Day 2 of PLUS Conference: Inspiring Leaders, Celebrating Excellence & More

Today, the PLUS Conference started with an Attendee Breakfast, where meaningful conversation took place and tons of connections were made. We also celebrated the Emerging Leader Award recipients, whose leadership, innovation, and contributions are shaping the future of the PL industry. Congratulations to Taylor Eskew-DeSanti, Gordon Gray, and Charlie Hines, who are making their mark in professional liability as the next generation of leaders. Your contributions are truly inspiring!

This morning, sessions kept attendees informed on hot topics like AI, E&O, and emerging areas in securities litigation. Then, The PLUS Foundation hosted an exhilarating luncheon, where it presented the 2026 Excellence in Diversity Award to Merial Brown and welcomed conference keynote speaker Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret). In her keynote, Harnessing Headwinds: Successfully Navigating Change & Adversity, the trailblazing fighter pilot, combat veteran, and leadership expert shared powerful lessons on turning challenges into opportunities, navigating change, building resilience, and embracing the unknown. Attendees gained fresh perspectives and practical strategies to strengthen their leadership, overcome self-doubt, and inspire those around them.

The afternoon continued with CE sessions, one being an interactive panel that put attendees in the boardroom of a high-growth software company as it moved from a headline-grabbing private equity buyout to, ultimately, distress. Attendees explored the evolving challenges faced by directors at each stage of the lifecycle, as well as how D&O insurers assess, price, and underwrite the risk as conditions shift from optimism to uncertainty and, finally, insolvency. Then, another CLE session explored how attendees could lead through uncertainty, focusing on how geopolitical and economic shifts, elections, AI advancements, workforce transitions, and evolving competition are reshaping the industry.

We ended our day with a strategic discussion featuring industry leaders as they shared their perspectives on global forces reshaping the insurance industry. It was an extremely engaging session about the pressures and impact of geopolitical and economic developments, election cycles, advancements in technology, and more!

While it was a great day of learning, connecting, and celebrating, we can’t wait to see what our final conference day has in store for us tomorrow!