Upcoming Events

FOR A COMPLETE LIST VISIT www.canadianunderwriter.ca AND CLICK ‘MY EVENTS CALENDAR” ON THE HOME PAGE

1 Maurice Tulloch [1a] is the new president and CEO of Aviva Canada, effective Jan. 1, 2010. He replaces Robin Spencer, current president and CEO, who is returning to the United Kingdom to assume the role of chief risk officer for Aviva plc. In addition to being part of Aviva Canada’s executive committee, Tulloch was previously executive vice president of broker distribution (Ontario) and specialty distribution. Tulloch has been with Aviva since 1992, holding increasingly senior management positions during that time. “I look forward to building on the momentum we have within the Canadian property and casualty market, as well as working with the independent broker channel and our entire Canadian workforce,” Tulloch said. Greg Somerville [1b] will become executive vice president with sole responsibility for the broker business in Canada, a role formerly split in Canada by region.

2 Ironshore Inc. expanded its London platform to serve specialty insurance lines markets in Canada. Michael C. Wills has been appointed CEO of Ironshore Canada Limited. The company underwrites specialty insurance coverages across the entire range of Ironshore business lines, including property, casualty, liability, marine, energy and environmental risk. Wills most recently served as president of Catlin Canada Inc. “Mike’s recognized in-country expertise and knowledge of the Canadian marketplace, combined with his proven drive and leadership acumen, make him the ideal executive to build the Ironshore platform in Canada,” said Mark Wheeler, chairman of Ironshore Canada Ltd. “Canada is an attractive insurance market due to its stable economic climate.” Ironshore Canada will be based in Toronto, with plans to expand geographically throughout the country in response to the needs of its distribution relationships, a company release said.

3 Berkley Canada is the newest national sponsor at the platinum level of the Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade (WICC), representing a commitment of Cdn$45,000 over three years. Berkley Canada is proud to be a sponsor of WICC, an organization making a significant contribution to eradicating cancer and improving the quality of life for the women, men and children living with this disease, the company said. “We are especially pleased to join the collective efforts of the dedicated sponsors and volunteers within the insurance comunity,” it added.

4 RMS officially unveiled its new insurance-to-value (ITV) indexing technology at the MarS Innovation Centre in Toronto on Nov. 23. Dubbed ‘iClarify,’ the RMS indexing tool has been developed to help resolve the ITV issue. Currently, Canadian insurance companies and brokers do not have the data elements necessary to generate updated valuations on their in-force policies. iClarify is designed to achieve an adequacy rate of between 10% and 15%. SCM Risk Management Services and the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario formed a partnership in August 2009 to develop and introduce an ITV software solution for Ontario insurance brokers and their clients. The Economical is a funding partner for the RMS indexing tool, a key part of SCM’s software solution. In the weeks ahead, through iClarify, Ontario brokers will be able to access

streetscape photographs, overview satellite images, claims history (from CGI) and neighbourhood profile data of Canadian homes. Using this data, brokers will be able to validate input from consumers regarding construction type, square footage, year built, interior and exterior finishes, etc. Brokers will also see a “confidence value” assigned to the replacement cost value indicated for the property. The confidence value is based on how much information is available in aid of valuing the home.

5 Andrew Hernandez [5] has been appointed executive general adjuster and district manager for the Vancouver Metro, Fraser Valley and Victoria, BC regions of Cunningham Lindsey. Hernandez has more than 22 years of insurance adjusting experience. He was most recently a senior general adjuster for an international adjusting firm and has previously been chief operations officer for a national adjusting firm. “Andrew has extensive experience handling large and complex losses involving commercial property, commercial and product liability, environmental and boiler and machinery claims,” said Gary Dalton, senior vice president and executive director of Cunningham Lindsey. “He has handled multi-million dollar claims in the mining industry and acted as control adjuster on several large accounts.”

6 Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has hired Ralph Palumbo as vice president for Ontario. Also, Jim Rivait, vice president for Alberta and the North, has left IBC to pursue other opportunities. The bureau has created a new senior vice president policy and research position. Palumbo is a former government relations consultant, government relations director and adjudicator and legal counsel. He will work alongside IBC’s recently appointed manager for Ontario, Tess Romain. IBC’s search for a new Alberta vice president is underway, as is the search for the new senior vice president of policy and research. The new position will enhance the policy and economic capacities that underpin IBC’s government relations efforts.

7 Trillium Management Services Inc., founded by former Kingsway Financial Services Inc. president Bill Star, has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Geneva Insurance Company Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana. Geneva provides personal automobile insurance with a concentration on nonstandard auto insurance in Indiana. Its products provide insurance coverage for liability to others for bodily injury and property damage, and for physical damage to an insured’s vehicle from collision and various other perils. Subject to regulatory approval, Geneva and Trillium expect the sale to close in December 2009. “We are extremely pleased with the acquisition of Geneva Insurance Company,” said Bill Star, president and CEO of Trillium. “This transaction is consistent with Trillium’s niche business strategy of acquiring auto insurers with good underwriting results that write business in desirable geographic areas.”

8 McLarens Canada has acquired Binns & Associates Adjusters Ltd. in Edmonton, Alberta. “We welcome Delores Thorbourne, president of Binns & Associates, and her entire team to the McLarens family,” said Michael Holden, president and CEO of McLarens. “Servicing our customers in northern Alberta is an important part of our strategy and this acquisition strengthens our capabilities in this vital part of Canada.” Binns & Associates will continue to operate under its current name and serve the needs of clients from their office.

9 Global conservation organization WWF and insurer RSA have announced an international partnership focussing on researching insurance risks of environmental change. As part of the three-year global partnership, RSA is supporting major conservation projects around the world, including support of WWFCanada’s national marine conservation program. Climate change is opening up new areas of the Arctic to resource extraction, commercial shipping and fishing, and placing increasing pressure on conservation of marine ecosystems along Canadian coastlines, RSA said in a release. As part of the partnership, RSA is sponsoring WWF-Canada to research and map sensitive areas to help understand and mitigate risks and promote the use of resources in a more sustainable way.

10 After almost 17 years of sharing the management responsibilities for both the Insurance Councils of Saskatchewan (ICS) and the Insurance Brokers’ Association of Saskatchewan (IBAS), Ernie Gaschler [10] will now begin devoting his entire time and energy to the activities of IBAS. Gaschler is currently the executive director of IBAS. “The ICS wishes to express its appreciation for the leadership he p
rovided to the Insurance Councils during this period and for his dedication to the regulatory process,” the ICS said in a bulletin posted on its Web site. Ron Fullan will succeed Gaschler as the new executive director of the ICS, effective Jan. 1, 2010. Fullan has more than 25 years of progressive and senior experience in the financial services and insurance industries.