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The Fourth Annual
Warranty & Service Contract Innovations for Vehicle, Home, Smart Products & Consumer Goods

Eric Arnum

Publisher

Warranty Week

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.

Donald Berry

VP, Insurance – International Operations

GM Financial

Don has more than 25 years of proven achievement in the automotive OEM / Captive Financial Services area. As Vice President at GM Financial, he is responsible for developing and executing the insurance strategy for General Motors dealers and customers in Latin America and Canada. Most recently, Don served as President and CEO of the VW Credit owned captive insurance subsidiaries in both Canada and US. He held progressive leadership roles at both Mercedes-Benz Financial and GMAC Insurance where he began his career. Don is a licensed Property and Casualty agent. He holds a B.B.A degree in Accounting from Western Michigan University and a M.B.A. degree in Finance from Wayne State University.

Angie Breedlove,

Executive Director

Women of Warranty

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.

Adam Cherin

Variable Operations Director

Hudson Automotive Group

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 parts, service, In 2024, Adam advanced to the role of Variable Operations Director, where he continues to drive innovation and excellence across Hudson Auto Group. Leading a team of Regional F&I Directors, he oversees compliance and performance while shaping broader operational strategies across sales and service departments. Adam's journey reflects a distinguished career and a profound impact on Hudson Auto Group's remarkable trajectory, and sales roles, 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 appointment 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..com

Brian Casey

Partner

Troutman Pepper Locke LLP

Brian Casey leads clients in the insurance, financial services, and health care industries through their most important regulatory and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate and structured finance, and cutting-edge insurtech strategies. Brian is a seasoned attorney with expertise in privacy and telemarketing compliance at Troutman Pepper. With a deep understanding of the intricate landscape of consumer protection laws, Brian adeptly advises clients on navigating the complexities of the TCPA and other relevant regulations. His expertise extends to developing robust compliance programs and providing strategic guidance to mitigate risks associated with telemarketing practices.

Ted Danner

Senior Director, Automotive Warranty & Service Contract (WSC) AI Solutions & Sales

Circuitry.ai

Christina Darnell

VP, Marketing

Assurant

With over two decades of experience, Christina Darnell leads a team of marketers at Assurant, helping clients grow their warranty and protection programs through insights-driven marketing. She has a background in both agency and corporate marketing, bringing expertise in digital, brand, and customer-focused strategies. Outside of work, Christina enjoys spending time with her family and cooking healthy recipes.

Kirsten Elsworth

Senior Director,

Ally Insurance

Kirsten is a Senior Director at Ally Insurance with responsibility for Project Delivery, Business Systems, Data Management & Reporting, and Innovation. Kirsten joined Ally (then GMAC) in 2003 as an intern within 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 continuous process improvement and Innovation.

Rebecca Fields-Arden

President

Excela Protect

Troy Heideman

Principal Business Development Executive, Industrial Internet of Things

SAS

Troy Heideman is a seasoned professional serving as a Business Development Executive for IoT solutions at the SAS Institute. With a deep-rooted passion for addressing real-world challenges within the industrial market segment, Troy focuses on fostering strategic partnerships and delivering innovative IoT solutions. Prior to joining SAS in 2022, Troy held prominent leadership positions, including the role of Global Director of Reliability Engineering at Welbilt, a leader in the design and manufacturing of commercial food service appliances. During his tenure, he spearheaded the establishment and management of the Design-for-Reliability (DfR) program and applied it to the product development process across all Welbilt brands worldwide. Troy also devised and executed strategic initiatives to reduce product field issues and minimize warranty expenditures. He has held certifications as a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt and Certified Reliability Engineer, showcasing his expertise in process optimization, statistical analysis, and reliability engineering methodologies.