Athens 2016

Anna Bennett is an archaeological scientist and conservator.  She is a principal of Conservation and Technical Services Limited, a company she founded in 1989, which is affiliated with the Centre for the Scientific Investigation of Works of Art, providing conservation and analytical services to numerous museums and cultural institutions throughout the world, as well as to commercial entities and collectors.

Michael A. Bono is a partner of Wade Clark Mulcahy.  Mike has a diverse practice with a specialty in fine art, jewelers block, and cash-in-transit matters, and handles defense, coverage, subrogation, and replevin actions throughout the United States.   Mike is an experienced litigator admitted in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and is a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

Mike started his legal career as a prosecutor with the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office, conducting trials involving violent crimes and investigating complex narcotic networks and conspiracies.

David Courtney has over 30 years of experience in the financial, commodity and derivatives markets and has run a specialist consulting practice for over 20 years advising specie underwriters on risks relating to the insurance of customer assets held by third party custody.

Francis Eastaugh is General Manager of the UK office of Art Analysis & Research. With a background in aerospace engineering, Francis spearheads the development of AA&R’s world class imaging systems.   He is currently working on delivering AA&R’s scientific testing protocols to support due diligence in the global art market.

David Glenn is a cyber security consultant with Lowers Risk Group, a provider of enterprise-wide risk mitigation and loss prevention, employment screening, and data intelligence services through its three complementary companies: Lowers & Associates, Proforma Screening Solutions, and Wholesale Screening Solutions. He has over 30 years of professional experience encompassing a wide range of industries including banking, management consulting, commercial IT, government, and defense. His experience includes assignments in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America.

David Glenn is the founder and President of Argus Technology Associates, Inc., a cybersecurity services firm based in Baltimore, MD. At Argus Technology, he currently directs the IT security program for a data hosting provider near Baltimore, MD, USA. He provides a full range of IT security services including policy development, Certification & Accreditation preparation, risk and vulnerability assessments, intrusion detection system design and operations, penetration testing, incident response, business continuity planning, and security awareness/training.

JOANNA HARDY F.G.A., D.G.A., F.R.S.A 

Joanna has over 30 years experience working with jewellery, beginning her career as a goldsmith before joining De Beers as a rough diamond valuer. Joanna then went to work in Antwerp as a polished diamond dealer before joining Philips the auctioneers in London. She then moved to Sotheby’s in Bond Street and for fourteen years was their senior jewellery specialist and auctioneer where she was responsible for jewellery auctions worldwide in New York, Geneva and London.

Joanna is an Independent Fine Jewellery Specialist, she conducts Jewellery Masterclasses and lectures worldwide. She is a published author with her books ‘Collect Contemporary Jewelry‘ and ‘Emerald’ both published by Thames and Hudson, and a contributing author for ‘Cartier Panthère’ published by Assouline and GRAFF published by Rizzoli. Joanna covers the jewellery auctions for The Daily Telegraph Luxury on – line Magazine, is the Contributing Jewellery Editor for the Robb Report for the UK and writes for many international publications including the Wall Street Journal. Joanna curates Contemporary Jewellery selling exhibitions, is an accredited NADFAS lecturer, a Fellow of the Gemmological Association, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths Hall and is a regular jewellery specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow.

For the past 12 years, Daniel has been a research geoscientist, working at leading universities all over the world studying diamonds. Since completing his PhD thesis “Quantifying stress and strain in diamonds” at University College London, he has published research papers on topics including how diamonds grow, the inclusions found within them, and the causes of certain colours.

Over the last year, Daniel has helped to setup the Diamond Durability Laboratory (DDL) with cofounders Thomas Gelb and Wolf Gluck. DDL has become the leading company in assessing the risk associated with processing and manufacturing diamonds.

Michael Monteverde is an insurance coverage and insurance bad faith attorney working out of the Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida offices of the law firm, Bressler Amery & Ross, P.C.  Michael’s practice involves advising and representing institutional insurance clients regarding complex matters involving insurance coverage and insurance bad faith.

