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Vicki Livingstone (pictured) followed her family’s footsteps straight into the insurance world. She was working three part-time jobs when one of her parents’ employees at Freeman Insurance Agencies in Innisfail, Alberta had a sick child at home and had to miss several months of work. Livingstone stepped up to the plate to help with filing and simple tasks, a gig that years later – in 2010 to be exact – led her and her husband Paul to purchase all shares in the company.
“When that employee was unable to return to work I was offered a full-time position. That was a few years ago,” said Livingstone, though in the meantime, she had the opportunity to work in a couple of offices and learn from different managers. “When my mother asked me to move back to Innisfail and manage Freeman Insurance, I could not pass up the opportunity.”
Looking back on her career, the now-owner and manager for Freeman Insurance says that what kept her interested in the industry throughout the years was the fact that it wasn’t just a job.
“It is an industry that you can get started in and advance through continuing education while still working. It is a career that you will never get bored doing, as it is constantly changing,” she told Insurance Business. “As a broker, I feel that what we do is help people understand and feel good about a purchase that they are never happy to make. One of my favourite parts of the job is helping people navigate their way through a claim, as this gives us the chance to really show the value of a broker.”
For a brokerage with a long history, serving Innisfail and the surrounding area since 1946, being located in a smaller community has its perks.
“We have the advantage at Freeman’s of being in a small town. We get the chance to really connect with our clients on a more personal level,” explained Livingstone. “They are our friends and neighbours. We care about what happens with them, not just as policies but as people. We strive to form these relationships with each client. Getting to know what matters to your client will help you understand how to best protect them, and I like to think we are very good at making that connection.”
Livingstone has looked beyond Innisfail, however, for her industry involvements, serving on the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta (IBAA) board for three years. She served a two-year term as a director-at-large and currently holds the position of vice president, which she felt was a good position to transition into based on her experiences.
“I like the thought of working on issues that affect the industry, not just my brokerage. I think the IBAA is instrumental at affecting change and I love being a part of that,” she said, adding that there’s never a shortage of work to be done in the insurance industry.
“One of the major challenges we are facing would be the auto product,” she said. “A combination of escalating claims costs and regulatory restrictions on premiums is putting a strain on many of the insurance companies in Canada. This, of course, creates additional stresses for the broker explaining this to the public.”
Getting younger people to see insurance as a potential career path is another hurdle, particularly in Alberta, where they need to pass the Level 1 licencing exam if they want to be a broker.
“All other provinces in Canada have at least four other equivalency options available to them for new hires,” said Livingstone. “The next couple of years will be very busy for our board lobbying on behalf of brokers.”
