On the Move (December 01, 2004)

The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) has officially named David Hare its incoming president for the 2005 term, to take over at the beginning of the year. Hare is a brokerage veteran, having served Petley-Hare Ltd. in Ajax since 1971, where he became president in 1976.

Vigil Locating Systems has named Michel Allard its director, insurance relations. Allard brings vast experience in both the insurance and vehicle tracking industries and along with his marketing role, he will also be training brokers in portfolio management for auto and commercial fleet insurance. This year’s recipient of the Allianz Canada National Caregiver Award is Jeanne Composano, a 69-year-old grandmother from Niagara Falls, ON who has been a full-time caregiver to her daughter, Tina, for the past decade. A brain stem stroke left Tina fully cognizant, but with only the ability to move her eyelids – Jeanne stepped in to care for her daughter and Tina’s two children. Jeanne and Tina even developed their own means of communication via blinking, a system now enhanced through the use of specialized technology. Jeanne receives $10,000 from the program, which has been run by Allianz since 1998.

At the first Canadian Insurance Accountants Association (CIAA) luncheon of the fall, Ginette Menard (right) of Glengarry Mutual receives the Munich Re Ken Hall Award as top student of the CIAA Insurance Accounting Course. Sandra Taylor of OSBIE presents her with the award. For more on upcoming CIAA events, visit www.ciaa.org.

Scott Communications Group Ltd. has set up shop in Canada, with a Toronto office now providing marketing, communications and business consulting services to the insurance industry. While ScottComm also focuses on other industries, CEO Diane Scott is well-known to the insurance industry for her many years in marketing here, prior to moving to the U.K., here she founded the company in 2002. ScottComm has experience in more than 90 countries and here in Canada, more information can be obtained from Melissa Ball at 905-571-0558.

The Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade (WICC) received two very special donations recently. Over 100 employees of ACE INA participated in the company’s first annual “Breast Cancer Survivor Challenge”, where prizes were awarded to competitors for answering questions related to wilderness survival. The result was almost $7,000 donated to WICC. And Susan Katz, a breast cancer survivor, decided to ask for contributions in lieu of gifts at her husband Marvin’s 70th birthday. Marvin, a partner at KRG Insurance Brokers Inc., and Susan were happy to donate a total of $3,500 to WICC.

The Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) announces Wawanesa has signed on to make its auto and habitational rates available on the CSIO Portal. Wawanesa CEO Gregg Hanson says the introduction of rates in Ontario will allow his company to assess the acceptance of the portal by his company’s brokers, at the same time as the company works on its own proprietary technology for broker interface.