SGI CANADA: Everything you need to know
Established: 1944
Type of business: Crown corporation
Employees: 2,000+
Provinces in which SGI operates: 5
Corporate head office: Regina, SK
Back in 1944, the Government of Saskatchewan passed the Saskatchewan Government Insurance Act, and the provincial Crown corporation referred to as SGI today was born. The mandate of SGI is to provide insurance protection to people in both the breadbasket of Canada, and other key insurance markets.
Changes in 1980 to the Insurance Act and the Automobile Accident Insurance Act distinguished between the compulsory vehicle insurance program for Saskatchewan, known as the Saskatchewan Auto Fund, and the insurer providing other property and casualty products, known as SGI CANADA. SGI’s products are sold through a network of almost 500 independent insurance brokers through SGI CANADA and its subsidiaries.
SGI CANADA offers insurance products (such as auto, home, farm, business, and cargo insurance, among other solutions) in five provinces, including Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario, and also operates as Coachman Insurance Company in Ontario. All operations outside of Saskatchewan are held by the subsidiary company, SGI CANADA Insurance Services Ltd.
SGI Canada in the news
1993: SGI CANADA enters the Manitoba insurance market
2001: SGI CANADA purchases 100% of the shares of Coachman Insurance Company in Ontario
2006: SGI CANADA adds Alberta to the provinces where it does business
2015: The company now has a presence in British Columbia
2017: SGI CANADA takes another step into the Ontario insurance market, this time under its flagship name
July 2017: The president of SGI confirms that the insurer has had talks with 16 companies over a potential partial sale of the Crown corporation
Key people as of 2019
Andrew Cartmell – President and CEO
Cartmell joined SGI as president and CEO in August 2009. Before working at the Crown corporation, he had roles at several Canadian property and casualty insurance companies, including underwriting, actuarial, product management, and regional/branch operations.
Cartmell holds a Bachelor of Mathematics and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS), Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA), Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) LIMRA Leadership Institute Fellow (LLIF), and a Chartered Director. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Facility Association, in addition to 3sHealth (Health Shared Services Saskatchewan).
Culture
SGI CANADA is an avid supporter of brokers in the country, with the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) announcing in mid-2019 that the P&C insurer, along with its Coachman Insurance subsidiary, has continued its sponsorship of the organization’s Broker Identity Program (BIP) national advertising campaign.
The BIP is a national advertising campaign that raises awareness of the significant value that insurance brokers provide for their clients in terms of choice, advice, and advocacy. In a statement, IBAC said that SGI CANADA and Coachman Insurance will continue as a full partner.
“As part of our ongoing and exclusive commitment to independent brokers, we are pleased to continue supporting the Broker Identity Program at the highest level,” said Andrew Cartmell, president and chief executive officer of SGI CANADA and Coachman Insurance. “We strongly encourage consumers to work with their broker to make informed insurance choices and support all efforts to raise awareness about the value that brokers bring to the consumer as a trusted advisor.”
