Looking Forward

Daryl Angier, editor

I’ve had a few very stimulating conversations with broker readers lately, all of which make me excited for the upcoming publishing year. It’s exciting to know we’ve got a few great stories and initiatives already in the pipe.

One owner I spoke to recently told me the story of the transformation of his brokerage over the past 20-plus years from a predominantly personal-lines-focused firm into a credible commercial player with a couple of unique niches and an important relationship with a Lloyd’s brokerage in London. It’s a great tale of a vision conceived and executed, and it will be perfect for one of our cover profiles next year. The one point he stressed, however, was just how long and how much work it took to get the firm where it is now. Focusing in on specialty niches and building a successful practice, he said, is not just matter of “hanging out a shingle” and saying, Okay, now we’re writing this business.

That got me thinking about what the hot niches of today and tomorrow might be. Providing some answers to that question led to the creation of our first ever Emerging Opportunities Report. We hope you view the suggestions in it as a way to think about expertise you may already have within your firm and how you can capitalize on it by expanding into adjacent businesses.

In keeping with the theme of evolution and renewal, I’d also like to take this opportunity to herald the installment of Stefanie MacDonald as the new publisher of Canadian Insurance Top Broker and Corporate Risk Canada magazines. Stefanie comes to us from within the Rogers Media family, bringing with her a wealth of experience publishing the legal titles National and CCCA magazines on behalf of the Canadian Bar Association. Be sure to connect with her on Twitter at @Stefanie_Mac, or say hello at conferences this fall.

We also say a fond farewell to outgoing publisher Mia Williamson and wish her the best of luck with all her future endeavours. During her tenure, Mia transformed and revitalized our brand as Canadian Insurance Top Broker and saw it grow considerably through her vision and skills at building strong, mutually-fruitful relationships in the industry. Stefanie looks forward to meeting with readers and stakeholders over the coming weeks to discuss how she will carry that vision forward.

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Copyright 2013 Rogers Publishing Ltd. This article first appeared in the September 2013 edition of Canadian Insurance Top Broker magazine

This story was originally published by Canadian Insurance Top Broker.