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

1 Rong Chen has joined Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty as executive underwriter of property in Toronto. Chen has worked in the United Kingdom, Asia and Canada and holds extensive experience in property underwriting and risk management. Chen is a graduate of Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in Bergen, Norway. He also has his Fellowship with both the Insurance Institute of Canada and Risk & Insurance Management Society Canada. He is a member of the Executive Committee of Property Casualty Underwriters Club.

2 Tess Romain has been appointed to Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC)’s Ontario Division as manager of government relations. Romain has a great deal of experience working with the Ontario government, specifically in the offices of the Ministers of Public Infrastructure Renewal and Health. “Tess developed a strong network of government, civil service and stakeholder relationships and successfully assisted in the implementation of policy and legislation,” IBC president Don Forgeron said in the statement. “She executed outreach and media strategies to increase the government’s profile throughout Ontario… Tess is joining IBC at a very exciting time… I know she will be a great asset to the Ontario Division.”

3 Aviva plc has announced a series of executive-level shuffles that will see Igal Mayer (3a) appointed CEO of North America and the current CEO of Canada, Robin Spencer (3b), promoted to chief risk officer (CRO) for the organization. Both appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2010. In his new role, Spencer will return to the United Kingdom, where he will become a member of the executive committee and report to Andrew Moss, Aviva group chief executive. “The changes are about creating a risk function that is fit for the future, embraces best practice and provides a solid foundation for the transition to Solvency II,” Aviva said in a release. As of press time, a new CEO for the Aviva’s Canadian operations has not been appointed. Mayer currently serves as CEO of UK General Insurance. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Aviva’s Canadian business from 2001 to 2007. Mayer will succeed Tom Godlasky, who is expected to retire in March 2010. “Igal has a deep knowledge of the global general insurance market and good experience of man- aging country-wide distribution relationships,” said Moss. “The North American region represents a significant growth opportunity for Aviva over the long-term and Igal’s vision and strong leadership will be a great asset as we take the business to the next stage of its development.”

4 CatastroPhone has launched an emergency response telecommunication service platform that enables “nearly instant” restoration of incoming telephone call-handling and distribution when a company’s systems are damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible. The venture is a collaboration between Fibernetics Corp and MMI, both located in Waterloo, Ontario. In a disaster situation, subscribers to CatastroPhone visit or call the Emergency Response Centre hotline to activate the service. The service directs business calls in accordance with the subscribers’ specifications — i.e. to employees’ mobile phones, homes, temporary office locations or voicemail boxes. “The CatastroPhone service fills a significant void in telecommunications restoration that until now has escaped the telecommunications industry and left the insurance industry’s intermediaries, claims personnel and clients helpless in their greatest time of need,” the company says.

5 Aviva Canada launched a nation-wide competition that will see Cdn$500,000 contributed to programs offering positive community changes in neighbourhoods across Canada. The program kick-off was held on Oct. 21 at George Harvey Collegiate Institute in Toronto, where the company donated Cdn$10,000 to build and stock a greenhouse for the school’s breakfast program. Those with an idea for making a positive change in their community can enter the idea online at www.avivacommunityfund.org between Oct. 13 and Nov. 29. Until Nov. 29, those registered with the Aviva Community Fund can vote on the submitted ideas. After three opening rounds of voting, the 60 most-popular ideas, as well as two “buzz-worthy” ideas, will move on to the semi-finals. From there, the Top 25 ideas will move on to the judging phase, in which a team of impartial judges will score the ideas and the highest-ranked ideas will be funded. Judging will take place from Dec. 17 to Jan. 25.

6 Fitch Ratings has hired Charles Gamm to head its Canadian office. Gamm, who previously led Moody’s structured finance efforts in Canada, will be based in Toronto. His focus will be working with investors, issuers and arrangers to broaden Fitch’s involvement in rating major corporations and financial institutions, as well as structured finance sectors like asset-backed securities and asset-backed commercial paper, a Fitch release says. “Charles’ addition reflects Canada’s position as an extremely important player in the global capital markets and our commitment to increase Fitch’s presence in this region,” the release said.

7 Genmark Insurance Services and Central Underwriters will merge as of Jan. 1, 2010. The new entity will be called GroupOne Underwriters. It will be a national underwriting agency specializing in hard-to-place, standard and non-standard property and specialty insurance on behalf of a wide range of domestic carriers and Lloyd’s syndicates. Genmark Insurance Services Inc. is a Torontobased wholesale insurance intermediary, specializing in regular and hard-to-place risks, as well as a special lines business that includes a program for restaurants and hospitality businesses involved in liquor sales. Central Underwriters Inc. is a Markham-based company that offers standard commercial business coverages for property and liability.

“GroupOne Underwriters will draw on the strength of their combined 50-plus years of underwriting knowledge and experience, quality service and niche products to continue to offer a wide range of coverage in a timely and competitive manner,” says a joint statement from Genmark and Central.

8 Cunningham Lindsey 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. The company says it has committed to continuing its support of the outstanding efforts this organization has made in the fight against cancer. “The work that WICC and its many volunteers and supporters have accomplished in the crusade to cure cancer is exceptional,” Rob Seal, president and CEO of Cunningham Lindsey, said in a release. “Through their fundraising and promotional efforts, WICC has made tremendous strides in increasing the awareness for cancer research funding within the P&C industry in Canada and it is our hope that our sponsorship will help them move one step closer to their ultimate goal of making cancer history.”

9 Willis Group Holdings has appointed Joe Seeger as energy practice leader for Willis Canada. In this new role, he will report to Alistair Rivers, CEO of Willis Energy and Marine. Dave Twaddle has been appointed as senior vice president of Willis Energy and will report to Seeger. Willis Energy in Calgary has grown significantly in recent months with the addition of a number of energy industry executives: Donna Holt, Laura Lansdown and Sandra (Sam) Pearson(all vice presidents and account executives); account manager Nicole Murphy; executive assistant Amy Cline and technical assistant Robert Carter.

10 Keal Technology launched a premium finance software, premiumXP, that is integrated with Keal’s flagship application, sigXP. Using the Web interface, with or without sigXP integration, brokers can generate, save, and review quotes; issue contracts; review contracts; change account information including address, policy number,
and EFT details; and modify insureds payment information as needed. Once submitted by the broker(s), the finance agent(s) review, decline, or commit the business in seconds.