Top 10 Under 40, 2018: Thomas Watson, Guardsman Insurance Services

Who are the brightest young talents in Canadian P&C today? Each year, Canadian Insurance Top Broker magazine (recently acquired by CU) answers that question with its Top 10 Under 40.

Meet the other winners here, and don’t forget to pick your favourites for the Peer-to-Peer Awards.

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Thomas Watson Vice-president Guardsman Insurance Services Inc. Kanata, Ont.

Thomas Watson has been working in insurance since he was basically a child. At 14, he took a summer job at Guardsman Insurance, where he continued to work part-time throughout high school and university.

“I basically fell into insurance and haven’t looked back since,” Watson says.

His career has grown from working in accounts to technical support and customer relations, all the way to his current role as vice-president.

The hours have changed since his early days; the insurance business is far more of a 24/7 job now, and out-of-office hours are required to keep up. Nevertheless, his dedication to the business has never wavered, and it may indeed be in his blood—he’s a third-generation insurance broker in his family.

“I just enjoy working with people,” he says. “It’s a really public-facing job and it’s a lot of fun to work with different people and generally help them solve problems they didn’t even know they had.”

Watson discovered he enjoyed such problem solving when he was put in charge of personal lines. He had to not only look after his own book of business, but troubleshoot and seek creative solutions for many of the brokerage’s clients. He nailed that balance and has even grown his book by 20% in the last five years.

The skills he learned in his years in the Canadian Forces Cadet Instructors Cadre—where he is now a commanding officer—of perseverance, honesty and professionalism have contributed to his success in the workplace.

But, most importantly, Watson truly takes pleasure in his role.

“I’m lucky enough that I look forward to getting out of bed in the morning and going to work.”

Meet the other winners here, and don’t forget to pick your favourites for the Peer-to-Peer Awards.