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October 21, 2026 | Automotive Building, Exhibition Place, Toronto

Bring ideas. Bring your team. Build your advantage.

TACKLE CHALLENGES.

CONNECT NATIONALLY.

LEAVE SHARPER.

The Women in Safety Summit is one day of honest conversation, practical sessions, and genuine peer exchange — on the topics the profession keeps circling but rarely confronts head-on. Psychological health. Gender-based violence. AI in real teams. Career stage and performance. Influence at the executive table.
In 2026, the event moves from Calgary to Toronto for the first time — joining the Canadian Safety Summit and Canada's Safest Employers Awards as part of COS Live, Canada's national occupational safety experience. It's the same conversation the industry has needed, now on a national stage.
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ATTENDEES

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SPEAKERS

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DISCUSSION TABLES

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

InsuranceFest was a ‘wow’ experience – after more than 600 conferences, I’d rank the networking and social interaction on the Santa Monica Pier in my top five.

– Jeff Kleid, Elite Risk Insurance

INSURANCEFEST AT A GLANCE

GET INSPIRED

Network Like You Mean It

1,000+ insurance leaders, founders, and innovators in one place. Brokers, MGAs, agencies, insurers, InsurTechs. From C-suite to NextGen, they’ll all be on the pier. 

FIND SOLUTIONS

Join the Conversation

60+ industry voices you actually want to hear from—from Aon to Marsh McLennan to InsurTech founders. Interactive sessions across every zone where you’re invited to jump in, ask what you really want to know, and steer the discussion. This isn’t sit-and-listen; it’s speak up and be heard.

JOIN INTERACTIVE

Hands-On Marketplace

30+ exhibitors and interactive InsurTech demos you can actually touch and test. A buzzing marketplace of ideas, solutions, and collaborations where you discover new tools, products, and partners to tackle your biggest challenges.N ot just watching — finding what you’ll take back to your work. 

level up your team

Discussion Table Real Talk 

50+ exclusive, 1-hour Discussion Tables for senior brokers and decision-makers. Small-group, facilitated conversations on Cyber, Digital Transformation, Construction, and E&S where everyone leans in, swaps war stories, and pressure-tests ideas in real time.

EMBRACE FUTUREFEST FUN

Bring Your Crew

Team experiences and group sessions designed so your whole organization goes back energized with shared insights and new connections. Build your own festival lineup as a team, join collaborative workshops together, tackle live challenges side by side, and turn the pier into your offsite — complete with shared moments, fresh ideas, and stories you’ll still be talking about back at the office. 

PARTY BY THE BEACH

Festival Energy on the Pier

From sunrise yoga to sunset sets, food trucks, cocktails, and ocean air — the pier turns every coffee break into a moment.

Choose Here
  • Content
  • Discussion Tables
  • Networking

The main stage. Senior safety leaders, occupational health experts, and women who have navigated the hardest parts of this profession — on influence, AI, psychological health, gender-based violence, and the career realities that don't get discussed enough. One room. The whole conversation.

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Fast-paced, peer-driven roundtables on the leadership challenges, workplace realities, and industry shifts safety professionals are managing right now. Select your top three topics at registration and we'll shape the tables around what this group actually wants to talk about — from AI tools and burnout to menopause at work, difficult conversations, and the next generation of safety leadership

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A full day alongside the women shaping occupational safety in Canada. HSE directors, OHS managers, risk executives, safety consultants, and emerging leaders across every major industry. The conversations that don't happen over email. The connections that outlast the event.

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COS LIVE

The Women in Safety Summit is part of COS Live — Canada's national occupational safety experience, bringing together three flagship events across October 21 and 22.

Previously held in Calgary, the Women in Safety Summit joins COS Live in Toronto for the first time in 2026 — bringing the event into the national conversation.

Tickets are available individually for the Women in Safety Summit or Canadian Safety Summit, or as a COS Live pass covering both days in full. 

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WHAT ATTENDEES ARE SAYING

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER

STEPHANIE BENAY

Stephanie Benay is a senior executive whose name comes up on call after call across the Canadian safety profession. Three decades in male-dominated industries. A leader whose work — and whose story — the industry knows and respects. In 2026, she's telling more of it.
Her opening keynote, Unapologetic: How Women Lead on Their Own Terms, sets the tone for the entire day. If you've ever felt the pressure to be endlessly competent, endlessly calm, and endlessly accommodating — this is the hour that dismantles all of it. Practical tools for navigating bias, managing relational dynamics, and leading with the kind of clarity that doesn't require you to become someone you're not.
Stephanie's book publishes in September 2026 — making October 21 a rare opportunity to hear her speak at the moment the wider conversation around her work begins. 

