Speakers
Bryan Bedford, Privacy Officer / Senior Analyst, Insurance Technology, Peel Mutual Insurance
Bryan has co-hosted web seminars, led numerous educational sessions for the broker distribution channel and presented at leading insurance conferences such as IASA & ACORD/LOMA. He has contributed to published articles on Underwriting Automation and Real-Time Adoption in key trade journals.
Bryan is involved and committed to key industry initiatives in the insurance technology arena and has a strong understanding of current trends. Most recently he has been driving adoption and increased usage of real-time technology tools in insurance distribution workflows. Prior to starting his career in insurance, Bryan co-founded an Internet/New Media company and worked with a non-profit group in New York City.
In addition to his BSc, Bryan graduated with honours from both the Fellow Certified Insurance Professional [FCIP] program and the Canadian Risk Management [CRM] certification. He was also awarded the Centenary Excellence Award as the top FCIP student across Canada in 2008-2009.
Mark Cairns, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Royal & SunAlliance Canada
Mark Cairns commenced his employment with Royal & SunAlliance Canada as Vice President and Chief Information Officer for the Intermediated Business with the acquisition of GCAN Insurance in January 2011. Prior to the acquisition, Mark was the Vice President and Chief Information Officer at GCAN Insurance Company since March 2008. In addition to the CIO role, Mark is also responsible for the Business Intelligence Competency Centre for the RSA Canada group of companies.
Mark carries over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining GCAN Insurance, he worked at ACE INA Insurance as the Vice President, Information Technology from 2004 to 2008, and as Director, Information Technology from 1999 to 2004. Prior to working at ACE, Mark was employed by CIGNA Insurance Company of Canada as Senior Application Systems Analyst from 1994 to 1997, and progressed to Acting Director, Information Technology from 1997-1999. Mark also worked for Sun Life Insurance Company of Canada where he held the position of Accounting Control Analyst from 1985-1987 and Senior Programmer/Analyst from 1987 to 1994.
David Crozier, CIP, CRM, Chief Executive Officer, Everest Insurance Company of Canada
David A. Crozier is chief executive officer of Everest Insurance Company of Canada, and chair of the Investment Committee of the Board of Directors. He and his team are responsible for all primary underwriting and claim operations of Everest in Canada. Everest Canada reactivated its federal primary licence in 2011 concurrent with the purchase of Premiere Insurance Underwriting Services and certain renewal rights of Executive Risk Insurance Services Ltd., each a managing general underwriter in highly specialized fields including film, entertainment, sports & leisure and management liability.
Mr. Crozier was previously senior vice president, operations, at Economical Insurance responsible for all field underwriting operations, specialty divisions, subsidiaries, claims, and sales & marketing. He was president, Economical Financial, chairman of Family Insurance Solutions of Vancouver, and vice chairman of Mattei Insurance Services of Seattle.
With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph, Mr. Crozier also holds both his Chartered Insurance Professional and Canadian Risk Management designations.
Doug Grant, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca Inc.
A keen analyst of computer and networking evolution for more than 30 years, Doug is cognizant of the changes that are occurring in the Internet insurance world and their impact on the industry. As a frequent industry speaker, columnist and consultant, as well as a principal in the Insurance-Canada.ca Web site, he brings a unique perspective to the session. Read a more extensive biography here.
Doug Heaman, President, Advocate Insurance Group
In 1982, Doug began his career in the Insurance Industry working with various local brokerages in the greater Waterloo Region. In 1987 Doug opened his own brokerage in Cambridge, Ontario, starting from scratch with a strong vision for his future. After 4 years Doug merged his business with Bradley Gaskin Marshall Insurance Brokers, a company with a solid reputation in the community – a bold move for a young broker and one that would set the stage for the future.
In 2005, Doug become the sole owner of the company and shortly thereafter choose to both move and rebrand the organization. BGM transformed into the Advocate Insurance Group building its vision on the company values of: love, integrity, faith and encouragement. Along with the new location and name, focus was placed on creating customer service experiences not common in the Insurance Industry, a challenging mandate to live up to. Advocate Insurance Group can now be found in the centre of Kitchener located in the Deer Ridge Center. This move was a perfect fit for the new modern image associated with this transforming company. Advocate has continued to build on his solid reputation, creating services unique in the industry and a corporate culture that has become part of its legacy.
