IBAC AGM Sets Solid Course

In his closing remarks as president of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) at the association’s recently held annual general meeting, Jim Ball states, “IBAC lives because it cannot die. We won’t let it. We know how important our national association is to the thousands of brokers we represent.”

However, Ball concedes, the association and the independent brokerage movement faces several challenges in the year ahead. In his role of chairman of IBAC, Ball says, “the most immediate is the broker identity program. For me the Bip [broker identity program] is at a crossroads. For the past ten years we have done the same thing — television advertising — with the same amount of money.” Ball called for a rethink on the bipper campaign pointing out, “the money [spent on the program] has been stagnant, and in the television advertising game, we are now a $10 player at the $100 table”. Furthermore, Ball remarks, IBAC has to take into account the benefits of the bipper program with regard to the communities strategic partners — being insurers. “We have to consider our strategic partners, the insurers, and how we are going to present and position Bip so their support remains firm.”

Other challenges lie in warding off attempts made by insurers and private contractors in threatening the professional development revenue IBAC and its provincial associations derive from educational courses, Ball says. “We have to encourage and support our member associations in running their education departments as business profit centers with the tools, training and accountabilities such strategies require.”

New president’s message

Newly elected IBAC president Kevin Umlah says, “getting our new public affairs and technology committees up and operational will require lots of hard work and patience. Promoting our educational programs with our members and achieving our sales projections are challenges I extend to you…”. Another issue high on Umlah’s agenda for the year ahead is managing IBAC’s fiscal accounts into a surplus.

Umlah thanked retiring IBAC executive director Mabel Sansom for her professional contribution to the association over the past three years. “Your professionalism is something that I respected, and I appreciated our working relationship during that time. Umlah also offered his best wishes to incoming executive director Brendan Wycks, “I am certain your contribution to IBAC in the coming years will be significant”. cu