2024 Speakers

Victor Andrade

Eric Arnum

Eric Arnum is the editor of Warranty Week, an online publication written for the warranty industry professional. Based in New York and launched in late 2002 as both a free weekly email broadcast and a website at www.warrantyweek.com, the newsletter has quickly gained a following among manufacturers, retailers, servicers, and insurance professionals. Subscriptions to the free weekly email edition have now surpassed 7,000 people, while Web traffic is typically around 12,000 to 15,000 page views per week.

Weekly topics have included specific market close-ups on product warranties, extended warranties, claims rates in industries such as air conditioning, automotive, PCs, disk drives, printers, consumer electronics, solar panels, construction, mining, telecommunications equipment, plasma TVs, jetliners, sports stadiums, new homes, skateparks, and farm equipment. On a quarterly basis, trends in warranty claims and accruals by more than 800 manufacturers are detailed in depth. Also featured are periodic articles about industry conferences and warranty claim processing and analysis software providers.

Before launching Warranty Week, Arnum edited two different newsletters about the data communications industry -- Messaging Online, and Electronic Mail & Micro Systems (EMMS) -- while also engaging in custom research projects tracking the growth of the World Wide Web in Europe and the market for Internet services in South America. He also has worked as a reporter and freelance photographer for various online music publications. Eric Arnum is a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in economics.

Angie Breedlove

Angie Breedlove is a 30+ year veteran in the warranty industry with a knack for getting things done, sometimes by sheer force of will, and sometimes with the help of a double shot venti latte.

With a career that's taken her from processing warranty claims to starting a company, she has led warranty strategy and development for Maytag, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Assurant and is now CoFounder and Chief Revenue Officer for Xcelerator Group. She likes to say if there is a job in the warranty and services industry that she hasn’t done, it was probably in Accounting.

When she isn’t working with the team at Xcelerator Group, you can find her leading Women of Warranty as their Executive Director. Women of Warranty was founded in 2023 as a way to foster more female leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs and trades people in the warranty industry.

Nick Calcanes

Nick begun his career in Financial Analysis and now leads the Product Development team for both Hendrick Autoguard and NationsGuard. His team is responsible for all aspects of Product Development and Risk Management. Additionally, Nick serves as NationsGuard’s lead in Client Management. Nick’s unique experience in financial reporting, risk structures, product development, and risk management facilitate productive and efficient relationships with the clients he serves.

Adam Cherin

Adam Cherin, an alumnus of the University of Florida and the NADA Dealer Academy, brings a legacy deeply rooted in the automotive industry. Raised in a family of Florida car dealers, he ascended through roles in parts, service, and sales, discovering a passion for Finance & Insurance. Joining Hudson Auto Group in 2009 as Finance Director at Hudson Nissan North Charleston, Adam's strategic acumen led to his current role as Corporate F&I Director in January 2014. Under his guidance, the group expanded from six to 53 locations, a testament to his visionary leadership. Leading a team of Regional F&I Directors, Adam oversees compliance and performance, setting an unparalleled standard in the automotive finance sector. His journey reflects not only a distinguished career but a profound impact on Hudson Auto Group's remarkable trajectory.

Ted Danner

Kirsten Elsworth

Kirsten is a Senior Director at Ally Insurance with responsibility for Product & Project Delivery, Business Systems, Data Management & Reporting, and Innovation. Kirsten joined Ally (then GMAC) in 2003 as an intern in the Actuarial department. After working with the data and enjoying learning how people needed to use their information, Kirsten pivoted her career path from Actuarial to systems and data, partnering with IT Delivery to bring major initiatives to fruition. Throughout her career Kirsten has worked on multiple data conversion / system decommission projects, stood up several new platforms, and championed both continuous process improvement and Innovation.

Rebecca Fields-Arden

Sanja H.Abdic

Sanja H.Abdic is the Vice President of Client Management for Marsh’s Warranty Practice. During her tenure with Marsh, Sanja has been responsible for managing all aspects of client management for the practice’s major clients. Additionally, Sanja serves as a leader for any Automotive Initiatives for the practice. Sanja’s unique experience in product development and client management meld together to make her an extremely valuable client advocate in designing new and relevant products that meet client demands, while ensuring relevant details are provided and verified prior to engaging with underwriters and insurer partners.