Doug is a highly accomplished broker, obtaining his CCIB in 1996. Doug's passion for the Insurance Industry is reflected in his continuous volunteering activities in the community. Serving as Past President on the Insurance Board of Waterloo Region, Doug currently sits as Second Vice-President on the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario. Along with his other credentials Doug is a certified coach and trainer.
Chris Hill, Partner, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.
Chris Hill is a fifth generation owner and the Principal Broker at Erb and Erb, in Kitchener. He joined the firm in 2002. Chris is keenly aware of the need for independent brokers to embrace and adapt to rapidly changing consumer expectations and an increasingly competitive marketplace. His priority at Erb and Erb is to develop bold new strategies based on innovation, collaboration and "beyond best in class" principles to ensure the continued success of the independent brokerage channel.
Chris is active in the insurance industry and the community. He has been a Director with IBAWR, currently sits on the Working Group Committee for IBAO and is an active member of ORBiT. He is also Director at Chicopee Ski &Summer Resort and a youth baseball coach.
Dorothy Josephson, Assistant Vice President, Operations, SGI Canada
Much of the 25+ years Dorothy has spent in the insurance industry has been focussed on leveraging technology to improve the quality and effectiveness of the company broker partnership. Under her leadership, SGI CANADA has become an industry leader in its application of eBusiness technology to support its brokerage force, including being awarded an ICTA for 2012.
Catherine Kargas, Vice President, MARCON
Catherine Kargas, MBA, is a business strategist with over 20 years of experience providing consulting advice to executives in the insurance, transportation (with an emphasis on alternative propulsion technologies) and energy sectors. She is the Vice President of the management consulting firm, MARCON, and the Vice Chair of Electric Mobility Canada.
Catherine has worked with numerous players in the P&C space, including insurance carriers and brokers. She is a member of the Insurance 2023 group and an Insurance-Canada.ca collaborator.
Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners, Ltd.; getClarity, Inc.
With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance technology marketplace, Greg brings a unique perspective on how to build a successful company. In 17 years as C.E.O. of Applied Systems Canada Greg oversaw the growth in the Canadian marketplace from 200 brokers to over 1200. In 1992 Greg added the responsibility for international development and successfully established the UK operations with The Agency Manager UK.
In 2008, Greg formed Pathway Partners Ltd. with Michelle Cole-Kennedy to advise brokers on a wide range of operational and strategic topics with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions.
In 2011 Greg played a key role in the launch of getClarity Inc, a business intelligence company that focuses on bringing sophisticated demographic and statistical analysis to businesses of all sizes. With over 1.7 million records of new data on a monthly basis getClarity identifies timely market opportunities and as a result maximizes the return on investment.
Greg is the founder of the Canadian Insurance Strategy Group, which can be found on LinkedIn.
Colin Smith, Senior Vice President of Operations, OPTA Information Intelligence
Colin has more than 18 years of experience in business planning, execution, operations and information technology in continuously progressive management positions. He is recognized for his creative, innovative and collaborative approach to business and brings a well-rounded perspective to the value of information in the insurance industry. Colin currently holds the position of Senior Vice President of Operations at Opta Information Intelligence, an SCM company dedicated to helping drive profitable growth for clients by creatively deriving and delivering business value through information and innovation.
Patrick Vice, Partner, Insurance-Canada.ca
Patrick is a founding partner of Insurance-Canada.ca with more than 20 years of experience enabling technology and electronic commerce in the risk management and insurance communities. He currently serves as Director - Information Technology for the Frank Cowan Company Limited, Canada's premier provider of public entity risk management and insurance services, where he carries management responsibility for all information technology development, infrastructure, and support. Prior to his current role, Patrick held positions of increasing scope and responsibility with insurance companies, consulting firms, and technology solution providers. Read a more extensive biography here.
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