Moves & Views

Karen Gavan has been appointed as the new president and CEO of The Economical Insurance Group (TEIG). She succeeds Katherine Mabe, who is leaving the company for personal reasons. Gavan has been a director at the Economical Mutual Insurance Company since 2008. She has served as chair of the special committee with responsibility for the company’s demutualization since 2010. Gavan was formerly the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Transamerica Life and AEGON Fund Management Inc. Prior to that, she held senior management positions with Imperial Life Assurance Company and with Canada Life Assurance Company during its demutualization.She is a chartered accountant, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) has appointed Darrell Leadbetter as a director in its property and casualty insurance group. Leadbetter most recently served as the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation (PACICC)’s chief economist and vice president of financial analysis and regulatory affairs. He has led PACICC’s work in analyzing industry economic trends and the monitoring of member institutions since 2004. Prior to his work with PACICC, Leadbetter worked with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), where he was responsible for coordinating the insurance industry’s work on capital, accounting and competition issues. Leadbetter joined the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) in 1993, when he was responsible for research and policy analysis on statutory provisions in property insurance contracts, risk-based market conduct supervision and the establishment of the General Insurance Statistical Agency.

Swiss Re Group has appointed J Eric Smith as president and CEO of the Americas, effective July 11. Smith will replace Pierre Ozendo, who is retiring after more than 35 years in the insurance industry. Upon his retirement, Ozendo will join the board of Swiss Re America Holding Corporation as a non-executive director. Smith, a 30-year insurance veteran, joins Swiss Re from USAA Life Insurance Co. In his new role, he will lead Swiss Re’s property and casualty and life and health reinsurance business in Canada, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.

ClaimsPro Inc. has inked a deal to acquire Brouwer Claims Canada, a Vancouver-based independent adjusting firm that has been serving Western Canada for over 25 years. The acquisition will provide ClaimsPro with an additional 20 branch offices. Combined, ClaimsPro and Brouwer will have a staff of more than 1,050 insurance professionals. “The transaction, to close shortly, aligns with ClaimsPro’s strategy to build out the most comprehensive claims adjusting company from coast to coast,” a ClaimsPro release says.

The Aviva Community Fund will return in Fall 2011 with a $1-million pledge to support community initiatives. Launched in the fall of 2009, the Aviva Community Fund competition has provided $1.5 million in funding to numerous charities, community groups, youth programs, animal shelters, public schools, camps and centres for those affected by disabilities or illness. Contestants submit their ideas on the competition’s Web site (www.avivacommunityfund.org). Visitors to the site are asked to vote for their favourite ideas so they can advance through to the competition’s final round. At that stage, they are evaluated by an independent judge.

CNA Financial Corporation has completed its acquisition of CNA Surety. CNA Surety is now a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of CNA Financial. CNA Financial and CNA Surety announced a merger agreement on Apr. 21, 2011. Under the terms of the merger, CNA Financial would purchase the shares of CNA Surety not already owned by CNA Financial and its subsidiaries. CNA Financial commenced a tender offer on May 11, 2011 to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of CNA Surety not owned by CNA Financial or its subsidiaries. On June 10, 2011, Surety Acquisition Corporation merged with and into CNA Surety in accordance with the merger agreement.

Maurice Poulin of Poulin Agencies in Nelson, B.C. has been sworn in as the president of the Insurance Brokers Association of B.C. (IBABC). Poulin is the third-generation owner of Poulin Agencies Ltd., a single-office brokerage started in 1928. He is the second president in the history of IBABC to come from the Kootenay region.Joining him as elected officers of the IBABC are:

• Andrew Tablotney, Legear Pelling Insurance Agencies Ltd. (first vice president);
• Dianna Johnsen Zimmer, Weeks Insurance and Financial Services Inc. (second vice president); and
• Rosemary Hruby, Advantage Insurance Services (treasurer).

Also serving on IBABC’s executive committee are:

• Richard Pindral, chairman of the board (immediate past president);
• Laura Bolster, president of the Victoria Insurance Brokers’ Association;
• Linda Petrin, Vancouver area representative; and
• Chuck Byrne, IBABC’s executive director and chief operating officer.

Canpro Global Services Inc. and King-Reed & Associates LP have amalgamated to create the largest full-service risk mitigation and investigation company in Canada. Canpro Global Services Inc. is headquartered in Vancouver and has 11 offices throughout Western Canada. With more than 300 employees, it produces risk mitigation services through its five subsidiaries – investigations, HR services, risk solutions, training resources and labour risk management. King-Reed & Associates LP is an investigations firm headquartered in Toronto with a staff of more than 170. Since 1984, King-Reed has served the corporate, legal, insurance and financial markets, providing investigations in the areas of fraud, intellectual property, due diligence, surveillance, pre-employment screening, intelligence gathering services and threat risk assessments. The new organization, Canpro King-Reed LP, will have combined annual revenues in excess of $40 million. The merger is the result of the private equity investment in both firms by Granite Global Solutions.

Disaster Kleenup Canada has made new appointments to its vice president of sales and marketing, marketing and communications director and regional and national sales director positions.The appointments include:

• Tony Passarelli, vice president of sales and marketing. Most recently he served as executive vice president of operations.
• Justyna McCaig, marketing and communications director. She comes to the role from a marketing agency, where she was the senior manager of marketing and communications.
• Liz Gilthorpe, national account director. She was previously the regional account director for DKC’s central region.
• Andrew Rayner, regional account director (Central). Rayner was most recently Cunningham Lindsey Canada’s director of sales and marketing for its Environmental Solutions division.