Moves & Views

1 On Side Restoration Services Ltd. is continuing to expand, most recently opening its doors in Atlantic Canada. The company acquired A&R Services Ltd. on Apr. 1, completing On Side’s stretch from coast to coast. “This is the first acquisition in Atlantic Canada,” says Mike Sully, vice president of On Side. Rick Hickey of A&R added: “We are excited to be a part of this growing business and cannot wait to see the new and improved A&R Services.” On Side will offer A&R Services — now A&R Services, a division of On Side Restoration — the ability to expand its skill sets while taking advantage of existing technology.

2 John Emory [2] has been appointed as regional vice president of the Eastern region for Travelers Canada. Emory is an industry veteran who began his career with Travelers in Montreal almost 40 years ago. He worked his way up to regional general manager in Quebec over his 14 years with the company. Subsequently, he held senior leadership positions with a number of other Canadian insurance companies, and most recently The Guarantee Company of North America. “John is a strong and collaborative leader with broad experience in all areas of our business — financial and professional services, surety and business insurance,” says George Petropoulos, president and CEO of Travelers Canada. “He is the ideal person to work with our broker partners and to lead our business in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.”

3 Aviva plc is eliminating its regional layer in an effort to simplify the company and sharpen its business focus. As part of its revised structure, Aviva is appointing the leaders of its three major businesses to the Group Executive Committee (GEC). The three CEOs joining the GEC include David Barral (CEO U.K. & Ireland Life Insurance); David McMillan (CEO UK&I General Insurance); and Philippe Maso (CEO France). They will all report directly to Aviva plc group chief executive Andrew Moss, as will Chris Littlefield, CEO of Aviva U.S.A. In his role as executive director of developed markets, Trevor Matthews will chair the UK&I board and be directly responsible for Canada, Italy and Spain. Matthews will also take on duties to develop the group-wide capabilities of underwriting, pricing and claims management. Igal Mayer [3], Richard Hoskins and Alain Dromer are leaving Aviva.

4 Hagerty Canada LLC, a U.S.-based insurer of classic cars, has entered the Canadian market. Through a partnership with Aviva Insurance Company of Canada, Canadian brokers gainaccess to classic car insurance through the Hagerty Silver Wheel Plan. Brokers now have the opportunity to provide “agreed value” coverage for their clients’ antique and collector vehicles through the world’s largest specialty provider of classic car insurance. The company also possesses the largest database of collector vehicle owners.

5 Donna Kinnaird became chief operating officer (COO) of Reinsurance Group of America Incorporated (RGA) on Apr. 2, 2012. With more than two decades of strategic leadership experience at major global organizations in the life insurance industry, Kinnaird most recently served as president of Swiss Re Life and Health America Inc. and president and CEO of its Reassure America Life Insurance Company. “Donna brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in all facets of the life reinsurance industry, as well as a broad and deep understanding of business and regulatory environments,” says Greig Woodring, RGA’s president and CEO.

6 The ACE Group has announced new leadership appointments in its Canadian operations. Andrew Hollenberg [6a] has been appointed as country president of ACE Canada. Hollenberg, who joined the company in 2000, will oversee the property and casualty, life and accident and health (A&H) insurance operations in Canada. In his most recent role as regional senior vice president of A&H and life for ACE Europe, he successfully led the company’s A&H and life operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. David Brosnan [6b] has been appointed division president, as well as property and casualty and chief underwriting officer for ACE Canada. With more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, Brosnan previously served as country president of ACE Canada for more than three years. Before that, he was the division president of ACE Casualty Risk.

7 Manitoba and Alberta brokers now have access to residential data validation platforms from SCM Risk Management Services. Using Compu-Quote and PowerQuote, iClarify will initially be launched in Alberta in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Red Deer and Medicine Hat. In Manitoba, the focus will be on the Greater Winnipeg area and the province’s most heavily populated centres. Enhanced data and imagery services will continue to go live throughout 2012. Derived from repositories of total loss claims and inspection data nationwide, iClarify uses the proprietary information to generate 14 critical construction data elements for brokers and provide accurate, geo-coded streetscape and satellite imagery. Brokers can “see the risk” related to a property, driving accuracy, transparency and a solid understanding of the risk at point of sale. The service is now available to 90% of brokers across the country through the two platforms.

8 Farhan Mohamed [8] has joined Burns & Wilcox Canada as a personal insurance underwriter. As part of his duties at Burns & Wilcox, He will lead the company’s High Net Worth Personal Insurance Centre of Excellence. He has more than a decade of experience as a financial planner, insurance advisor and underwriter, bringing to Burns & Wilcox Canada a proven track record in client service and assisting brokers placing large premium accounts for their high net worth clients. “As the specialty insurance industry has evolved, we at Burns & Wilcox Canada recognized a clear need for highly skilled individuals to handle difficult-to-place risks within specialized areas of expertise,” says Gary Hirst, the company’s executive director.

9 The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) is poised to introduce a mobile application that will offer consumers access to individual brokers and their represented insurance companies, as well as reporting assistance for auto and property claims. The app can be used on Blackberry, iPhone and Android platforms, and will cost $500 for the first year and $300 for each year at renewal, says IBAO president Rick Orr [9]. “Once you’re in my app, you can access me and configure the app to any of my companies, since I represent more than one insurer,” Orr notes in the April issue of The Ontario Broker magazine. The soon-to-be-released app will be “insurance company-neutral, allowing (consumers) to select their insurer during the initial set-up,” he points out. Additional features include accident reporting assistance at roadside and the ability to report property claims and to transmit photographs.

10 Quebec-based Industrial Alliance has introduced a new way of insuring younger drivers by tracking behaviour behind the wheel. Mobiliz employs telematics technology to monitor distance travelled, speeding, forced acceleration and hard braking. Quebec drivers aged 16 to 24 who join the initiative will be provided the GPS-type module for free. As part of the web-based auto insurance program, mo
torists will also be able to access information on their driving habits, the effect on premiums and safety tips. Mobiliz will enable younger drivers who drive responsibly to benefit from the lowest rates in the industry, says Michel Laurin, president and CEO of operations at Industrial Alliance Operations, Auto and Home Insurance Inc. For those who currently have extreme driving habits, Laurin adds, the device “will offer them the necessary financial incentives so that they can adopt more responsible driving habits.”