Moves & Views

Alister Campbell, CEO and chief agent of Zurich Canada, has been elected chair of the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation (PACICC). Campbell has held his post at Zurich since October 2007. He has worked in the insurance industry for more than 25 years and has held senior executive positions in a range of capacities within the industry, including general management, marketing, brokerage distribution strategy, financial services and e-commerce. He also sits on the board of directors of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, and is a member of the United Way of Greater Toronto Campaign Cabinet. PACICC is a non-profit corporation with a mandate to protect eligible policyholders across Canada from undue financial loss in the event a member insurer becomes insolvent.

FirstOnSite Restoration has teamed up with the Bank of Montreal (BMO) to help speed up the process for homeowners in the province affected by flooding in Manitoba. Insurance is not available for overland flood damage, leaving homeowners to finance clean-up and rebuilding. The restoration company is working with the bank to help homeowners secure the appropriate financial resources so they can begin the rebuilding. FirstOnSite will visit homes in the province to assess the damage and provide a cost estimate. BMO will then work with the homeowner to determine if they qualify for the type of loan needed to cover the costs so that restoration work can begin immediately.

The Guarantee Company of North America has announced nine appointments at the regional, national and branch levels.
The appointments include:
• Richard Pouliot, vice president of Eastern Canada;
• Frank Faieta, vice president of national claims;
• Dean Bast, vice president of national Guarantee Gold, in addition to his current role as vice president of marketing and business development;
• Ron Burns, vice president of national standard
personal lines;
• Dick Longland, vice president of national commercial and developer surety, in addition to his responsibilities for surety within the central and Atlantic region;
• Paul Hollingworth, vice president of contract surety, central and Atlantic Region;
• Daniel Richard, vice president of personal lines for Quebec; and
• Max Fratarcangeli, manager Woodstock surety, Woodstock.

Cunningham Lindsey Canada (CLC) has announced a series of appointments, including vice president of business development and two branch manager positions. Michael Butler joins CLC as vice president of national business development. Butler has more than 20 years of insurance marketing and sales experience in the property and casualty industry. Matthew Comiskey joins CLC as its Chatham, Ontario branch manager. He has more than 15 years experience as an adjuster and previously worked for a family-owned business. Robert Smith is CLC’s new branch manager for its Woodstock, Ontario location. Smith has worked as an independent adjuster for more than 11 years, four of which he spent as
a branch manager.

Duck Creek Technologies Inc. has launched a product development suite designed to improve efficiencies by allowing insurers to control all aspects of the insurance product development and maintenance process. EXAMPLE Product Studio enables insurance product managers to model, manage, modify and monitor their products. It works in tandem with Duck Creek’s EXAMPLE Author, a product definition tool intended to reduce the time, cost and effort it takes to respond to market opportunities and changes. Pilot programs of Product Studio have shown productivity improvements that range from 40% to 80%, Duck Creek says.

Paul Davis Systems Canada Ltd. (PDSC) has appointed Bill Bradley as director of national business development. In his role at PDSC, Bradley will be responsible for new business initiatives in both the insurance and commercial/corporate market sectors. In addition, he will oversee marketing and national account management. He graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1998. He completed his Risk Management Certification (CRM) in 2007, and has worked in the property restoration industry for the past seven years in both operational and sales capacities.

Consumers can now get insurance quotes online at avivacanada.com. “The new capability connects consumers to a local broker of their choosing (where available) and allows them to obtain a no-obligation insurance quote for their home or vehicle, all from the comfort of their home,” Aviva Canada says in a press release. “Offering an online quote makes insurance even more accessible for consumers,” Aviva Canada president and CEO Maurice Tulloch says in the release. “And by ensuring they purchase through a local broker of their choice, consumers will continue to benefit from all the experience, information and options a local broker provides.” Consumers who use the quote feature by July 31, 2011 have a chance to win a number of prizes, including $5,000 cash. As part of its global Street to School initiative to assist at-risk youth, Aviva will donate $1 to Free The Children for every completed quote (limit of one donation per person).

The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) has launched a consumer Web site promoting a ban on the use of credit scoring in home and other personal property insurance. The site, www.soaringinsurancerates.ca, is an interactive site providing consumers with background information on the issue, a press room complete with media clippings, an online petition and the ability to send a personalized letter directly to their MPP.

ClearRisk Inc. and the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) have formed a strategic partnership aimed at bringing formalized risk management planning to IBAO members. Under the terms of the partnership, IBAO members are extended preferred pricing options for ClearRisk’s flagship product, ClearRisk Manager. The application includes functionality that allows insurance brokers to package and deliver risk management solutions easily to clients, helping them to attract and retain business. “Many brokerages struggle with how to effectively provide these services to their clients,” said ClearRisk CEO Craig Rowe. “That’s why we built ClearRisk. We wanted insurance brokers to have an affordable way to provide their clients with risk management plans, risk maps and risk management resources – even if they have little to no risk management training.”