Cyber Insurance Leaders

In incident response, if you wipe systems first and ask questions later, you’re deleting the truth.In this episode, host Anthony Hess sits down with Devon Ackerman, Global Head of Digital Forensics and Incident Response at Cybereason, to unpack what serious DFIR looks like when your audience is regulators, legal counsel, and insurance carriers and brokers. A former FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Senior Forensic Examiner, Devon explains why his team approaches every matter as if it could end up in court, and what that changes in practice.He breaks down how to scope an incident from the first call, preserve evidence before “fixing” the environment, and pressure-test tool output instead of blindly trusting it. Anthony and Devon also dig into AI and automation in DFIR, the central role of timelines and logging in telling a credible breach story, and why third- and fourth-party access, zero trust, and contracts are now defining systemic cyber risk for boards and insurers alike.You'll learn:1. Why “defensible truth” is the real product in high-stakes incident response2. How forensic-science DFIR changes scoping, evidence preservation, and decision-making3. Where AI speeds up investigations and where it creates blind spots for junior teams4. Why timelines and logging shape what carriers, regulators, and boards believe happened5. How vendor access and contracts drive third- and fourth-party cyber risk at scale___________Get in touch with Devon Ackerman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devonackerman/___________About the host Anthony Hess:Anthony is passionate about cyber insurance. He is the CEO of Asceris, which supports clients to respond to cyber incidents quickly and effectively. Originally from the US, Anthony now lives in Europe with his wife and two children.Get in touch with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyhess/ or email: [email protected].___________Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

During incident response, what separates good from great counsel is bedside manner.In this episode, host Anthony Hess sits down with Josh Mooney, Partner and US Head of Cyber and Data Privacy at Kennedys Law, for a candid look at effective cyber response leadership.Josh explains why empathy and communication are as critical as legal precision when guiding clients through chaos. He also shares how US courts are reshaping ransomware incentives, why data governance failures attract OCR scrutiny, and how privacy law is edging toward a fifth fundamental right, namely the right not to be tracked.From the psychology of crisis response to courtroom strategy and compliance realities, Josh reveals how the next decade of cyber risk will test not only systems, but the people behind them.You’ll learn:1. Why empathy and trust are strategic tools in breach response2. How US court rulings are driving ransom payment dilemmas3. What OCR investigations reveal about weak governance4. Why data inventory discipline determines breach outcomes5. How privacy law may soon expand to include a “right not to be tracked”___________Get in touch with Josh Mooney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-mooney-cybersecurity/___________About the host Anthony Hess:Anthony is passionate about cyber insurance. He is the CEO of Asceris, which supports clients to respond to cyber incidents quickly and effectively. Originally from the US, Anthony now lives in Europe with his wife and two children.Get in touch with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyhess/ or email: [email protected].___________Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

Telemetry is changing the underwriting game, enabling a shift from clunky forms to real-time, verifiable risk data.In this episode, host Anthony Hess sits down with Alex Jomaa, Chief Underwriting Officer at Onda, to explore how real-time data is transforming cyber underwriting, and why it’s time the industry stopped relying on outdated processes that frustrate clients and slow brokers down.Alex explains how Onda’s Navigator platform integrates directly with a client’s infrastructure to deliver objective, verifiable cyber risk insights, thereby eliminating the back-and-forth of long-form questionnaires. In addition, he unpacks the biggest hurdles to cyber adoption, from poor timing and over-complication to misaligned incentives and volatile pricing cycles.You'll learn:1. How telemetry brings scale, accuracy, and speed to cyber underwriting2. What really stops buyers from purchasing cyber policies3. How brokers can sell cyber coverage more effectively4. The key signals Onda uses to assess cyber hygiene and risk quality5. Why market volatility is damaging long-term trust in cyber insurance___________Get in touch with Alex Jomaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-jomaa-b84b8520/ ___________About the host Anthony Hess:Anthony is passionate about cyber insurance. He is the CEO of Asceris, which supports clients to respond to cyber incidents quickly and effectively. Originally from the US, Anthony now lives in Europe with his wife and two children.Get in touch with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyhess/ or email: [email protected].___________Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

When the market softened, Ridge didn’t follow the crowd. Here’s how discipline became their competitive edge. In this episode, host Anthony Hess sits down with Greg Markell, President & CEO at Ridge Canada Cyber Solutions Inc., for a candid conversation on what it takes to build a sustainable cyber MGA.Greg shares how Ridge has resisted the pull of chasing market share during soft cycles—maintaining its underwriting standards since 2020—and why he believes cyber risk transfer must be earned, not assumed. He unpacks Ridge’s strategy of building proprietary underwriting tools in-house, explains why AI is an efficiency enhancer (not a replacement for people), and introduces the company’s new “risk marketplace,” which helps brokers turn declines into actionable paths to coverage. You’ll learn:1. Why consistent underwriting is Ridge’s strategy for long-term profitability2. Why cyber coverage should depend on client maturity, not market capacity3. How Ridge balances internal tech and AI with human-led underwriting4. What Ridge’s “risk marketplace” offers when clients aren’t ready for coverage5. Why trusted vendor partnerships are core to a strong claims experience___________Get in touch with Greg Markell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregmarkell/___________About the host Anthony Hess:Anthony is passionate about cyber insurance. He is the CEO of Asceris, which supports clients to respond to cyber incidents quickly and effectively. Originally from the US, Anthony now lives in Europe with his wife and two children.Get in touch with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyhess/ or email: [email protected].___________Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

What if the biggest threat to your cyber claims portfolio isn’t ransomware—but a spreadsheet buried in someone’s inbox?In this episode, host Anthony Hess chats with John Spiehs, Head of Claims at Converge, about what’s shifting in the cyber claims space—and what insurance professionals should have on their radar.John breaks down how Converge is leading efforts to simplify Business Interruption (BI) claims with a cleaner, more intuitive, top-down approach. He also digs into the growing exposure around data privacy, where even small incidents can trigger costly class actions. Finally, he explains what’s getting lost as the market softens, why vendor relationships matter more than price tags, and the kind of talent today’s claims teams really need.You'll learn:1. Why BI claims are evolving, and how Converge is simplifying the process2. Why data privacy and class actions are emerging as cyber’s new frontier3. Why soft market dynamics threaten underwriting discipline4. How poor email habits can explode breach costs overnight5. What defines a strong vendor partnership, beyond cut-rate solutions___________Get in touch with John Spiehs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-s-b981337/___________About the host Anthony Hess:Anthony is passionate about cyber insurance. He is the CEO of Asceris, which supports clients to respond to cyber incidents quickly and effectively. Originally from the US, Anthony now lives in Europe with his wife and two children.Get in touch with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyhess/ or email: [email protected].___________Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!