Captive Insurance Trends and Strategy at 2026 WRCIC Conference

Editor's Note:  The 2026 Western Region Captive Insurance Conference (WRCIC) brings together two prominent industry leaders: Heather McClure, managing partner and general counsel at Helio Risk and cochair of the speaker committee, and Renea Louie, WRCIC chair and CEO of Sotera Global Management. 

In this joint question and answer session (Q&A), Heather and Renea share their perspectives on what attendees can expect from this year's conference—from key sessions and emerging industry themes to the broader value of in-person engagement. 

Heather McClure (left) and Renea Louie (right). Courtesy photos. 

Joint Q&A 

Heather, you are moderating and participating in several sessions at WRCIC this year—what common themes are emerging across those discussions, and where do you expect the most meaningful dialogue to take place? 

Everyone is interested in technology topics, in addition to the regular high interest in tax and regulation sessions. All sessions are bringing cutting-edge thought leadership by industry experts. I am excited to moderate the regulator panel as our last session. It is always well-received, and participants get to hear directly from the state regulators themselves. This year, we will have 7–8 states represented. It's a unique opportunity. 

Renea, looking at the 2026 agenda, which sessions or topics stand out to you as particularly timely for the captive insurance industry, and why? 

The Western Region came together in 2008 and has grown into one of the most important captive conferences in the country. It is especially significant for so many captive owners, service providers, and regulators, as this is the only conference they attend each year. That reality makes the quality of the program especially important. We take that responsibility seriously and work hard to deliver the very best educational content so attendees have access to top-tier perspectives across every category of session. 

One of the most popular sessions every year is the Fireside Chat with the commissioners. This year, we are honored to have three sitting commissioners attending the conference. They are incredibly generous with their time over several days, and their presence gives attendees a unique opportunity to engage directly with regulatory leadership from across the West. It is a rare setting where you can conduct meaningful business with each state in the region and interact with the top decision-makers in the captive space. 

What makes this year's agenda especially strong is that every session reflects the issues captive owners and boards are actively navigating in today's environment. We continue to focus on real-time challenges and future-forward thinking, and this year is no exception. Topics include "Artificial Intelligence Risk," "RRGs: Emerging Developments," "Governance That Defines Insurance for Regulatory and Tax Purposes," "Captive Advocacy," "Best Practices for Captive Investments," "Captives as a Strategic Asset: Value Beyond Market Timing," and the "Captive Tax Update." Together, these sessions highlight the intersection of innovation, governance, regulation, and long-term strategic value creation that is shaping the captive industry right now. 

This agenda is particularly timely because it does not focus solely on traditional captive structures. It also addresses how captives are being used to respond to emerging and increasingly complex exposures. Sessions on unusual risks and municipal risk management, alongside the Commissioners' Fireside Chat, show that the conversation has evolved well beyond formation and feasibility. Today, the focus is also on resilience, oversight, adaptability, and enterprise-wide risk strategy. 

From my perspective, the strongest conference agendas are the ones that help attendees think both tactically and strategically. This year's program does that exceptionally well by combining technical substance with broader leadership themes, including regulatory dialogue, advocacy, investment discipline, and innovation. It gives attendees the opportunity not only to understand what is changing in the market, but also to consider how captives can continue to evolve as a meaningful strategic asset for their organizations. 

Heather, WRCIC is known for its strong technical content—how are you approaching your role across the sessions you're moderating and participating in to guide discussions and ensure attendees walk away with practical, actionable insights? 

We will be making sure each panel has a message that includes action items for the audience to take home and use in their own captive, or as a service provider to captives. As a former owner, I understand the need to not just hear about best practices but have a practical way to start implementing the minute I am back in the office. 

Renea, as WRCIC Chair, how did you approach shaping this year's agenda, and how have conference priorities evolved in response to shifts in the insurance and risk environment? 

In shaping this year's agenda, our priority was to ensure the program reflected both the current realities of the market and the longer-term strategic direction of the captive industry. We wanted sessions that would be immediately useful to attendees, but also forward-looking enough to help them think beyond today's pressures. That meant building an agenda that balances technical rigor with strategic relevance—covering areas such as artificial intelligence risk, governance, tax, advocacy, investment strategy, and the expanding role of captives as a business asset. 

What has changed most in recent years is the nature of the conversation. The industry is no longer focused solely on whether a captive can be formed or how it should be structured. Increasingly, the questions are about how a captive can be governed well, how it can respond to emerging risks, how it can perform in a changing regulatory and tax environment, and how it can create measurable value for the parent organization over time. That evolution is reflected across this year's agenda, from sessions on governance and tax to discussions around advocacy, innovation, and strategic deployment. 

