Press Release Details

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In support of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), will host two in-person events and a webinar in October aimed at helping businesses and organizations address evolving cyber threats.

The in-person events, held on Oct. 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Oct. 13 in Los Angeles, California, are part of the Institute’s Cyber: Prepare, Prevent, Mitigate, Restore® series, an initiative that promotes dialogue and education to help leaders prepare for and respond to cyber incidents. The sessions, moderated by Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute and Executive Vice President of Public Policy at Travelers, leverage the company’s risk management expertise and provide a platform for government officials to assist the general public in fostering resilience against cyberattacks.

“Our 2022 Travelers Risk Index shows that cyber continues to be a top concern for businesses, which is why it’s so important for companies to understand the risks and prepare for a cyber event,” said Woodward. “These upcoming discussions will provide valuable tools and insights to help business leaders implement effective cybersecurity strategies and create a culture of security.”

The in-person events will feature speakers from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the RAND Corporation and Mullen Coughlin, LLC.

“As the nation’s small businesses pivot more and more to digital technologies and online strategies to reach new customers and improve their bottom line, the risk for significant cyberattacks increases,” said SBA Great Lakes Regional Administrator Geri Aglipay, whose Region will be represented on Oct. 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota. “The SBA is mobilizing every resource we can muster to provide resources and training to ensure America’s 33 million small businesses and innovative startups can pivot safely online to grow more resilient businesses.”

“We’ve seen an extraordinary increase in ransomware attacks, where cyber criminals seize an organization’s data and/or devices, then demand a ransom payment,” said CISA Region 9 Director David Rosado, who will provide the keynote address at the Oct. 13 event in Los Angeles. “Any organization, regardless of size, is at risk of being targeted. While we all want the best defenses, we recognize that money can be an issue, especially for small- and medium-sized businesses constrained by a smaller, limited operating budget and fewer IT staff than larger-sized businesses. At CISA, we fully acknowledge these challenges and offer many voluntary programs, services and products to help businesses increase their cyber safety.”

The Travelers Institute will also host a webinar on Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. ET titled “What’s Required? Understanding the New Cybersecurity Laws Impacting U.S. Critical Infrastructure.” The event, which is part of the company’s Wednesdays with Woodward® webinar series, will focus on helping business decision-makers understand new cybersecurity reporting requirements and effective strategies to help manage cyber risks.

All Travelers Institute events are free and open to the public. Those interested in attending can register here. For more information, visit Travelers.com/Travelers-Institute.

About the Travelers Institute
The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of importance to the insurance marketplace and to the financial services industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers’ senior management as well as the technical expertise of many of Travelers’ underwriters, risk managers and other experts to provide information, analysis and solutions to public policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. For more information, visit Travelers.com.