HIGHLIGHT SPEAKERS

Jasmine Amini

Senior Accident Investigator
Metrolinx

Jackie Davis

Safety and Health Director
Tri-M; Electrical & Construction

Candace DiCresce

Director, Enterprise & Operational Risk
OMERS

Hager Ibrahim

Director, Aviation Safety, Regulations & Performance
Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)

Angelica Rotundo

Director, Health, Safety and Environment
OEC

Jody Young

President/CEO
Workplace Safety and Prevention Services

SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

Unapologetic: How Women Lead on Their Own Terms

Three decades in male-dominated industries — what actually works for navigating bias, setting boundaries, and leading with conviction without losing yourself in the process. Join Stephanie Benet for her wonderful opening keynote.

Getting a Seat at the Table – How Safety Leaders Influence Business Decisions

The difference between trusted advisor and strategic decision-maker comes down to influence. An executive panel on how women have earned credibility with senior leaders, connected safety to business performance, and repositioned themselves not just as safety experts but as business leaders.

AI in Safety: What Forward-Thinking Teams Are Doing Differently

Practical case studies from safety leaders already using AI for inspections, reporting, hazard identification, and training. An honest account of the tools and workflows teams are actually using, what's working, and what to evaluate before investing.

The Career You Almost Lost: Life Stages, Performance & the Workplace's Blind Spots

Life-stage health treated as what it is: a performance, retention, and workplace issue. A panel of women at different career stages — alongside a Canadian occupational health expert — on how health changes affect workplace functioning, why workplace systems continue to fail on this, and what meaningful support actually looks like in practice.

THEMES AT A GLANCE

Digital Transformation & Innovation

From real‑world AI and digital client journeys to smart InsurTech/RegTech choices, this track focuses on turning technology into tangible brokerage and client outcomes.

Cyber, Risk & Underwriting

Explore how to turn cyber into a value‑driven advisory conversation, with crisis playbooks and underwriting strategies for the next wave of cyber and personal exposures.

Nat Cat & Climate

Get practical on modelling, pricing, explaining, and placing nat cat and climate‑exposed risks in a world of constant volatility.

Regulation, Legal & Compliance

Unpack what new rules really mean for AI, cyber, claims, E&S, and specialty, and see how RegTech can keep you compliant without slowing brokers down.

Next Gen

Sharpen your career path with playbooks, cross‑generational collaboration, and strategies for standing out as a NextGen broker in a consolidating, tech‑driven market.

E&S Unfiltered

Go deep on winning in a tight, fast‑moving E&S market, from “wild risk” solutions to the broker‑MGA‑carrier partnerships that unlock specialty placements.

Construction & Specialty Reports

Tackle complex construction and specialty risks under climate, cost, and regulatory pressure, spotting breakout niches and learning from major claims and project outcomes.

Market Capacity, M&A & Economic Headwinds

Navigate consolidation, shifting capacity, and economic pressure with strategies to stay relevant, compete, and position your firm for sale, scale, or partnership.

DISCUSSION TABLES

Step into action with our all-new themed discussion tables—built for leaders who want results now. These fast-paced, interactive sessions go beyond theory, delivering tactical conversations and proven takeaways you can put to work immediately. 

Cyber

How do you keep up with rapidly evolving cyber policies while driving client education on emerging risks and solutions? 

Digital Transformation

What are the transformational benefits of implementing AI effectively across your business? 

Construction

What are the biggest hidden builder’s risks brokers and clients need to watch for, and how can you identify them early? 

Excess & Surplus Lines

How do you build and maintain client trust in E&S placements, especially in a volatile market? 

Cyber

How are you leveraging AI to outpace cyber threats, and what challenges are you facing in the cyber arms race? 

Digital Transformation

How can brokers turn data into actionable insights that drive revenue and growth? 

Construction

What strategies help brokers navigate high-risk construction projects in a tightening market? 

Excess & Surplus Lines

How do you stay ahead of volatility in the E&S market and make confident placement decisions? 

Cyber

What strategies have helped you convert cyber skeptics into loyal, proactive clients? 

Digital Transformation

How do you design a digital-first client experience that truly delivers value and loyalty 

Construction

How do you evaluate and implement jobsite technologies that deliver real value for clients? 

Excess & Surplus Lines

What creative strategies help brokers secure E&S coverage when traditional markets say no? 

Cyber

What digital threats are most concerning for your clients, and how are you helping them prepare? 

Digital Transformation

What lessons have you learned from your digital transformation journey—both successes and failures? 

