Moves & Views

Reid French has been appointed CEO of Applied Systems. He succeeds James P. Kellner, a 26-year veteran of Applied Systems, who has served as chairman and CEO since 1998. Kellner is taking on the role of non-executive chairman of the board and remains a significant shareholder in the company. French most recently served as chief operating officer of Intergraph Corporation, a global company specializing in geospatial and computer-aided design software. The company has 4,000 employees in more than 50 countries.

Chesterfield Canada Inc. has renewed its sponsorship of Dalton Smith, a hockey player with the Ottawa 67s. Smith will continue into the 2011-12 season following his signing by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 19-year-old has signed a three-year, entry-level contract. He was the Blue Jackets’ second draft pick (34th overall) in 2010. Smith will have the chance to make the Blue Jackets’ NHL roster, or he will play with the 67s during the coming season. “Chesterfield Canada is proud to have sponsored this young player from Oshawa during his 2010 season and we wish him the very best of luck in his hockey career with the Columbus Blue Jackets,” said Steve Kilrea, managing director at Chesterfield Canada Inc. “What attracted us to Dalton, and it seems the Blue Jackets, is his offensive punch and his physical and aggressive nature.”

Jean-Francois Béliveau is joining the Northbridge Insurance team as executive vice president of Quebec, effective Oct. 3, 2011. Northbridge Insurance is currently composed of the existing subsidiaries of Lombard, Markel and Commonwealth. They will be combined into one, united brand – Northbridge Insurance – as of Jan. 1, 2012. Béliveau joins Northbridge from AXA Insurance, where he has led the commercial lines segment since 2005. In his new role, Béliveau will be responsible for developing growth strategies for Northbridge business in Quebec and creating strong relationships with key broker partners. Marc Duguay has been promoted to vice president of underwriting for Quebec.

Granite Global Solutions and Rochon Engineering have reached an agreement on the renewal of a long-term contract with Mike Rochon and Vince Rochon, founders and co-CEOs of Rochon, to continue to lead the division. Previously, Rochon Engineering had announced on Sept. 13 that Mike and Vince Rochon would be stepping down from the position in October 2011. Since then, they have decided to stay on and lead the division. “We are delighted that Mike and Vince Rochon have committed enthusiastically to a long-term agreement to lead this expert team of forensic engineers well into the future,” said Murray Wallace, CEO of Granite Global. “We have had excellent discussions about the exciting and promising future for Rochon Engineering as part of Canada’s fastest growing network of risk management and insurance services at Granite Global.”

KPMG has acquired Vancouver-based accounting firm Berris Mangan. Berris Mangan is a full-service accounting firm that specializes in serving the insurance industry and the service, wholesale and manufacturing industries. “As part of our national strategy to grow through acquisition, we are pleased to welcome the Berris Mangan practice to our Vancouver office and to our KPMG enterprise practice,” said Rob Brouwer, Canadian managing partner of clients and markets at KPMG. “This seasoned team is a perfect fit with our enterprise practice and demonstrates our commitment to this market and to Vancouver entrepreneurs.”

Kanetix Ltd., a Canadian online insurance marketplace, has been acquired by Monitor Clipper Partners (MCP), a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based private equity firm. Kanetix has also named Yousry Bissada as president and CEO, effective immediately. Its co-founders, George Small and Gregory Ellis, will retain significant stakes in Kanetix, each holding a position on the newly created board of directors. “Facilitating the partnership of Kanetix, a company rich in opportunity, the financial and strategic resources of MCP and the proven leadership success of Yousry Bissada creates a real opportunity for the insurance industry,” said Ellis. Small added: “Gregory and I are proud to have worked with the Kanetix team over the past decade and to have built a company MCP sees as an opportunity for global growth. We are confident the partnership and new leadership will demonstrate amazing results.”

FirstOnSite Restoration has appointed Brad Meekin to head up its new healthcare and government services business unit. Through FirstOnSite’s Priority Response Emergency Plan (PREP) program, Meekin will assist organizations in the health care and government sectors – including hospitals, retirement residences, long-term care and medical facilities – with business continuity and emergency response planning. Prior to joining FirstOnSite, Meekin was the district manager for ParaMed Home Healthcare. He was also the chief of emergency medical services for the Regional Municipality of York, where he organized the emergency operations centre during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003. FirstOnSite also expanded its Greater Toronto Area presence with the opening of its Toronto East branch. The branch is under the leadership of Steve Gregg, district general manager of Hamilton and GTA, and Jim Mandeville, branch manager of Toronto East. Together, Gregg and Mandeville have more than 20 years of combined experience, hold more than a dozen industry certifications and plan to continue adding knowledge and reliable team members, a FirstOnSite release says.

The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) has launched a new mobile Web site. The site is a “stripped- down, simplified and easy-to-navigate version of the Institute’s main site,” an ICLR release says. The user simply plugs in ICLR’s main URL (www.iclr.org) into his or her smart phone or mobile device’s browser and he or she is  directed straight to the mobile site. Once there, the user is given the option of remaining on the mobile site or switching over to the standard site. The mobile Web site is suitable for use with BlackBerry devices, Apple products (iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads), as well as Android and other smart phones.  

The Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company of Canada (BI&I), a subsidiary of Hartford Steam Boiler Group (HSB), is adopting the brand of its parent company, Munich Re. HSB’s “iconic” locomotive symbol and name will be preserved and appear in the context of the Munich Re brand, a press release says. “The dual brand combines the value of HSB Group’s leadership in equipment breakdown and technical risks with Munich Re’s reputation for forward thinking solutions,” the release says. “BI&I is adopting the dual brand and the acronym HSB BI&I.”

Granite Claims Solutions acquired Toronto-based BBCG Claim Services Limited and Saskatchewan-based Allied Claims Adjusters. BBCG will continue to operate under the BBCG name. It is a niche-market adjusting firm specializing in surety and fidelity bonds, builders’ risk, course of construction, professional errors and omissions and trade credit claims. The BBCG team is led by William E. (Ted) Baker and has offices in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. Allied Claims Adjusters is a full-service adjusting firm providing expertise in professional liability, fire, auto, liability, equipment, oil field, fidelity, inland marine, cargo and boiler and machinery.

Darryl Levy has been appointed president and CEO of Grain Insurance & Guarantee. Most recently, Levy was regional president of Ontario and Western Canada at Rogers Communications. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, Levy is a member of the Business Council of Manitoba, the Young Presidents Organization and the executive advisory board of the faculty of business at the University of Winnipeg. He has also been appointed to the board of directors of Grain Insurance & Guarantee. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Grain Insurance & Guarantee is a Canadian own
ed and operated property and casualty insurer that serves its customers in all 10 provinces and three territories.