Peace Hills Insurance head Diane Brickner set to retire

Peace Hills Insurance has announced that its president and CEO, Diane Brickner, will be retiring, and will be succeeded by Gene Paulsen as of Jan. 1, 2015.

Brickner has worked with Peace Hills since its inception in 1982. She was the first general manager of the company, and then in 1990, became the first female president of an insurance company in Canada.

She oversaw the company’s expansion into all provinces and territories west of Manitoba.

Brickner has been honoured with Alberta Venture’s 2013 Business Person of the Year, the Chartered Insurance Professionals’ Society National Leadership Award- Established Leader (2012), the Award of Merit from the Insurance Institute of Canada (2008), the Dr. Charles Allard Chair of Business from MacEwan School of Business (2008), the Woman of Distinction in Business from the Edmonton YWCA (1995), and the Insurance Woman of the Year from the Canadian Association of Insurance Women (1990).

She also currently holds board positions with the Board of Governors for NAIT, a Director of the Board for the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation, Director of the Board for the Insurance Bureau of Canada as well as Peace Hills Insurance.

Her past Board positions include the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club, Western Financial and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s with mixed emotions that I look forward to my retirement, however it is with certainty that the right decision was made by the board of directors to appoint Gene as my replacement,” Brickner commented in the announcement.

“He will be a great steward of the company that we have built and cherish,” said Brickner of the upcoming changes.”

Paulsen has served for two years as vice president of underwriting and marketing with Peace Hills. He has extensive experience in the insurance industry, with early beginnings as an adjuster. He has held positions with Kernaghan Adjusters, Manitoba Public Insurance, Guardian Insurance, Royal Sun Alliance and Economical Insurance Group before joining Peace Hills in 2012.

Paulsen and Brickner will be working closely together to ensure a smooth transition, Peace Hills noted.