Echelon Insurance appoints Serge Lavoie to lead Canadian operations

Echelon Financial Holdings Inc. announced on Friday that Serge Lavoie has resigned as director of the company and has been appointed president of its Canadian subsidiary.

The effective date of the appointment is Dec. 1.

Lavoie (pictured left) has extensive executive experience in the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry and will be responsible for profitably, growing the company’s Canadian operations, Echelon said in a statement.

According to Echelon Insurance’s website, Lavoie is the Quebec president at GDI Integrated Facility Services. Prior to GDI, he was president and CEO of Jevco Insurance Company, which became part of Intact Financial Corporation – Canada’s largest provider of home, auto and business insurance – in 2012. Lavoie also serves on the Board of Groupement des Assureurs Automobiles.

“I’m pleased to welcome Serge to our management team,” said Echelon Financial Holdings’ CEO Steve Dobronyi in the statement. “He’s very familiar with our organization and well known in the broker community across the country.”

Lavoie added that he is “very excited to be returning to the insurance industry and working with Steve and the Echelon team to enhance the company’s position in the Canadian market, offering a strong, independent Canadian alternative for insurance brokers.”

Echelon Insurance was founded in 1998 and operates in the p&c insurance industry in Canada and Europe, primarily focused on providing non-standard automobile insurance and other niche and specialty insurance solutions. It operates and distributes insurance products through Echelon Insurance, The Insurance Company of Prince Edward Island and Qudos Insurance.