Prior to joining Marsh, Sanja spent 11 years with a leading underwriter and administrator of extended warranty products. In this role, she was in charge of product development and lifecycle management for major clients. She has been regularly called upon to champion client and product development initiatives with global range and impact, including launching a complete suite of ancillary products, streamlining fulfillment process for high impact clients, and developing and piloting a proactive product development process in the United States, then successfully modifying this process as geographically necessary and implementing in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Sanja holds a BS degree in Psychology from University of South Florida, and an MBA from Webster University.

Jeremy Kuchenbecker

Jeremy has a 14-year track record in the retail automotive, aftermarket F&I, and TPA industries where he has successfully managed F&I departments and spearheaded strategic initiatives in sales and IT. Currently at APCO Holdings, Jeremy leads the Enterprise Digital Strategy where he is responsible for aligning data and technology with the company's overarching sales and technology strategy. Over his seven-year tenure with APCO, Jeremy has been the architect of numerous projects, ranging from enterprise level CRM buildouts and complex sales migrations to the development of e-commerce solutions and the creation of transformative data products. With unique expertise spanning sales, strategy, and IT, Jeremy's focus has been on the enhancement of the customer experience and the creation of sustainable competitive advantages for APCO within the marketplace. Beyond his corporate roles, Jeremy is also the founder of an innovative automotive SaaS company focused on enabling dealers to offer a fully digital sales and delivery experience. Jeremy earned his B.S. in Marketing from the University of Central Florida and extends his influence by sitting on the Board of the University of South Florida's Executive Digital Marketing program.

Aleem Lakhani

Aleem Lakhani is CEO of VectorSolv Inc., a datatech enterprise focused on next-generation solutions for the warranty industry.

Aleem has 30 years of wide-ranging warranty industry experience, including domestic and international. Aleem’s academic training includes quantitative methods (McGill), operational research (MIT), behavioral sciences (Yale), and law (Toronto).

Troy Lewis

Utilizing over 30-years of experience in the warranty industry, Troy leads the strategic direction and service deliverables of the Marsh Warranty Practice, where Marsh delivers warranty design, advisory and brokerage services to its clients. His experience in the warranty industry touches many product categories and logistical areas of warranty programs as he has held roles in both administration, solutions design, sales and marketing, and product development. Since joining the industry in 1993, Troy has served in leadership roles at major warranty administration companies and insurers. His expertise in solutions design afforded opportunities to work with some of the largest and best programs in the industry.

Rodney Martin

Rodney was born in Roanoke, VA and spent his early years in Lynchburg, VA then high school and college in Asheville, NC. This is where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Cheli. Rodney graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) majoring in Chemistry. He also holds an MBA from Indiana Tech. Rodney spent 25 years in the hazardous waste industry working for the following companies; GSX, Laidlaw Environmental Services, Safety-Kleen and Clean Harbors. Over that time, Rodney and Cheli have lived in Asheville, NC; Greensboro, NC; Vancouver, BC; Bellingham, WA; Rockford, IL; Lansing, MI; Columbia, SC; Indianapolis, IN and they now reside in Atlanta, GA. During his career Rodney has held senior-level positions in operations, sales, human resources and executive leadership. Rodney has been CEO of America’s Preferred Home Warranty since 2013.

Rodney is an active member of the National Home Service Contract Association (NHSCA), National Association of REALTORS (NAR), REALTORS Political Action Committee (RPAC), Real Estate Services Providers Council (RESPRO®,) the Service Contract Industry Council (SCIC) and the Jackson Area Association of REALTORS (JAAR.) Rodney and Cheli have 3 grown children; Courteney, Tiffany and Daniel. During their free time you can find them boating, hiking, walking their dogs or touring on their Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Tim Meenan

Tim Meenan is the Managing Partner of Meenan PA, an insurance and service contract regulatory law Firm. Tim was the founding General Counsel and Executive Director of the Service Contract Industry Council, the Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance, and the Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association, and has presided over state law changes in all 50 state for almost 30 years which have created a stable regulatory environment for service contracts, GAP, and other protection products. Tim’s practice focuses on helping insurers, providers, administrators and others gain National compliance in this evolving area.

