What’s New: In brief (April 06, 2006)

Members of the TU Group of Companies recently participated in a signature head shave event in order to support the Canadian Cancer Society Tour de Coast. The signature event, which helps raise funds for children living with cancer, kicks off April as cancer awareness month. This years donation totaled CD$8,355. The senior management team, which included Taka Katsube, Michael Starko, Patrick Robinson and Peter Smith, allowed staff to shave their heads if the staff could meet the fundraising target of CD$1,000. Staff surpassed that goal and TU Group agreed to match the amount of money raised by staff dollar for dollar. The travel and health insurance provider was also successful in inviting business partners to donate funds to the head shave event for charity. TU Group challenges all insurance companies to make or surpass their donation to the Canadian Cancer Society Tour de Coast. The Tour de Coast is a partnership with Law Enforcement Officers who ride over 700 km through the Greater Vancouver Region in September to raise funds to help benefit children and families living with cancer.

Aviva recently appointed Shayne Deighton to the position of group financial management director. Since 2001, Deighton served Ernst & Young as a partner in the life actuarial practice where he was internally responsible for quality and risk management. As group financial management director, Deighton will lead a team of technical specialists responsible for the development and implementation of Aviva’s capital and financial risk management framework and of the operational and governance structures to support it.

Cirque du Soleil and CGI Group Inc. recently signed a 10-year information technology (IT) outsourcing contract valued at CD$130 million. As part of this contract, 84 IT positions of the Cirque du Soleil in Montral, Las Vegas, and Orlando will be transferred to CGI. Under the contract, CGI is charged with providing operation, support and evolution of Cirque du Soleil’s global technology infrastructure and applications. CGI will also be providing IT services for the Cirque du Soleil’s touring shows around the world. This partnership will strengthen CGI’s growing expertise within the large-scaled entertainment and sporting event sectors.

Travel Underwriters recently welcomed Don Storey as the new regional account manager, eastern Ontario. Storey offers 30 years of travel agency and insurance industry experience, holding various sales and leadership roles in Ontario and internationally in Moscow, Russia. Areas that Storey has worked in include operations, business development and account management. Based in Peterborough, ON, Storey is responsible for developing broker relations in Ottawa and the eastern Ontario region.

The Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) recently hosted the annual conference of the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries (WFII) held March 26 to 28 in Toronto. At the conference the insurance intermediary community discussed and dealt with issues and challenges affecting the industry from an international perspective. Individuals from five continents with 27 participants from 15 countries were in attendance at this years function. One of the mandates of the WFII is to follow the issues dealt with by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) and provide a voice for the intermediary industry during their consultative process. Therefore, conference attendees heard through discussion from the WFII regarding the direction being taken by the IAIS with respect to promoting transparency and disclosure in financial transactions for the betterment of consumers world-wide.