Moves & Views (March 01, 2009)

1 The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) has launched its Future Leaders Program, designed specifically to develop competencies required by aspiring brokerage owners or leaders. The content of the program is based on direct input from the Young Broker Council members, successful broker principals and insurance companies. The 18-month-long program is divided into two parts: self assessment and communication. Key competencies to be developed include self-knowledge and self-awareness; customer-focused communication; motivating others; business acumen; hiring and staffing; self-development; strategic ability; and leadership practices. To learn more visit www.ibao.org.

2 Steven Stieber has received the Ontario Bar Association’s 2009 Award for Excellence in Insurance Law. Stieber is being recognized for his outstanding achievements in the practice of insurance law and his contributions to the legal profession over many years. He is currently partner in the Toronto law firm of Stieber Berlach LLP. His practice is concentrated in the area of professional liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, general liability and property coverage, municipal liability, products liability, class actions, environmental liability and toxic torts. “It seems only fitting that someone who is so highly regarded by his peers in the insurance bar be the recipient of this year’s award,” said John Aikins, chair of the OBA’s insurance law section.

3 Scott Creighton [3a], former owner of brokerage Creighton & Company in Mississauga Ont., has teamed with business associate Ron Mitchell [3b] to launch Insuretemps Inc., a recruitment firm for the Greater Toronto Area insurance brokerage industry. The business model is twofold, Creighton says. First, to satisfy requirements for timely and qualified temporary and contract staffing solutions, Insuretemps is assembling a team of licenced industry professionals seeking a more flexible work experience at this stage of their career. The second objective is to fill the gap left by the dearth of good, young, aggressive commercial and personal lines sales and support people, Creighton says. “Insuretemps is a low-overhead operation; as such, we can offer the industry real value at a time when every budget line is under extreme scrutiny.”

4 To assist corporations dealing with the complex issues of the global economic crisis, Canpro Global has unveiled a suite of risk mitigation services. Five specialized subsidiaries have been created: Canpro Investigations, Canpro Risk Solutions, Canpro Training Resources, Canpro Human Resources and Canpro Labour Risk Management. The suite of services will offer tools, strategies and expert consultants to identify, quantify and man- age exposure to risk. Canpro Global previously operated under the following brands: Canpro Pacific Services Inc., Shepp Johnman Investigations, FBIG Incorporated and Bison Security Group.

5 Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is providing funding for traffic safety research to University of Regina graduate students. SGI is donating Cdn$100,000 over four years to renew the SGI Graduate Student Traffic Safety Research Scholarship at the university. The scholarship is intended to create opportunities for graduate students to produce thesis-based research on engineering or human factor issues related to traffic safety, SGI notes. “The research produced by the scholarship recipients is shared with SGI, providing the Crown Corporation with valuable tools and insight into traffic safety issues in Saskatchewan,” said Dr. Rod Kelln, dean of the faculty of graduate studies and research. The scholarship has been used in a study of traffic-weather relationships and highway traffic peaking due to statutory holidays.

6 Collision Solutions Network (CSN) has appointed Jay Hayward [6a] to manager of operations and network performance. In his new role, he will focus on all operational issues, network compliance, performance, profitability and training. Larry French [6b] has been appointed national director of sales. French will continue to assist with the execution of CSN’s strategic sales and growth plans across Canada. He will be a key contact in the company’s ongoing insurance relations portfolio.

7 Jacques Aigrain has resigned as CEO of Swiss Re, and Stefan Lippe [7] has been appointed by the reinsurer’s board of directors as his successor. Lippe most recently served as deputy CEO and chief operating officer. “Having taken measures to reinforce the Group’s capital strength and further de-risk its investment portfolio, the interests of Swiss Re are now best served by a change in the executive leadership,” Aigrain said in a statement. Lippe has been with Swiss Re for 25 years. He led the reinsurer’s property and casualty and life and health underwriting activities in 2005. He assumed the role of chief operating officer in September 2008 and was appointed deputy CEO. “I am clear about the challenges that Swiss Re needs to address,” Lippe said. “Our core (re)insurance portfolio is sound… I look forward to working closely with the board, the executive team and the employees of Swiss Re in my new capacity.”

8 Drivers in British Columbia will soon have a new driver’s licence that is harder to alter, forge or obtain under different identities. The announcement comes as part of the B. C. government’s effort to prevent identity theft and other criminal activity, according to a provincial government news release. “Driver’s licences are widely trusted as ID and, when tampered with, can cost people, businesses and financial institutions millions of dollars each year,” solicitor general John van Dongen said in the release. “The cutting edge features we are introducing, like facial recognition technology, will greatly enhance the integrity of these cards as identification.” New documents began to be issued in March 2009.

9 RRJ Insurance Group/KRG Insurance Brokers have added Schofield-Aker Limited to the group. Earlier in January 2009, RRJ Insurance Group and KRG Insurance Group merged, with the companies continuing to operate under their respective names. “The addition of Mario Cervoni and his team will focus on developing business in the Oshawa and Durham region where they have continued to form great relationships within the community,” said Abraham Baboujian and Jennifer James, co-CEOs of RRJ Insurance Group. RRJ Insurance Group also acquired Whetter Oaklin Insurance Brokers Inc. and Frost Insurance Brokers Limited, both based in Lindsay, Ont. earlier this year. “Both of these firms and their staff have very long and well-established reputations in the Lindsay community, and we welcome them to the RRJ Insurance Group,” Baboujian and James said.