The Insurance Business Canada Awards 2022 (IBCA) did not disappoint. Hundreds of insurance professionals from across Canada gathered at Toronto’s Liberty Grand on November 17 to celebrate the best and brightest stars in the industry.
For seven years, this annual event has been recognized as a leading independent awards program in the industry, honouring the outstanding brokers, brokerages, insurers, underwriters, MGAs and risk managers for their achievements, leadership and innovation.
The 2022 winners have shared what set them apart in very competitive fields, and now it’s over to the sponsors, without whom, such an important celebration would not be possible.
Always one of the highlights at the Insurance Business Canada Awards is the Woman of Distinction Award, this year sponsored by Steamatic Canada. Nancy Raymond, president of Steamatic Canada, shared why the company was so excited to align with the award: “We’re the only Canadian property restoration network owned by a woman – a Canadian woman. I think it’s our duty and our responsibility to promote female leadership in our industry.”
(L-R) Nancy Raymond, Celyeste Power, Laura Pennings
The winner this year was Celyeste Power, the EVP of strategic initiatives and advocacy at the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), who will take over from Don Forgeon (winner of the FIRST Insurance Funding of Canada Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Insurance Industry) as the IBC’s president and CEO, effective January 1, 2023.
Vinita Jajware-Beatty, president of the Toronto Insurance Women’s Association, was a judge for the Women of Distinction award. She said: “I’ve been very privileged to judge that category repeatedly over the years, 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.”
Amy Stiller (L), Underwriter of the Year, and Vinita Jajware-Beatty
Another popular award is Young Achiever of the Year, which was sponsored by PAL Insurance Brokers and went to Reygel Robles of JEM Insurance Group. PAL, a family-owned MGA known for its event liability policies, has sponsored the Young Achiever of the Year award multiple times.
Amber Morrison-Givens, marketing director at PAL Insurance, commented: “We’re a young family … and we like to highlight the fact that PAL was founded by our family member, and we would like to continue on with that for a long time to come. The youth are the future of the insurance industry.”
(L-R) Matt Taylor, Reygel Robles, Amanda erdelac, and Amber Morrison
Matt Taylor, PAL Insurance general manager, added: “This Young Achiever of the Year award is big, and we love supporting it. We’re proud to support up and coming brokers who are leading the way for the future of the industry.”
The highly-coveted Insurance Broker of the Year award went to Tiffany Reider, of Westland Insurance, who reflected on a “whirlwind” year in which with her family brokerage Reider Insurance was snapped up by the national brokerage.
(L-R) Cameron Copeland and Tiffany Reider
“Brokers are on the frontline of insurance,” said Copeland. “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. As an MGA, we’re committed to broker distribution, and brokers are our partners in the chain of risk management and educating clients.”
Burns & Wilcox sponsored the Big Brokerage of the Year (100 Staff or More) award, which went to Billyard Insurance Group, also known as BIG. Tyson Peel, VP and director of commercial insurance at Burns & Wilcox Canada, said it was important to the MGA “to celebrate our clients, which are brokers”. He added: “Getting the business from them, and being able to help them provide service, policies, and different solutions for their clients is what we do.”
(L-R) Stephen Billyard, Cody Douma, Tyson Peel
Another MGA to sponsor a broker award – specifically, Brokerage of the Year (10-100 staff), which was awarded to Munn Insurance – was XN Worldwide Insurance. Cesar Moufarrege, managing director of XN Worldwide Insurance, commented: “We are a Lloyd’s coverholder and MGA, so we work with brokers as distributors. They are key for us. The work we’re doing, we can’t do it without them. We wouldn’t exist.”
Westland Insurance Group sponsored the P&C Insurer of the Year award – a highly contested category every year. Jamie Lyons, president & chief operating officer at Westland Insurance Group, said he was “thrilled to celebrate Aviva [Canada] as the winner” for 2022.
“It’s such an exciting and transformative time in our industry right now,” said Lyons. “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.
“You see it with the candidates who were nominated tonight. A lot of companies are doing some very special things. And so, we’re very happy to support this award and thrilled to see some of the candidates that were nominated.”
(L-R) Jamie Lyons and Court Elliott
The MGA of the Year award went to Burns & Wilcox Canada and was sponsored by Armour Insurance. Sukhdeep Kang, CEO of Armour Insurance (and winner of the Leader of Change award), said that MGAs are playing a vital role in the hard commercial marketplace in Canada.
He said: “The business is tailor-made by the MGAs; they’re the backbone of the industry now. 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.”
Greg Pollock, president and CEO of Advocis, shared an important message after he delivered the Advocis Award for Life & Health Insurer of the Year, to Desjardins. He said: “At the end of the day, it’s the life and health insurance companies in the country that are providing the products that are actually serving the financial health and wellbeing of Canadians. They have a huge responsibility, and getting it right is not easy. Things are evolving, so we believe this is a very, very important award for the overall industry, but also for the broader Canadian public as well.
Greg Pollock (centre right) with Desjardins
“The pandemic has been a challenge for all of us, and for the healthcare system in particular,” Pollock added. “But we need to do this [events like IBCA]. This is a relationship business. The old adage is that insurance is not bought, it is sold – and it’s true, because people don’t always recognize that they need these kinds of solutions to help them with their futures. We’re proud to be part of all this.”
For the full list of award winners and more information on the event, visit: https://ibawards.ca
