Moves and Views

1 Paul Taylor [1a] assumed duties as president and chief executive officer of Western Financial Group July 6. Taylor will oversee Western Financial’s network of insurance brokerages, as well as lead all company business units, including Western Financial Group Insurance Solutions, Western Financial Insurance Company (Petsecure) and Western Life Assurance Company. Most recently president of TransAlta’s business operations in the United States, Taylor is a former president and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia and a past chief of staff for the Premier of British Columbia. Taylor takes the reins from company founder Scott Tannas [1b], who was appointed interim president and CEO last February when Jeff Burke left the High River, Alberta-based firm. Tannas – who was appointed to the Senate in 2013 – has resumed his previous role as vice chairman of Western Financial, which is owned by Desjardins Financial Group.

2 Jim Murphy [2a] has been appointed chief executive officer of the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO). Murphy was previously president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP). He is also a former director of government relations for the Greater Toronto Home Builders’ Association. Murphy’s previous experience includes working as the executive assistant to two Ontario Cabinet ministers, serving as senior policy advisor to Ontario’s municipal affairs and housing minister, and acting as senior policy analyst for the Toronto Board of Trade. “Our members have asked us to focus on three strategic pillars – advocacy, education and sustainability of the channel,” IBAO president Michael Brattman [2b] says in an association statement. Murphy’s “depth of advocacy and membership association experience will help focus our efforts and deliver value to our members,” Brattman adds.

3 Strategic Underwriting Managers Inc., an independent managing general agent (MGA), announced in mid-July that it has acquired Montreal-based MGA Morin Elliott Associés Ltée. Morin Elliott will become part of SUM Insurance, but each company will continue to be run separately. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Morin Elliott specializes in non-standard commercial and residential property risks and complementary liability coverages, while SUM Insurance’s products include commercial general liability, umbrella and excess, environmental impairment, errors and omissions, directors and officers, product recall, life science, security and protection and marine insurance.

4 The Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association (CIAA) reported in July that Patti Kernaghan [4] has been named president of the International Federation of Adjusting Associations (IFAA). A past CIAA national president, Kernaghan assumes the role on behalf of CIAA, a founding member of the IFAA. “Patti’s wealth of knowledge of the industry is remarkable and her extensive involvement with numerous industry organizations will bring immeasurable value and perspective to the IFAA’s board as the federation continues to expand their membership and fulfill their mission to be the representative voice of Loss Adjusting around the World,” says CIAA executive director Patricia Battle.

5 Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC has acquired Montreal-based brokerage Vézina Assurances Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition marks Marsh & McLennan’s entry into the Canadian market, notes a company statement issued in early July. The acquisition includes the property and casualty brokerage division of Vézina Assurances, which also provides employee benefits services. The company will continue to be led by its current co-chief executive officers, Pierre Vézina and Patrice Vézina. Joining Marsh & McLennan “is the logical next step in Vézina’s evolution as it enables us to preserve our culture and service model while offering a wider range of solutions, resources and specialized expertise to our clients,” Pierre Vézina says.

6 Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) welcomed Bernard McNulty [6] as its new head of claims, Canada in July. McNulty is responsible for the claims division throughout Canada for AGCS, a unit of Allianz Group that writes corporate and specialty insurance. With more than 22 years of experience in the insurance sector in underwriting, claims and management roles, McNulty last served as vice president, strategic broker and customer development for RSA Group, AGCS reports. McNulty’s work experience also includes a variety of claims leadership roles at GCAN Insurance Co. and the ACE Group. He will report to Ulrich Kadow, AGCS’s chief agent, Canada, with a matrix report to Terry Campbell, regional head of claims, North America.

7 Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. announced in July it has opened a branch in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The claims services firm now has more than 65 locations across Canada. In addition, John Kuerbis [7] has joined the branch as a claims adjuster, notes a statement from Crawford Canada, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Crawford & Company. A former principal of a boutique independent adjusting firm, Kuerbis has more than 13 years of experience as a multi-line adjuster, specializing in property and transportation, and has vast expertise handling a wide range of losses.

8 United States-based Verisk Insurance Solutions has announced a strategic alliance with Intelligent Mechatronic Systems (IMS) Inc. of Waterloo, Ontario, which provides connected-car technology. Verisk Insurance Solutions reports the alliance “signifies the extension of IMS strategy to continue offering insurers best-of-class choices for driver analytics insight,” notes the company, which provides information about property and casualty insurance risk. “IMS has teamed with Verisk because of its close network of relationships within the property/casualty insurance market and its ability to bring its filed, market-ready Safety Scoring and GeoMetric programs to our insurance telematics technology,” adds Ben Dailey, IMS’s executive director of U.S. sales and business development.

9 Risk mitigation and investigation company Xpera has acquired Sterling Pacific Investigations Inc. “The geographical coverage, experience and excellent reputation of Sterling Pacific Investigations will strengthen our regional service offerings” on Vancouver Island, notes Xpera president Robert Burns. Bill Hayman [9] has been named Xpera’s investigation manager for the Vancouver Island region. As part of his duties, Hayman will continue to oversee investigation operations and work alongside Xpera’s western investigation management team.

10 The Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) has published educational material on search engine optimization (SEO), which includes four videos and a white paper, to help brokers improve traffic to their websites from search engines. The information includes advice for blogs, tips on web design and use of key words, as well as information on Google Analytics. “Having a social media presence of some kind will greatly help your SEO efforts,” notes the white paper, referring to sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. CSIO recommends brokers minimize duplicate content and develop mobile versions of their websites.