Two Years and Counting

2Years and Counting…

Interview with Patrice Luscan

At the 78th AGM (Annual General Meeting) held in June 2020, Patrice Luscan was re-elected as a President of ICISA. Currently in his third term as a President, Patrice Luscan, Marketing & Innovation Director at Coface, agreed to share his thoughts, achievements and future goals in the upcoming months.

Looking back at the motivation for being elected again as a President, he noted that the suggestion was actually his and Kay Scholtz’s (Vice-President) in response to the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 crisis, and to ensure a good transition in the upcoming year:

“As the crisis develops longer, we’ll all have to learn to cope with changing environments and renewed teams – albeit virtually!”

Asked about the achievements of ICISA for which he is most proud of, Patrice mentioned three main topics: the finalization of the recalibration study for Solvency 2, the advocacy efforts of the association, and the technological working groups and the projects they are working on.

First, on the finalization of the recalibration study for Solvency 2, Patrice noted that “We have been able to gather the necessary data from members and developed analyses to get across the point that a more appropriate calibration is warranted.”

Secondly, on advocacy matters, he highlights that such efforts “will more and more require facts and figures, and I have been really proud to see it happen in a relatively short period of time.”

Thirdly, “I would also like to mention our technological working groups. Even though these projects are far from their conclusion, adding innovation to the agenda of the association is an achievement in itself, but also because it means we share a common understanding of the line that must be drawn

Patrice Luscan

President of ICISA, Marketing & Innovation Director at Coface

between innovations of competitive nature and innovation of systemic nature. We have selected 3 projects of a systemic nature, and we’ve seen an impressive traction from some members this year to develop proofs of concept. Out of the 3 cases (TCI Fraud, Surety repository, Know Your Customer) it is difficult to predict how many will be implemented in the end, but the technology chapter is now open for writing.”

Asked about the future months, Patrice mentioned some of his new priorities as a President of ICISA. Here, he stressed the idea that “the Covid-19 crisis has reshuffled the priorities we had defined with the Management Committee (MC) two years ago. ICISA must be at the sides of members to manage the crisis, and that encompasses 2 essential dimensions: defending our reputation when needed and facilitating the addition of public capacity in a manner that preserves the interest of the front line insurers and their reinsurers.”

Additionally, his concerns are also about finding new ways of communication with and between members that address the current worldwide situation: “with sanitary measures being extended month on month in most places, we are bound to reinvent completely our traditional ways to interact.”

This is particularly hard for a community which essentially exists through meetings and who enjoys mingling with peers. But it is vital for the association to find the new winning formats and for all participants to play the game, attend regularly and preserve the spirit of ICISA.”