Lockton’s Reid Eanes has a front-row seat to one of the most dynamic shifts in specialty insurance history where cyber liability collides with construction risk, financial exposures intertwine with AI governance, and traditional coverage silos no longer hold.
As EVP and co-practice leader for professional & executive risk (West), Eanes operates at the intersection of some of the industry’s most complex placements. And in today’s market, complexity is the rule, not the exception.
“Specialty insurance has never been more interconnected,” Eanes told Insurance Business. “In areas like autonomous driving, data center construction, and AI, financial risk, cyber risk, construction risk, and casualty are blending.”
Eanes will explore that intersection at InsuranceFest 2026 during the panel Specialty Lines, Unplugged – financial, construction, cyber and beyond.
Emerging industries are reshaping how brokers think about risk architecture. Data centers combine builder’s risk, professional liability, cyber exposure, and environmental considerations in a single project.
Meanwhile, autonomous vehicle development merges product liability, software failure, regulatory compliance, and technology E&O. And AI deployment introduces professional liability questions alongside privacy regulation, intellectual property disputes, and cybersecurity threats.
This convergence requires structural rethinking. Eanes explained: “We can’t rely on products designed for a world 10 years ago. We have to design for the risks clients actually face now.”
That shift is especially urgent as regulation evolves. Privacy laws, biometric data rules, and cybersecurity reporting mandates are moving targets. Brokers who fail to track those legal developments risk leaving clients exposed, not because coverage doesn’t exist, but because it wasn’t structured correctly.
Over the next three to five years, Eanes expects the broker’s role to expand dramatically.
“As risks increase, the importance of guidance increases,” he said. “The good brokers of the future won’t just sell insurance. They’ll understand their clients’ businesses intimately and help them make informed decisions about how to run their companies.”
Eanes didn’t originally set out to build a 20-year career in insurance. A college internship at Lockton introduced him to the business, and to the people who would shape his professional trajectory.
“I’ve been the beneficiary of great coaching and mentorship,” he reflected. “People were generous with their knowledge and networks and let me build my own brand on their shoulders. I try to pay that forward.”
He calls it “sending the elevator back down.” For Eanes, the most meaningful milestones haven’t been tied to hard markets or marquee placements; they’ve been watching colleagues grow. One early mentor challenged him to look deliberately for untapped potential in others.
“Sometimes people don’t see their own strengths,” said Eanes. “If you can help them recognize that, you give them confidence early in their career, and it changes trajectories.”
Specialty insurance demands constant learning, technical fluency, and resilience in volatile cycles, but Eanes believes intellectual stimulation alone isn’t enough to sustain a long career.
“It’s really the people,” he admitted. “The community we build together. That’s why I stay.”
According to Eanes, industry transformation isn’t something firms can solve on their own. It requires a shared forum, which is why he sees InsuranceFest as more than just another conference.
“It takes a community,” he said. “When we’re talking about new areas of risk, we can only solve them together.”
Eanes is particularly energized by the event’s mix of younger professionals and seasoned veterans. That blend, he believes, creates the kind of open exchange that pushes the industry forward and shows newcomers that insurance can be both intellectually challenging and deeply rewarding.
InsuranceFest 2026 returns to the iconic Santa Monica Pier on July 16, bringing together more than 1,500 brokers, carriers, MGAs, and innovators to tackle specialty insurance’s toughest questions.
Expect immersive sessions on emerging risks, distribution disruption, catastrophe strategy, leadership, and culture in a festival-style environment designed for real connection and practical takeaways.
Registration is now open. Join the professionals shaping the future of specialty insurance and secure your place at one of the industry’s most forward-thinking gatherings.
