Moves and Views

1 Commercial insurance brokerage Nacora Canada announced in August the appointment of Dianna Fioravanti [1] as its new chief executive officer and managing director. Fioravanti was previously senior vice president of national sales and business development, for SCM Risk Management Services (RMS) and held various positions at Economical Insurance. Nacora, which has offices in 30 countries, is a subsidiary of Kuehne + Nagle Inc., a Switzerland-based transportation and shipping firm.

2 Two brokerages with a combined total of six branches in Ontario – Neziol Insurance Group and Ottawa Valley Insurance – are joining Intact Financial Corporation’s BrokerLink subsidiary, the firm announced in September. Neziol president Paul Neziol [2a] will join BrokerLink as its branch manager in Oakville while Neziol vice president Bernard Neziol will become BrokerLink’s branch manager in Brantford. Neziol’s other office is in the Hamilton neighbourhood of Ancaster. Robin Postma [2b], president of Ottawa Valley Insurance, will become a BrokerLink account executive in Renfrew, about 100 kilometres west of Ottawa. Ottawa Valley’s other offices are in Arnprior and Rideau Ferry. The terms of the Neziol and Ottawa Valley transactions were not disclosed.

3 Marsh Canada announced in early September the acquisition of Montreal-based construction and surety provider Kocisko Insurance Brokers Inc. “Kocisko focuses on providing commercial insurance and risk management solutions to construction and surety operations throughout the province of Quebec,” Marsh notes in a press release. “The Kocisko team will join Marsh Canada’s National Construction and Surety Practice, and will be based in Marsh’s Montreal location.” The acquisition by Marsh “is a terrific evolution for Kocisko,” Kocisko chief executive officer Terry Kocisko [3] notes in a statement. “Our clients will benefit from the tremendous service and broader array of capabilities and resources that Marsh has to offer.” Marsh did not disclose the terms of the acquisition.

4 Donald MacLeod, Halifax-based chairman of the marine liability insurance carrier Shipowners’ Club, has been replaced by Philip Orme. Orme [4], based in Dubai, is chief executive officer of Ocean Power International Ltd. Orme was appointed to the club board in 2005. The Shipowners Club, which provides protection and indemnity insurance, insures more than 33,000 vessels from more than 6,200 members worldwide and is a member of the International Group of P&I Clubs. It has branches in London and Singapore.

5 Willis Re Inc. announced in August it has appointed Geoff Lubert as managing director and executive vice president of Willis Re Canada, replacing Robert Wildbore [5]. Willis Re, a reinsurance broker owned by London-based Willis Group Holdings plc, opened its Toronto office in 2010. At that time, Wildbore moved from London to Toronto. Before his appointment as executive vice president of Willis Re Canada, Wildbore had been responsible for Willis Group’s reinsurance business in the English-speaking Caribbean. Wildbore is now “returning to the U.K. to take up a new senior position at Willis,” Willis Re reports. “Subject to regulatory approval, Lubert will also take a seat on the Board of Directors of Willis Re Canada.” Willis Re also announced it has appointed Scott Jellous as Toronto-based senior vice president. Both Jellous and Lubert started their careers at reinsurance brokerage Guy Carpenter.

6 Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) announced in August the availability of new cyber security coverage in the wake of growing cyber criminality threatening Canadian companies. Allianz Cyber Protect includes broad business interruption capabilities, as well as access to a panel of consultants and IT experts who will work with AGCS clients to manage a cyber incident to minimize financial loss and reputational damage. It includes a comprehensive policy offering cover up to a limit of $75 million and covering a broad range of cyber exposures. AGCS is also offering three levels of business interruption cover, which can be customized.

7 Totten Insurance Group Inc. announced in August the appointment of Muriel Schmidt [7] to the position of senior underwriting specialist, casualty. Totten, a subsidiary of Hub International Ltd., is a managing general agent with six offices in Canada. Schmidt previously worked at ACE Group, Northbridge Insurance and Travelers Canada, notes her LinkedIn Profile.

8 Independent adjusting firm ClaimsPro has appointed three new senior general adjusters to its special risk division. Michael Unger [8a] has more than 13 years of experience handling claims. Unger’s specialties include fire, flood, marine, cargo, aviation, earthquake and boiler and machinery. Jean-François Turcotte [8b] has more than eight years of claims experience. Turcotte has a mechanical engineering degree and has worked as a facility hazard consultant engineer. The third new adjuster, Myron Zaharia [8c], has more than seven years of experience handling liability claims. Zaharia has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Liverpool and has worked as a research officer for Alberta Criminal Justice.

9 AssessMed Inc. has appointed Dr. Max Kleinman as its medical director for Ontario and Maritime Provinces. Dr. Kleinman specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation, notes his profile on the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario website. “Dr. Kleinman has completed thousands of medical assessments to date over his tenured career for both tort and first-party accident benefit claims and also regularly does assessments for life and health insurers as well as Corporate Canada,” AssessMed notes in a press release. AssessMed provides medicolegal evaluations and file reviews to auto insurers and other clients.

10 Canadian National Insurance Crime Services (CANATICS) announced in August that Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company is a new member of the non-profit organization. CANATICS now has 10 insurers, “representing 75% of the direct written premium market for auto insurance in Ontario,” notes a statement from CANATICS. CANATICS, which expects to begin operations in 2015, will use computer tools to identify potentially suspicious claims. Barbara MacIntyre, Wawanesa’s vice president of claims, will be on the CANATICS board.

11 Managing general agent ENCON has announced the appointment of Vesna Fable as a business development, senior casualty underwriter. Fable will “focus on providing Stand-alone Commercial General Liability (CGL) and Umbrella & Excess insurance through ENCON’s Alternative Insurance Market,” ENCON notes in a release.