Canadian MGA association selects MaryKate Townsend as president

MaryKate Townsend of Pacific Marine Underwriting Managers (PMU) has been named president of The Canadian Association of Managing General Agents (CAMGA), a national trade association representing MGAs in Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry.

Michael Lough of Intact Public Entities is chairman of the board.

Commenting on her new role as president, Townsend said she is “delighted to represent MGAs across Canada in the effort to educate brokers about the benefits of working with an MGA, and the value that we can bring to their organization.”

CAMGA made the announcement Monday, about one month after it elected nine new members to its board of directors. “Following the election of the board of directors at the inaugural [annual general meeting], these appointments mark the natural progression of the leadership selection progress,” CAMGA commented in reference to the appointments of Townsend and Lough.

Gary Hirst, CEO of CHES Special Risk Inc., announced at CAMGA’s inaugural AGM in June that he would be stepping down as the association’s president. As its founding member, Hirst was a driving force behind the creation of CAMGA. The organization’s bylaws limit his term as president to two years.

Townsend is one of the nine new members of CAMGA’s board. As PMU’s manager and senior underwriter, she oversees the MGA’s eastern region operations, as well as the underwriting pleasurecraft marine business for brokers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

Lough is vice president of community services at Intact Public Entities. He oversees national distribution for the community services book of business, largely in the not-for-profit area.

“The Canadian MGA sector and the delegated underwriting marketplace will be well-served having such distinguished and experienced practitioners in these key executive leadership positions,” commented Steve Masnyk, managing director of CAMGA. “Both bring extensive backgrounds within the retail brokerage and carrier sectors; two vitally important segments of the industry with which MGAs trade on a daily basis.”

CAMGA now has 65 MGA members, about 80% of the total number of MGAs in Canada, Hirst said last month at the association’s AGM.

Feature image courtesy of CAMGA