Construction

How do you identify and negotiate contract clauses that can make or break a construction deal? 

THEMES AT A GLANCE

Digital Transformation & Innovation

  • Turning AI from hype to ROI in real brokerage workflows
  • Building a digital client journey that wins (and keeps) business in a virtual world
  • Choosing InsurTech and RegTech partners that accelerate real transformation
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Cyber, Risk & Underwriting

  • Turning cyber risk into a client‑value conversation, not a fear pitch
  • Cyber crisis playbooks: who does what, when it hits
  • Underwriting the next wave of cyber and personal cyber exposures
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Nat Cat & Climate

  • Rethinking nat cat models for a world that won’t sit still
  • Helping clients understand climate‑driven pricing and coverage shifts
  • Placing and structuring nat cat and climate‑exposed risks when volatility is the norm
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Next Gen

  • Career playbooks: what rising brokers wish they’d known earlier 
  •  Mixing veteran experience with new ideas in 
  •  Finding your lane as a NextGen broker in a consolidating, tech‑driven market

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Diversity & Inclusion

  • Real stories from women and under‑represented leaders on breaking through and bringing others with them
  •  How brokers can sponsor others, share opportunities, and use their voice even without a hiring title 
  •  Where inclusion has changed client relationships, ideas, and outcomes – not just internal messaging

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E&S Unfiltered

  •  Winning in a capacity‑tight, appetite‑shifting E&S market 
  •  Designing E&S solutions for “wild risks” the standard market won’t touch 
  • Broker, MGA, and carrier partnerships that unlock specialty placements

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Construction & Specialty Reports

  • Managing construction risk under climate, cost, and regulatory pressure
  • Spotting breakout niches across specialty lines before the market crowds in
  • Claims and coverage lessons from large, multi‑party and specialty projects

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Market Capacity, M&A & Economic Headwinds

  • Broker playbooks for navigating consolidation and staying relevant
  •  Positioning your firm for sale, scale, or strategic partnership
  •  Competing when capacity, pricing, and client demand all move at once

hero-bg-1

Digital Transformation & Innovation

  • Turning AI from hype to ROI in real brokerage workflows
  • Building a digital client journey that wins (and keeps) business in a virtual world
  • Choosing InsurTech and RegTech partners that accelerate real transformation
hero-bg-1

Cyber, Risk & Underwriting

  • Turning cyber risk into a client‑value conversation, not a fear pitch
  • Cyber crisis playbooks: who does what, when it hits
  • Underwriting the next wave of cyber and personal cyber exposures
hero-bg-1

Nat Cat & Climate

  • Rethinking nat cat models for a world that won’t sit still
  • Helping clients understand climate‑driven pricing and coverage shifts
  • Placing and structuring nat cat and climate‑exposed risks when volatility is the norm
hero-bg-1

Regulation, Legal & Compliance

  • What new rules really mean for AI, cyber, and everyday brokerage workflows
  • RegTech that actually simplifies audits, file reviews, and reporting
  • Staying compliant on claims, E&S, and specialty without killing broker speed 

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Next Gen

  • Career playbooks: what rising brokers wish they’d known earlier 
  •  Mixing veteran experience with new ideas in 
  •  Finding your lane as a NextGen broker in a consolidating, tech‑driven market

hero-bg-1

Diversity & Inclusion

  • Real stories from women and under‑represented leaders on breaking through and bringing others with them
  •  How brokers can sponsor others, share opportunities, and use their voice even without a hiring title 
  •  Where inclusion has changed client relationships, ideas, and outcomes – not just internal messaging

hero-bg-1

E&S Unfiltered

  •  Winning in a capacity‑tight, appetite‑shifting E&S market 
  •  Designing E&S solutions for “wild risks” the standard market won’t touch 
  • Broker, MGA, and carrier partnerships that unlock specialty placements

hero-bg-1

Construction & Specialty Reports

  • Managing construction risk under climate, cost, and regulatory pressure
  • Spotting breakout niches across specialty lines before the market crowds in
  • Claims and coverage lessons from large, multi‑party and specialty projects

hero-bg-1

Market Capacity, M&A & Economic Headwinds

  • Broker playbooks for navigating consolidation and staying relevant
  •  Positioning your firm for sale, scale, or strategic partnership
  •  Competing when capacity, pricing, and client demand all move at once

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AGENDA

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Discussion Tables

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EVENT PARTNER

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GOLD SPONSORS

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SILVER SPONSOR

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EXHIBITORS

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COS LIVE BRINGS TOGETHER

THE WHOLE CANADIAN SAFETY INDUSTRY.