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Roger Dunbar appointed to lead Sonnet


August 11, 2017   by Canadian Underwriter


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Sonnet Insurance Company announced on Friday that Roger Dunbar has been appointed to lead the company, Economical Insurance’s digital direct channel, effective Monday, Aug. 14.

Sonnet Insurance welcomes Roger Dunbar as SVP (CNW Group/Sonnet Insurance Company)

“With a career focused on digital innovation and improved customer experience, Dunbar will lead a multi-year strategy to establish Sonnet as the leading Canadian digital insurer,” Sonnet said in a press release.

Rowan Saunders, president and CEO of Economical, said in a separate statement that Dunbar has been appointed as the new senior vice president of Sonnet. “We are delighted to welcome Roger to our senior executive team,” Saunders said. “He is a talented executive with more than 30 years of progressive business experience running consumer-focused operations, having spent the last decade of his career immersed in the digital world. We look forward to tapping his skills and experience to build on the strong foundation the Sonnet team has created in its first year of operation.”

Dunbar will be “accountable for the overall performance of Sonnet, as we continue to drive toward our business objectives,” Saunders added in the statement. He will also be responsible for driving the success of Sonnet through its growth strategy, brand enhancements, customer experience and book of business.

Prior to leading Sonnet, Dunbar was vice president of marketing at Trader Corporation, where he led Trader’s consumer and business-to-business strategies and business intelligence and the “digital evolution of the brand by bringing more transparency to the used car buying experience,” Sonnet said in the release. Trader describes itself on its website as a digital player in the Canadian automotive marketplaces, with websites including autotrader.ca, autohedbo.net and autos.ca.

Before Trader, Dunbar was managing director of Ancestry.ca. His career spans online publishing, media, retail and consumer packaged goods at global brands, including J. Walter Thompson, Colgate-Palmolive, Disney and The Globe and Mail. “At the Globe and Mail, Dunbar drove success by building a deeper understanding and relevance to consumers, ultimately launching Report on Business online,” said the Sonnet release. “He grew his expertise in customer experience through his role representing Disney in Canada.”

Dunbar has an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and an undergraduate business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.

“Sonnet is a rare opportunity to effect change in the insurance industry,” Dunbar said in the Sonnet release. “The boldness of the Sonnet launch attracted me to the brand, and I’m driven to work with this amazing team to deliver success for the business and our customers.”

Sonnet says that its digital insurance experience allows customers to quote and buy home and auto insurance online “in as little as five minutes.” Launched in 2016, Sonnet Insurance Company is a federally regulated insurance company whose mission is to “provide Canadians with an easy, transparent and customized way to buy home and auto insurance online.”


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1 Comment » for Roger Dunbar appointed to lead Sonnet
  1. Bruno says:

    My first impression was that this is way too easy to get a quote and policy availability in such a short time . Talk about streamlining performance. Then I researched for complaints about the company, and..boy did I find them at insureye website…just look up the company credentials.
    The most prevalent one was about having received an e-mail after a few days of buying insurance, and the email stipulated that the policy was cancelled under very suspicious reasons or circumstances.
    More than 90% of negative comments( most of which appeared within the last few months) described unreasonable tactics applied ,in order to void the policy, and yet retain the money disbursed for the purchase of said policy. I just wonder how many of those complaints Mr Dunbar actually looked at. At the rate at which the complaints are rolling in, I would not be surprised if the Sonnet insurance company fold within a year…as online businesses don’t seem to fare well in a constant stream of negativity

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