Young Brokers Present Winning Business Case at the 2018 IBAO Young Brokers Conference

NIAGARA FALLS, ON, June 12, 2018 /insPRESS/ – Young brokers from across Ontario demonstrated their strategic approaches and innovative ideas in a case study competition at this year’s Young Brokers Conference.

The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) hosted its annual YBC Conference in Niagara Falls June 6–8. With over 135 young brokers, including brokers from Alberta and Nova Scotia, this year saw the biggest participation from attendees, sponsors and exhibitors.

“Our YBC Conference typically attracts impressive participation from IBAO partners,” said Brett Boadway, IBAO Director of Operations. “This year’s event was no exception with some of the highest interest the association has seen in this demographic.”

The event built on its traditional sponsorship opportunities to offer unique delegate experiences including sponsored welcome gifts, breakfast in bed, and espresso bar and ice cream breaks.

The case study was based on a fictional brokerage in Oshawa. It was designed to test young brokers’ knowledge and strategy: teams were tasked with developing a one-year customer experience plan and presenting it to a panel of judges.

Given evolving technologies, a competitive marketplace and shifting client expectations, brokers have the unique advantage of creating an exceptional experience for their customers – team presentations had to define opportunities and incorporate organizational changes to support successful implementation.

The conference kicked off with a lineup of keynote presentations including:

• What Does Customer Experience Even Mean – Dennis Mosley-Williams, Experience Economy Specialist
• The Broker Customer Life Cycle – Igor Bubic & Sachin Rustagi, Gore Mutual
• Let Them Fall in Love With You – Erin Chard, North Strategic
• Using Technology to Improve the Customer Experience – Sean Mulcair, Gradient Solutions
• Proven Ways to Motivate Your Team to Deliver Amazing Customer Service – Travis Dutka, 360insights

The panel of judges featured some of our valued partners including Donna Ince, SVP Personal Insurance, RSA; Jean-Pierre Gagnon, VP Personal Lines, Travelers; Andrew Godden, Manager of Business Development, Wawanesa; Julie Nolette, VP Personal Lines, Intact; and Jenny Hallahan, Manager of Underwriting, Trillium Mutual.

The winning team comprised 21 young brokers from across the province:

Jennifer Montano, CAIB – Canada BrokerLink (Ontario)
Johanna  Montano, CAIB – Gillons Insurance Brokers
Joanna Mendonca, CAIB, CIP – Staebler Insurance
Scott Sleightholm, CAIB – Kenny Insurance Brokers
Peter Vandyk – PV&V Insurance Centre
Crystal Underhill, CIP – Reith & Associates Insurance & Financial Services
Lucas Schmiedendorf – 20/20 Insurance Brokers
Herbert Moreira – Cowan Insurance Group
Kurtis Inglis – Craig McDonald Reddon Insurance Brokers
Sean Beasley – Donald T. Ritchie Insurance Brokers
Jacob Gascon – Gillons Insurance Brokers
Arielle Mida – Idris Insurance Brokers
Andrew Harden – Lackner McLennan Insurance
Patrick Collings, CAIB – Lomonte & Collings Insurance Services
Page Forron – May-McConville-Omni Insurance Brokers
Meghan Paczkowski – McLean & Dickey
Danny Marceau – OTIP/RAEO Insurance Brokers
Fehima Amin – Pearson Dunn Insurance
Kathryn Mac Isaac – Petley-Hare
Sarah Galati – Smith & Associates Insurance
Joshua Keil, CAIB – Keil-Dadson Insurance Brokers

Congratulations to all participants and thanks to Trillium Mutual for the $5,000 grand prize.