THE COUNCIL OF INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS DOUBLES DOWN ON TALENT WITH ACQUISITION OF INSURANCE TRAINING SUITE FROM PRISIM BUSINESS WAR GAMES
Asset acquisition includes simulation and accompanying curriculum for popular Broker Smackdown and Insurance Challenge programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (The Council) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with PriSim Business War Games to acquire a leading insurance industry training program suite, known within the brokerage community as Broker Smackdown and across the broader commercial insurance marketplace as the Insurance Challenge.
The deal reinforces The Council’s commitment to providing best-in-class professional development programming for its broker members. Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a deliberate, multi-year transition of the program from PriSim to The Council (commonly referred to as CIAB), enabling a seamless user experience for Council members and PriSim’s clients and carrier partners. PriSim will continue to support its current clients, facilitating Broker Smackdown through 2027 and the Insurance Challenge through 2029.
“Broker Smackdown is a cornerstone of our professional development programming and widely-regarded as the gold standard for leadership training across the industry,” said Joel Wood, President/CEO of The Council. “Retention, career-pathing, and succession planning are consistently emphasized as top priorities for our member firms, and we are grateful to Jeff Lefebvre and the PriSim team for entrusting us to carry this successful program forward.”
Broker Smackdown is an in-person competition where participants run a brokerage firm in a computer-simulated insurance market, learning by trial and error how their decisions impact financial, operational, and sales outcomes. It is designed to give emerging leaders a broader perspective on how the business operates. The Insurance Challenge allows participants to manage both a carrier and brokerage organization, exploring the entire insurance value chain from product development through distribution.
To date, more than 2,300 Council members and 2,100 carrier participants have moved through the programs. The Council’s acquisition of the program suite will allow for increased engagement, new delivery models and additional partnership opportunities within the broader commercial insurance industry.
“Having partnered with The Council for the past decade, I’m confident they have the reach and expertise that is needed to be good stewards of this simulation and curriculum,” said Jeff Lefebvre, founder of PriSim Business War Games. “For 25 years, PriSim’s simulations have sharpened the strategic thinking and financial acumen of thousands of carrier and brokerage leaders. The Council’s commitment to elevating industry talent makes their organization an ideal home for our programs, and we’re thrilled to pass the baton to their team.”
In 2026, The Council converted It’s All About Risk — an on-demand course for onboarding new-to-the-industry talent — from a paid program available industry-wide to a free, exclusive benefit for Council member firms. This decision, in addition to the strategic asset acquisition from PriSim, supports the association’s broader efforts to achieve scale and choice across its best-in-class professional development programs for brokerage talent, from interns all the way to the C-suite. Learn more.
About The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers
Founded in 1913 and based in Washington, D.C., The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers is the premier association for the top 150 commercial property/casualty insurance and employee benefits intermediaries worldwide. Council members are market leaders who annually place 90 percent of U.S. commercial P/C premiums and 70 percent of all employee benefits business. The Council’s Government Affairs team represents our member firms with a strong, unified voice on Capitol Hill and within the regulatory space. CouncilPAC, The Council’s political action committee, consistently maintains its position as the leading PAC in the insurance industry. In addition to providing best-in-class professional development resources and publishing Leader’s Edge, an award-winning industry content platform, The Council hosts four annual leadership forums: The Insurance Leadership Forum (ILF) and Employee Benefits Leadership Forum (EBLF), gathering leading brokers, carriers, and strategic partners in the commercial P/C and EB sectors respectively; the Operations & Working Groups Forum, offering leadership development opportunities for C-suite brokerage executives; and the Legislative Summit, connecting Council members with key legislators on broader issues impacting our industry.
About PriSim Business War Games (PriSim)
PriSim® Business War Games is a business and financial acumen education firm that helps organizations sharpen decision-making at every level. Through immersive, computer-based business simulations, PriSim enlightens and inspires key talent to become more confident, perceptive, and agile decision-makers — equipping them to drive better business outcomes. PriSim’s programs are used by best-in-class organizations across a wide range of industries.
