Connecting Risk Modelling to Insurance Practice

Summary

How much of your risk is real—and how much is just a guess? 

The way we measure and price catastrophic risk is shifting. From wildfires to hailstorms to complex enterprise property exposure, the industry is moving away from defensive pricing based on averages and fear, toward evidence-driven assessment powered by new data sources. 

This workshop brings together three breakthrough approaches that are redefining how we understand risk: remote sensing, crowdsourced observations, and operational data combined with AI. 

The winner and two runners-up of the Swiss Risk Award 2025 will show how this new language of risk lets capital flow where it truly belongs, enables faster decisions when disaster strikes, and ensures fairer pricing for protection. 

What you’ll take away: 

• Practical understanding of how to increase transparency in risk estimates 

• Insights into leveraging innovative data and advanced methods (AI, remote sensing, crowdsourcing) 

• Concrete examples of how quantitative risk assessments create opportunities and improve insurance pricing 

• Perspectives from the Swiss Risk Award 2025 winners and finalists 

Presenters

• Timo Schmid, Researcher – Atmospheric Perils at PartnerRe
  Dr. Timo Schmid obtained his PhD from the Weather and Climate Risks Group at ETH Zurich and is currently working as researcher for atmospheric perils at PartnerRe. His research at ETH Zurich focused on hail risk in Switzerland and Europe, as part of the scClim research project. At this event, he will present one of his publications focusing on the usage of crowdsourced hail reports for real-time hail damage estimates to buildings in Switzerland.
• Carmen Steinmann, Postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich
  Dr. Carmen B. Steinmann is a postdoctoral researcher in the Forest Ecology group at ETH Zurich. She obtained her PhD from the Weather and Climate Risks Group at ETH Zurich, where her research focused on socio-economic risks from wildfires, compound events, and multi-hazards, with a strong emphasis on transdisciplinary approaches, including science–industry collaborations. At this event, she will present work from an Innosuisse-funded collaboration with the InsurTech company CelsiusPro on remote-sensing–based wildfire impact estimates.
• Alex Sidorenko, Head of Risk and Insurance at ScyAI 
  Alex is Group Head of Risk, Insurance and Internal Audit at Serra Verde. He has worked across multibillion-dollar corporations in Australia, GCC, LatAm and Europe, specializing in AI and quantitative analysis for risk management and insurance. He is currently advising ScyAI, an advanced insurance intelligence, and has delivered measurable results including $13M+ in annual insurance savings through quantitative risk analysis. Named FERMA Risk Manager of the Year 2021, Alex has also been recognized by RIMS and other industry bodies for his work in risk transfer and AI-driven decision support.
• Bernhard Rannegger, CEO and Founder at ScyAI
  Bernhard Rannegger is founder and CEO of ScyAI AG, building risk intelligence for global resilience. Previously Head of Sustainability Solutions at Swiss Re, he scaled a Swiss Re-Palantir joint venture to 50+ Fortune 500 clients —including Siemens, Volkswagen, and Maersk— delivering risk analytics for natural catastrophes, climate, and biodiversity risks. He brings a decade at the intersection of physical risk, machine learning, and remote sensing, leading product and tech teams. Named Geospatial World 50 Rising Stars 2024. Educated at University of St. Gallen and Yale School of Management.

The event will be introduced by Anton Seidel, SRA ​Analytical Methods​ Chapter Chair and Head Structuring Centre Financial Markets & In-Force Mgmt at SwissRe

Agenda

17:45  Arrival & Name Tag Collection
18:00  Welcome and Introduction (Anton Seidel)
18:15  Presentations
18:45  Panel with all the speakers and Q&A (All)
19:25  Conclusion
19:30  Networking Drinks
20:30 End

Chapter Event

As chapters evolve, synergies are found and the focus of our topics change, we will combine chapter “Risk Analytics and Models” and Stress Testing and Scenario Generation” into the new chapter “Analytical Methods”. We explore analytical approaches to risk management, with a focus on practical applications. Our chapter provides practitioners with a stage to share their latest ideas, tools and methods.