Topic Operations
Future workplaces
December 5, 2020 by Nick Novinger, Regional Manager (Quebec), Canadian Insurance Brokers Inc.Many brokers turned working from home into a success. What lessons can we take with us when we return to the office?
Who is funding many of these insurance mergers
December 4, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe industry continues to consolidate and pension funds are one major source of capital for insurers, a Montreal-based merger and acquisition expert observes. “One or two notable [carrier M&A] transactions per year has slowly transformed the Canadian landscape, including the…
5 must-haves for your brokerage data system
December 3, 2020 by Jason ContantBeing able to collect better data regarding sales and customer behaviour are obvious reasons to upgrade the data system at your brokerage, but there are other benefits, Vancouver-based P&C insurance consulting firm Smythe Advisory said in a blog published Tuesday.…
The best way for brokers to add talent
December 1, 2020 by Adam MalikInternal referrals made by successful employees are the top way brokerages are finding quality talent to add to their ranks, attendees of a recent webinar panel heard. When asked to discuss what strategies worked best to find talent, the three…
Aviva CEO sides with science against fruitless conjecture around climate risk
November 27, 2020 by Adam MalikAviva Canada CEO Jason Storah has no time for arguing about the validity of climate change and the threats facing the planet that are affecting the insurance industry. Instead of debates about climate change based on speculation and conjecture, he’d…
The advantage of merging insurers by telework
November 27, 2020 by Greg MeckbachWhen COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic nearly nine months ago, Jean-François Chalifoux was helping to lead the merger that formed Canada’s largest mutual insurer. “I was in Montreal March 12 [2020] and at 11:00 a.m. sharp, the [National Hockey…
Trudeau expects most Canadians could be vaccinated by September 2021
November 27, 2020 by The Canadian PressPrime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back against critics of his government’s COVID-19 vaccination plan with assurances most Canadians would be inoculated by September 2021, with a former NATO commander leading distribution. Trudeau announced Friday that Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin will lead…
The financial benefits of improving diversity and inclusion
November 26, 2020 by Jason ContantImproving diversity and inclusion (D&I) in insurance companies has a positive impact on the business above and beyond compliance and the reputation of the organization, speakers said recently at a virtual industry event. Some of the benefits include better talent…
How COVID-19 workplace risk advice has evolved
November 26, 2020 by Greg MeckbachAs the pandemic enters its ninth month, risk managers are seeing more emphasis on the length of conversations and the importance of wearing proper masks. “The key thing now is the length of contact with somebody else. Right now, if…
The case for using data for diversity and inclusion in senior ranks
November 25, 2020 by Jason ContantInsurance companies are used to collecting data, but they need to do a better job of using data around race and gender to build diversity and inclusion in their senior ranks, speakers said Tuesday at KPMG’s 2020 Insurance Conference. Insurers…
IBAO’s stance on electronic termination of coverage
November 24, 2020 by Greg MeckbachInsurers should be allowed to terminate auto policies electronically if consumers consent, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario’s CEO says. In its budget document released Nov. 5, the Ontario government said the next phase of its previously-announced “blueprint” for auto…
Two ways COVID-19 affected this large brokerage’s M&A strategy
November 20, 2020 by Jason ContantThe COVID-19 pandemic required one large Canadian brokerage to take a “very different approach” to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity. COVID affected the M&A process in two significant ways, Jamie Lyons, president and chief operating officer with Westland Insurance Group…