While Michael’s practice includes issues and matters arising from a wide variety of different types of insurance policies/certificates, his work on matters related to fine art and jeweler block insurance policies, along with his experience defending and consulting with clients regarding allegations of bad faith claims handling practices, gives him a unique perspective regarding insurance coverage and bad faith issues and how they can impact claims arising out of jewelry and fine art loss claims.  As a result of his experience, Michael has been asked to speak at a number of conferences in the United States on issues of insurance bad faith litigation.

Richard Pearson, a Director of John Pearson and Associates (Pty) Ltd began his Loss Adjusting Career in 2002.  He has been a member of the Institute of Loss Adjusters since this date.

Richard has established himself as a Loss Adjuster and Surveyor dealing with both the Lloyds Market as well as the Local South African Insurance Market specialising in the Gold, Diamond, Cash in Transit as well as Precious Metals Industries.

Richard has been exposed to numerous high value losses in Africa which have required extensive investigation work being undertaken.

During his years in the Industry, Richard has built up a network of contacts in Sub-Saharan Africa, who he can call upon at short notice to render assistance if required.

Jim Pounds is the Company’s Executive Vice President, Diamonds. He joined the Company in August 2002 as the Managing Director of the Company’s Belgian subsidiary.  Prior to joining the Company, he was Project Manager, De Beers Group following his position as Managing Director, Diamdel Israel, which is De Beers’ direct trading arm in Israel.

Arnold Schwisberg is a lawyer who specializes in sophisticated commercial litigation. Including judicial review s of jurisdictional excesses of regulatory agencies and tribunals. He has appeared at all levels of the Ontario Courts, at the Federal Court’s Trial and Appeal Divisions and in the Supreme Court of Canada.

In particular, he is Canada’s top liquor-regulatory lawyer and its pre-eminent jewellery, fine art, cash-in-transit and specie insurance defence litigator.

Arnold has recently been lead counsel in R v. Comeau, a Canadian constitutional challenge case about liquor laws, which made front-page news domestically and internationally in August 2015

Now a highly regarded compliance professional with 30 years’ London Market experience, Andrew was originally an underwriter of fine art and specie.  In the compliance arena, he has worked with Lloyd’s Corporation, Kiln, Beazley, R&Q, Omega and Willis. He now runs his own consultancy specialising in conduct risk, compliance and corporate governance.

Anthony Taylor joined Besso Limited in 2005 and currently works as a Claims Broker within the International division handling claims on various classes of business. Anthony has dealt with large and complex claims for some of the companies most prestigious Antique and Fine Art clients and believes that the Insurance needs for these particular clients are unique.

Due to his exposure to the Antique and Fine Art world, Anthony has a strong interest in this sector and chose to cover this subject within assignments on route to his ACII completion.

Philip joined Sompo Canopius as Head of Specie in 2015. He has approximately 40 years experience in the insurance industry, with extensive knowledge of the specie sector. Philip began his career at Willis Faber & Dumas as a marine broker, spending ten years with the firm in the UK and South Africa.

He then joined the surety and specie team at Steward Wrightson (now part of Willis) where he spent seven years before moving to Johnson & Higgins as leader of the specie team there. When the firm was bought by Marsh, he was asked to lead the specie team within its Financial & Professional Liability Practice, which he did successfully from 1997 to 2015.

Dennis M. Wade is a founding partner of Wade Clark Mulcahy. For more than 20 years Dennis has handled fine art and specie matters for domestic and international insurers. His cases have taken him across the United States and to many parts of the world. Beside defense and coverage work in these areas, Dennis has recovered stolen art and diamonds throughout the United States and has collaborated with counsel to achieve recoveries in Europe and elsewhere.  Dennis is an experienced trial and appellate attorney in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Dennis enjoys the highest legal rating, “AV Preeminent,” and is a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

Before entering private practice, Dennis devoted his energies to the investigation and prosecution of organized crime cases as the Deputy Chief of the Rackets Bureau of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.