The Insurance Business Canada Awards presents an opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of the industry on a grand scale while also creating networking opportunities that veers from professional to personal.
“There really isn’t an event like this in Canada,” said Rupinder Hayer, president of Armour Insurance Brokers, who is sponsoring the CEO of the Year award.
“Most recognition for the insurance industry is on a more micro level, but this opens the opportunity up for professionals across the country, which is really exciting.”
The CEO of the Year award is just one of the awards that celebrates the accomplishments of an individual within the insurance industry.
Other accolades include:
Last year’s recipient of the Woman of Distinction award was Celyeste Power, the EVP of strategic initiatives and advocacy at the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
Speaking with Insurance Business, Power said she had witnessed the diversity of thought and achievement that has been honoured in this category in previous years.
“I’ve been very privileged to judge that category repeatedly over the years,” she said.
“And I will say that the calibre of talent that is consistently nominated, and the scope and the breadth of involvement and evolution in that category is wonderful to see.”
Cameron Copeland, the president of Cansure, spoke about how the Broker of the Year award affirms the profession’s integral part of insurance industry’s client-facing duties.
“Brokers are on the frontline of insurance,” he said.
“It’s a very complex product, and people need help because they only buy it once a year. Sometimes they’re just getting started for the first time in their lifetime, or the first time in business, and insurance brokers have to be there for them and show up with expertise and knowledge, and really decode what insurance is and why they need it.”
The organizational awards category is extensive and brings emphasis to the collaborative ethos that keeps the insurance powering on in the face of inflation, market challenges, and other roadblocks.
From big brokerages (100 or more employees) to their smaller counterparts (10 or fewer), P&C to life insurance providers, there is recognition for all avenues of work within the industry.
The Westland Insurance Group Award for P&C Insurer of the year is a highly contested category that shows how adaptive brokerages are.
“It’s such an exciting and transformative time in our industry right now,” said Jamie Lyons, president and CEO of Westland Insurance Group.
“For us, as a broker, the way insurers are adapting to the marketplace, the way they’re working with brokers to add value to what clients are doing, but also for us as brokers and communities, I think it’s a really special time in the industry.”
Similarly, MGA of the Year recognizes the blossoming importance of managing general agent organizations in bolstering brokers with resources and insight.
“The business is tailor-made by the MGAs; they’re the backbone of the industry now,” said Sukhdeep Kang, CEO of Armour Insurance, which sponsored last year’s award.
“We all know that the standard insurance companies are changing, their appetite is shrinking, but these MGAs are actually supporting the brokers. This is our way of giving back, by acknowledging this award, and celebrating what MGAs are doing.”
Nominate your coworker or organization for a prestigious accolade and check out the full list of categories by visiting this link.
