Karen Cutler is The Chief Underwriter for Individual Insurance at Manulife. She currently leads a team of 250 highly motivated underwriting and claims professionals and medical staff at Manulife including a team responsible for research and development in mortality, morbidity and technical underwriting and claims management. This team underwrites and adjudicates claims for Life, CI, DI, LTC, Health & Dental and Travel products.

Karen and her team are recognized for their underwriting skills and for leading the Canadian industry in underwriting innovative underwriting philosophy and her passion lies in developing new approaches to underwriting, claims and risk management.

Active in the industry, Karen is the Past-Chair of the Canadian Reinsurance Conference, and has participated in many industry committees. She is the current Chair of the CLHIA’s Committee on Underwriting Issues. Karen has spoken at numerous industry events including the AHOU, CIU, CRC and CALU and she was also recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Most Influential Women by the Insurance and Investment Journal in August 2014.

Prior to joining Manulife, Karen held various senior leadership roles in underwriting including Chief Underwriter for Swiss Re in Canada and the Caribbean.