From a leadership standpoint, I believe conference programming has to do more than inform—it has to equip decision-makers to act with clarity. Our goal with the 2026 program was to create a forum where attendees can engage with both foundational issues and emerging challenges, and leave with a stronger sense of how captives fit into a broader enterprise risk and capital strategy. 

Heather, across the sessions you're involved in, which risks or topics—such as cyber, climate, or regulatory developments—do you expect will drive the most debate or differing perspectives? 

I know there are a lot of questions about artificial intelligence (AI). Many of us have embraced it, with varying degrees of comfort levels, but it is certainly here to stay. We now need to mitigate risk and look for the opportunities it brings for captive coverage and risk management. In addition to the "Artificial Intelligence Risk" panel I'm facilitating, this theme will be covered broadly in a number of sessions. 

Renea, from a broader industry perspective, where are you seeing captives being deployed more strategically or creatively, and how is that influencing the types of conversations taking place at WRCIC? 

From my perspective, one of the most exciting developments in the captive space is how much more intentionally organizations are using captives today. They are no longer being viewed simply as a tool for difficult market cycles; increasingly, they are being used as part of a broader strategy to manage emerging risks, support long-term planning, and give organizations more control over how they finance and respond to exposure. That is why topics on this year's agenda such as "Artificial Intelligence Risk," "Insuring Unusual Risks," "Municipality Risk Management," and "Captives as a Strategic Asset—Value Beyond Market Timing" feel especially relevant. 

I also think we are seeing more creativity in the way captives are being applied. Whether it is addressing hard-to-place risks, adapting to innovation-driven exposures, or rethinking more traditional programs, captive owners are asking more sophisticated questions about how these structures can support business goals in a practical way. The session on "How Tech Forward Fleets Are Replacing Commercial Auto Programs with Captives" is a good example of how forward-looking those conversations have become. 

That shift is shaping the dialogue at WRCIC in a meaningful way. The conversations are becoming broader, more strategic, and more connected to the overall business objectives of the organizations involved. We are talking not just about formation, but about governance, innovation, tax, advocacy, and long-term value creation. To me, that reflects a healthy and maturing industry—one that is thinking more expansively about what captives can do and where they can go next. 

Heather, WRCIC is also known for its setting and networking environment—how does that atmosphere influence the quality of conversations and engagement across the sessions? 

This is the best part about Western Region's conference. The rotation through states allows for the best possible venues to be selected, with the ability to not only engage in great education but also networking activities where we can meet with colleagues we otherwise only see on a screen. 

Renea, what role does WRCIC play in fostering meaningful connections and collaboration within the captive insurance community? 

WRCIC plays a vital role in fostering meaningful connections and collaboration because it creates direct dialogue between captive owners, service providers, and regulators in an intimate way that is both practical and highly substantive. Two of the most valuable examples are the Insurance Commissioners' Fireside Chat and the Regulator Roundup. 

The Fireside Chat, featuring Commissioners Ned Gaines of Nevada, Glen Mulready of Oklahoma, and Jonathan Pike of Utah, is especially invaluable because it gives attendees the rare opportunity to hear directly from regulatory leaders about how they are thinking about the market, the future of captives, and the broader regulatory environment shaping the industry. 

What makes that session so important is not just the access but the perspective. It offers real insight into how state regulators are approaching captive growth, oversight, and long-term priorities, while also giving attendees a better sense of how those state-level viewpoints connect to larger conversations across the industry, including developments at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. For anyone managing captives, those insights are incredibly valuable because they help translate regulatory trends into practical understanding. 

The Regulator Roundup is equally important, and in many ways uniquely valuable for anyone managing captives in the western region. With nine states represented on the panel, attendees can immediately compare differences in regulator positions across a range of issues. That kind of side-by-side perspective is difficult to replicate anywhere else, and it gives captive owners and managers a much clearer understanding of how jurisdictional approaches may differ in practice. The fact that it is highlighted as a dedicated session within the 2026 program reinforces how central that regulatory dialogue is to the conference experience. 

Taken together, those sessions reflect what makes WRCIC so valuable: It is not simply a place to hear presentations but a forum where relationships are built, perspectives are shared, and the captive community gains practical insight it can use immediately. In an industry where success depends on both technical expertise and strong regulatory understanding, that kind of connection and collaboration is enormously important.