Jim Mostofi

Jim Mostofi is the Chief Executive Officer of Choice Home Warranty. Prior to joining Choice, Mr. Mostofi was the Global Head of Business Development for the Service Programs Division of AIG Insurance and spent 10 years at Service Net Warranty, LLC, a leading warranty administrator, where he served in various roles including General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Mostofi also spent several years advising warranty and non-warranty clients as a corporate attorney with Frost Brown Todd, LLC, specializing in merger and acquisitions and insurance regulatory matters. He began his career as a certified public accountant, where he spent 10 years working at several public accounting firms including the Chicago office of Ernst and Young where he specialized in taxation of large financial institutions.

Mr. Mostofi earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He also has an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Loyola University’s Graduate School of Business, and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.

Travis Moore

Travis Moore is General Counsel for the Service Contract Industry Council, Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association, and the GAP Alliance. Travis engages with regulators and legislators across the country to advocate for the home, auto, and consumer goods service contract industries. In addition to being an expert in the service contract regulatory world, Travis is an entrepreneur and business owner in Kansas City.

Travis received a B.A. from North Park University in Philosophy with a certificate in non-profit business administration from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. He received his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School (now UIC Chicago School of Law) and is the recipient of the Chicago Bar Liberty Bell Award.

Gregory Myers

Greg Myers is an Executive Managing Director of Beecher Carlson leading the manufacturing sector. This also includes all extended warranty and F&I operations. Beecher Carlson specializes in insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and captive management for large corporations and groups.

Mr. Myers has worked with Fortune 500 organizations in designing and implementing their insurance programs. Many of these programs have included captive insurance companies, rental captives, large deductible, and self–insured retentions. He has been named as an Automotive Power Broker by Risk & Insurance Magazine five times. Most recently he assisted an Asian and European manufacturing company in developing and placing a combined global property and marine insurance program.

One of Mr. Myers specialties is in the areas of extended warranties and consumer insurance programs, many of which utilize a captive insurance company. He began working on extended warranties in 1985 when Beecher Carlson assisted in the development of an automotive OEM’s program. Mr. Myers has/is working on automotive companies, appliance manufacturers, road builders, and retailers. The work has expanded to other consumer insurance programs including consumer insurance and credit insurance. We currently work with 11 of the largest auto companies.

Mr. Myers has been with Beecher Carlson since 1984. Prior to joining Beecher Carlson, he worked as a consultant with KPMG from 1982 to 1984 working on employee benefit programs and specifically developing software systems for calculating pension benefits. He worked with Tillinghast performing similar consulting work from 1979 to 1981. He spent one year between 1981 and 1982 working with Honeywell as a software engineer developing a new Cobol compiler.

Mr. Myers is a frequent speaker at local and international risk management and insurance conferences. He has authored articles for such publications as the John Liner Review, Risk Management, Captive Insurance Company Review, Leaders, Asia Insurance Review and National Underwriter. Mr. Myers received his undergraduate degree and M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Tim O’Connor

Tim O’Connor leads Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc.’s Warranty Practice. He has over 20 years of experience providing actuarial and risk management consulting services to a variety of original equipment manufacturers, warranty providers, suppliers, and retail organizations. Tim’s services primarily focus on warranties, product liability, and analytic solutions.

Tim also leads Oliver Wyman property and casualty analytic functions. The functions include claims, visual, predictive, and loyalty analytics. Tim oversees product development, vendor partnerships, marketing, and strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining Oliver Wyman in 2011, Tim provided actuarial services for over ten years at a Big 4 accounting and consulting firm where he served as the practice’s warranty analytics subject matter expert.

Jennifer Reiss

Jennifer Reiss leads business development for BSH’s Customer Service division. Known for her determination and ability to create cohesive, productive teams, Jennifer currently manages the service plan programs for BSH’s premium and luxury brands, growing them from start-up to a multi-million dollar business while partnering with leaders from Marsh, Assurant, and After, Inc.

She’s passionate about creating elevated consumer experiences that create strong brand loyalty and high satisfaction. Her drive for achieving innovative success stories, and coaching teams committed to expanding BSH’s footprint in the appliance industry keeps her entrepreneurial spirit alive and motivated to design relevant programs that create value and drive revenue growth.

She lives in eastern North Carolina with her retired U.S. Marine partner, their lovely daughters, and three happy dogs. She loves exploring the coastline and countryside of North Carolina with loved ones.

