction. The 8:15 window exists so those conversations do not compete with the program.
Is there a cost, and can we bring a colleague?
No cost. One colleague from the same outlet is welcome; add their name to your RSVP. The room has a fixed capacity, so please RSVP by Wednesday, September 23.
Who is FOCUS, and why is a carrier services company producing this?
FOCUS is an AI-enabled insurance operations partner for P&C carriers, MGAs and MGUs. The Policy Makers is its editorial property: an annual report and interview series that puts the people running insurance operations on the record. FOCUS President Pete Crowe hosts the series and the night. The features belong to the leaders interviewed, and each one approves their own before it publishes.
Insurance operations, according to the people running them.