Not-for-profit organization dissolves after achieving its goal of technological innovation
Waterloo, ON (Jan. 2, 2019) – ORBiT Canada has dissolved after ten years of promoting the implementation of Real Time technology within Canada’s broker ecosystem.
“Our ultimate goal was to become obsolete and today, with new technology and industry initiatives building on our work, we’re happy to say that day has come,” said ORBiT president Wendy Watson.
Watson, alongside brokers Laura Hill and Devona Allin, launched ORBiT on September 16th, 2008 with a meeting in Cambridge, Ontario. The interest was undeniable: 285 brokers, company representatives, vendors and broker management system builders attended.
Over the next decade, ORBiT kept beating the drum of technological advancement. Their major initiative was the annual Real Time Days, a daylong conference full of speakers, panel discussions, and other sessions.
“The beauty of ORBiT was that it bridged from manual to digital,” said Patrick Vice, partner at Insurance-Canada.ca and ORBiT board member.
“In the first decade of the 21st century, brokers and insurers were still using manual processing with under-utilized technology. ORBiT developed modules which improved two processes: adhering to precise manual workflows, and implementing best practices for digital utilization.”
Though proud of its accomplishments, Watson concedes the shutdown is bittersweet.
“Our members will no longer be gathering to share and learn from each other in the open and collaborative ecosystem we created.”
She went on to praise the many volunteers who’ve contributed long hours of hard work to help make ORBiT such a success.
“The industry owes these volunteers a huge debt of gratitude,” said Watson.
ORBiT will donate its remaining funds to the Grand River Regional Cancer Centre in honour of Tara Sweiger, who was a longtime volunteer.
About ORBiT Canada
ORBiT Canada is a national not-for-profit organization of Canadian insurance brokers, carriers and technology vendors, working together to strengthen the broker distribution channel in the Canadian P&C insurance industry. ORBiT represents over 6,000 insurance brokers, with $5.3 billion in premium volume in the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry. For more information, please visit orbitcanada.ca.
Source: ORBiT Canada
Tags: ORBiT, Real-Time
