The NextGen Council began 2026 with big plans and lots of activity. The Council is pleased to announce Joel Ridd (Riverstone) will be serving as our Chair, and Ben Dovey (Xitus) will be serving as Vice Chair. Furthermore, we welcomed five new members: Ardit Kerimi (Juniper Re), Alex Donoso (Gallagher Re), Charles Watson (Mayer Brown), Elizabeth Zakhein (Mound Cotton), and Jake Hamilton (Riverstone International).
On February 10, 2026, AIRROC and Mayer Brown co-hosted the Eighth Annual Runoff Deal Market Forum at Mayer Brown’s New York office. In addition to panels covering the State of the Legacy Market and Federal Policy Implications for Insurance and Rinsurance, the Deal Forum included a training session titled “Practical Due Diligence for Legacy Deals” that featured NextGen members. The session included NextGen Council member Charles Watson (Mayer Brown), as well as former Council members Layla Trummer (Enstar) and Juliana Toes (Mayer Brown). Angela Sampson of Guy Carpenter was also panelist. Topics covered included data requests and validation, adverse development analytics, claims filing sampling, reinsurance collectability, key contractual terms, regulatory approvals, and closing deliverables.
On March 3, 2026, AIRROC NextGen and the AIRROC DRP Committee co-hosted a webinar titled “Reinsurance Contracts in Practice: Insights for the Next Generation.” The webinar was widely attended by an audience of over 100 participants, many of whom are rising professionals in Legacy. A video replay of the webinar can be viewed on the AIRROC On Demand library.
Lastly, make sure to join NextGen at the upcoming Spring Membership Meeting on March 18, where NextGen Council member Elizabeth Zakheim will be featured on a panel titled “Legal Update: Notable Insurance Coverage Cases from 2025.”
The NextGen Council has several exciting in-person and online events planned for the summer, so stay tuned!