Kevin Roney

Kevin Roney currently leads Business and Strategy Development for Whirlpool's Extended Service Plan program. Prior to this role, Kevin's career has touched on virtually every functional area of both manufacturing and service oriented companies, with a strong emphasis on Finance and P&L management. His passion for consumer focused loyalty initiatives has allowed him to develop multiple innovative business models, including several new consumer benefits for large OEM brands.

Kevin welcomes inquiries and benchmarking opportunities for all facets of the ESP Value Chain, where it does not introduce direct conflicts of interest with Whirlpool's proprietary business model.

Lari Stone

Meet Lari Stone, the dynamic force behind the Meta Warranty Plus ESC covering Meta Quest Virtual Reality products. With a BA in Aerospace Engineering, Lari brings a wealth of technical expertise to the table, honed through roles in product managment and failure analysis and quality engineering. Her diverse background also includes environmental engineering in the gold mining industry, service business management as well as marketing and operations for a Colorado craft brewery. Now based in Charleston, WV, Lari's commitment to excellence makes her a catalyst for innovative warranty services for innovative product portfolios.

Dan Tafel

Dan helped start Ironwood Warranty Group, part of a well-established Life Insurance company founded in 1906. Ironwood, the parent company of Hornbeam Insurance and National Service Alliance, are focused exclusively on the warranty market. As a member of the Executive Team, Dan leads Ironwood Warranty Group’s sales and marketing initiatives.

Prior to joining Ironwood Warranty Group, Dan was Vice President of AIG’s global sales and management team for multinational warranty clients. He initiated client relationships and managed a team to launch AIG’s first two global warranty client with both Apple and Dell. He was responsible for organizing AIG’s regional offices to support multinational clients operating in over 70 countries spanning Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America Regions.

Dan started his career in marketing with Philip Morris leading to Southeast Asia in 1993 where he founded a trade distribution company. In 1994, Dan established a licensed representative office in Vietnam, which managed marketing and distribution for consumer product companies such as L’Oréal and Keebler foods.

Dan returned from Asia in 1997 to join Appriss, a technology start-up specializing notification services. After leading government sales, he launched a commercial division for Appriss in 1999. Dan proposed and implemented the travel industry’s first flight status notification system with American Airlines in 2000.

In 2002, Dan joined Service Net leading business development. As a principal and member of the leadership team, Dan contributed to the growth of Service Net with the development of new clients including Philips, LG, and Apple. In 2010, AIG acquired Service Net to leverage both global and administrative opportunities.

Gayle Terry

Gayle is a customer-focused, commercial Executive leader with over 20 years’ experience in both the financial services and utilities industries. She has extensive experience in both B2C and B2B2C markets and has led teams and businesses in the UK, US and EU. Gayle leads the US business for Domestic and General (D&G), a newcomer to the US, but a market leader in warranty in the UK & EU, having been around for over 100 years. She is also CMO for the group and has been leading growth and customer strategies at D&G for 10 years. Before D&G, Gayle worked for a FTSE 100 Energy provider in the UK. She has held leadership positions in Strategy, Product, Marketing, Commercial, Operations and Business Transformation.

Before starting her career Gayle grew up in Glasgow, Scotland where she completed her degree, MA Economics. This year she relocated to New York from London.

Dawn Taylor, SVP

Dawn Taylor is a seasoned leader currently serving as the Senior Vice President of Client Management at Domestic and General, following its acquisition of After, Inc. With a rich background in revenue growth and customer engagement strategies, Dawn brings a wealth of experience to her role. She is known for her strategic vision, adeptness in building and nurturing client relationships, and her relentless pursuit of excellence in service delivery. In 2024, Dawn celebrates 30 years in the service contract/extended warranty industry. Over the course of her career, Dawn has had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles and with some of the best-known brands on the planet.

Outside of work, Dawn is an avid reader and a die-hard Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.

Ty Halcomb

Ty Halcomb brings over 13 years of extensive warranty experience to the table, beginning his career at Toyota as a claims adjudicator. Over the years, he has navigated through various roles in loss control, product operations, and product development, accumulating a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the automotive industry.

Currently serving as the Voluntary Protection Product Technology Manager, Ty is entrusted with the pivotal responsibility of enhancing and modernizing originations and claims platforms. His relentless pursuit of innovation and dedication to improving operational efficiency make him a cornerstone of the team.

With a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering top-notch solutions, Ty continues to drive excellence in the field, ensuring that products and services meet the evolving needs of customers, dealers, and stakeholders alike.