Moves (October 01, 2006)

ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS Remediation Services (ESRS) has opened a new ESRS office in Montral, which will be managed by Ray Penta. A Montral native, Penta has more than 17 years of experience in environmental investigations and remediation projects. The Montral office will serve both U.S. and Canadian clients, as do the ESRS hub office locations in Calgary, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Gatineau, Saint John and Halifax. Mark Samis, operations vice-president of ESRS, says appointing Penta as the project manager, in addition to the opening of the new ESRS Montral office, “reaffirms our commitment to expanding ESRS capabilities in Qubec and growing our range of environmental services in partnership with our clients.” The new office is located at 1250, rue Guy, bureau 1000, Montral, Qubec.

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Great American Insurance Group’s executive liability division has opened a new branch office in Toronto. Michael Shore, CRM, and Oren Schemool, MBA, both of whom were educated in Canada, are responsible for the underwriting and marketing activities of the Canadian office. They specialize in underwriting directors’ and officers’ liability, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability and other professional liability insurance products for companies and organizations operating in all 10 Canadian provinces and the Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut territories.

Shore, underwriting manager, has more than six years of insurance experience in specialty lines coverage. Prior to joining Great American, he worked with leading specialty lines carriers underwriting both financial Institutions and commercial risks. He also has experience on the brokerage side, working in the financial institution industry practice with an international brokerage firm.

Oren Schemool, also an underwriting manager, brings seven years of industry experience in directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, with a focus on commercial and financial institutions. Prior to joining Great American, Oren held the position of senior underwriter at a leading multi-national property & casualty insurance carrier.

The executive liability division has been providing professional liability insurance for Canadian risks since 1996 through its main underwriting office located in Schaumburg, Illinois.

“We are excited to open our first Canadian office offering our agents and brokers a local presence in Toronto to fulfill their clients’ needs,” the company announced in a press release. “Agents and brokers will be free to submit business to either the Toronto or Schaumburg office, and will receive the same competitive coverage and exceptional service.”

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Kingsway Financial Services Inc. recently appointed Denis Cloutier to the position of vice president and chief actuary of its Canadian operations. In addition, Tom Duffy was appointed to the position of vice president of Kingsway America Inc. and chief actuary of its U.S. operations. Cloutier joined Kingsway Financial over five years ago. He has more than 24 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry. Cloutier’s experience in the P&C market is mainly in the personal and commercial lines pricing and reserving, standard and non-standard business. Since joining Kingsway as chief actuary, Cloutier is responsible for pricing and reserving activities, working mostly with the company’s Canadian subsidiaries. He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. In addition, he is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Duffy has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. He served mainly in the areas of personal and commercial lines pricing, reserving, reinsurance, risk management and financial reporting. Prior to joining Kingsway, Duffy spent more than three years as a consultant in a major actuarial practice, advising clients on reserving and pricing issues. He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and the American Academy of Actuaries. Based in Chicago, he will be responsible for reserving and pricing for the company’s U.S. operations.

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Hub International Ontario Ltd. has appointed Camille Alexander to the position of claims manager. Alexander brings 20 years of Canadian property and casualty insurance industry experience to her new role in both adjudication and claims management. She has been active in the insurance industry, serving as chair of the Starlight Starbright Insurance Gala and working as an instructor for the Insurance Institute of Ontario. In her new role, the company says Alexander will work closely with the HUB team across Ontario to recommend solutions in the area of loss prevention, as well as helping to facilitate the resolution of complex claims settlements. Hub International recognizes the importance of adding value for our customers and insurance partners.

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CARSTAR Automotive Canada has opened a new location in Nova Scotia. CARSTAR announced it has welcomed MacKay’s CARSTAR Collision to its network of collision repair centres. The new location, which opened in August, joins a network of over 110 CARSTAR locations in 10 provinces across the country. Franchise owner Tim MacKay has been operating a successful collision repair business in the Sackville area for more than nine years. He purchased and completely renovated a 5,000-square-foot facility to house the new location. Mackay’s CARSTAR Collision joins 13 other CARSTAR locations serving Atlantic Canada, including seven in Nova Scotia, three in New Brunswick, two in Prince Edward Island and one in Newfoundland.