As part of its continuing efforts to extend educational and network opportunities to professional liability insurance professionals around the world, the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) will hosting professional liability symposia in Singapore and Hong Kong in September. The first of these two events will take place in Hong Kong on September 6, 2016. The second of the two events will take place in Singapore on September 9, 2016. For many reasons, I want to encourage as many industry professionals in these regions as possible to attend these events, as discussed further below.

The Hong Kong symposium, which will be held at the Hong Kong Football Club, will be an afternoon event, followed by an evening reception. Among other topics, the Symposium will address emerging concerns in cyber liability and the arrival of class action litigation in Thailand. More information about the Hong Kong event, including registration information, can be found here.

The Singapore professional liability insurance symposium, which will be held at Maxwell Chambers in Singapore, will be a full day event, with lunch and a reception afterwards. The topics to be discussed will include the basics of financial lines insurance, the role of social engineering in financial crime, and a top level look at the evolving insurance industry in Asia. More information about the Singapore event, including registration information, can be found here.

I will be appearing as a keynote speaker at both the Hong Kong and Singapore events. I will be discussing one of the most important developments in the global D&O claims environment, the rise of collective investor actions. Because of the significantly greater amount of detailed claims information from the U.S., I will be using U.S.-based data by way of comparison with and as a departure point for discussion of developments elsewhere, with a focus on developments in the Asia Pacific region. Among other things, I will be highlighting the importance of legislative change and growth in the availability of litigation financing as among other factors contributing to these developments. I will also be discussing the evolving state of D&O claims activity involving companies that have experience cybersecurity incidents.

I am very excited to be a part of these events, which I am sure will be both excellent and well-attended. I already know for talking to friends throughout the region than many industry professionals are planning on attending this event. I hope that all of my readers and friends in the region will be there and will encourage others to attend as well. I am very much looking forward to seeing my many friends in each of these cities and I am also looking forward to meeting many more industry professionals while there as well.

I want to do everything I can to ensure that as many industry professionals as possible attend these events. The more successful these events are, the likelier it is that there will be continued support for future regional events in these and other cities. In order to ensure that the many benefits that PLUS members enjoy in the areas where the organization is well-established are available to industry professionals in these regions, it is crucial for the organization to be able to develop and to build on a track record of success. Again, I would to be sure to encourage everyone to plan on attending and to encourage others to attend as well.