Public Policy: Public Policy Thought Leadership & Education

Travelers established the Travelers Institute in 2009 as a means of participating in the public policy dialogue on matters of interest to the property casualty insurance sector, as well as the financial services industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers senior management and the technical expertise of its risk professionals, as well as other experts, to provide information, analysis and recommendations to public policymakers and regulators. The Executive Vice President of Public Policy is the President of the Travelers Institute, is a member of our Management and Operating Committees and reports to the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board on an annual basis.

Since its founding 16 years ago, the Travelers Institute has hosted or participated in more than 1,400 events and speaking engagements. During that time, nearly 550,000 audience members have watched Institute webinars, listened to its podcast or attended in-person forums in more than 230 cities across the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Government regulators and policymakers use the Travelers Institute’s unbiased resources and educational programming to help inform their decision-making with respect to the insurance industry.

Our senior business leaders set the Travelers Institute’s public policy priorities. They ensure that Travelers Institute^® initiatives align with the company’s business strategy and drivers of sustained value and have the greatest possible impact in the communities in which we live and work. Our current priorities are presented in detail on the Travelers Institute website and include:

• Availability and affordability of property casualty insurance.
• Distracted driving.
• Autonomous vehicles.
• Enhancing cybersecurity.
• Small business advocacy.
• Disaster preparedness and coastal challenges.
• Workforce trends.

In addition to bringing value to our communities and agent and broker partners, Travelers Institute programming helps educate the company’s employees and senior leaders, who regularly attend Travelers Institute events, about issues and trends affecting our industry.

Stakeholder engagement and strategic relationships

The Travelers Institute regularly engages with policymakers, business leaders, researchers, students, civic organizations, advocacy groups and others to examine solutions to the challenges facing communities and businesses today. Through educational symposia, strategic coalitions, conferences, webinars, podcasts, publications and other activities, the Travelers Institute helps further dialogue on a variety of important public policy issues, including those outlined above. These cross-sector collaborations help drive informed discussion and demonstrate our willingness and ability to thoughtfully provide industry leadership.

Collaboration across federal, state and local governments is core to the Travelers Institute’s mission. Travelers Institute^® programming has featured representatives from various state Departments of Insurance, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, several Federal Reserve Banks, the Federal Trade Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, among others. The programs offer critical education about selected public policy topics and provide a platform for government agencies to share and promote resources.

Travelers Institute programming not only fills an important role in the public policy dialogue but also enhances our relationships with our customers, independent insurance agents, state regulators and the public. In particular, Travelers Institute educational programming offers unique value to our network of more than 12,500 agent and broker partners, providing a distinguished thought leadership platform. Over the past 16 years, the Travelers Institute has hosted hundreds of events for, or in collaboration with, agents and brokers, enhancing these relationships while providing education and risk mitigation strategies to thousands of consumers.

As an example, the Travelers Institute offers presentations on the economic outlook and political landscape at agent conferences and events and provides educational content for agents and brokers to share with clients. Other Travelers Institute programming leverages our agents’ knowledge of how issues such as cybersecurity, distracted driving and natural disasters directly affect families, businesses and communities. In 2025, the Travelers Institute invited agents and brokers to attend in-person events across the country to engage in conversations addressing the availability and affordability of property casualty insurance, a pressing issue that is core to their business and their ability to serve their clients. Agencies and agent associations regularly co-host programs, invite customers and provide expert speakers, leveraging their risk management expertise and reinforcing their value as trusted advisors for critical insurance decisions. Throughout 2025, the Travelers Institute offered continuing education (CE) credits to agents and brokers who attended workforce and cybersecurity education symposia. In total, nearly 160 agents and brokers across 10 states received CE credit, a valuable step in renewing their insurance license. The Travelers Institute’s programs are a great example of how our efforts to strengthen our communities also enhance our relationships with our agent and broker partners and contribute to our bottom line. Some of our consistent and long-standing industry and academic partners include:

• The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.
• The American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
• The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes.
• The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers.
• The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America.
• The Risk and Uncertainty Management Center at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.
• The Master’s in Financial Technology (FinTech) program at the University of Connecticut School of Business.

The Travelers Institute also enhances its convening power and connects with important stakeholders through the Wednesdays with Woodward^® webinar series. The series launched in June 2020 and explores personal and professional issues impacting our agents, our brokers, our customers, our employees and the communities we serve. Topics discussed have included cross-sector efforts to prevent and reduce cybercrime, the changing landscape of insurance distribution, the future of autonomous vehicles, evolving workforce dynamics, and raising awareness about effective disaster preparation, response and recovery, among many others. Since its inception and through the end of 2025, the Travelers Institute hosted more than 160 webinars, which had nearly 685,000 registrations and video or podcast replays.