Toronto-based insurance technology firm Clementine has announced a series of hires across marketing and operations as it looks to deepen its footprint among Canadian insurance brokerages facing growing pressure to automate administrative workflows and improve operational efficiency.
The company has appointed Norah Black as vice president of marketing and growth, alongside Ibrahim Sheikh as director of technology and Devon O'Brien as systems developer. The additions come as Clementine expands partnerships with brokerages of varying sizes across Ontario and Atlantic Canada.
Black brings more than a decade of experience at the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario, where she led marketing, partnerships, and member engagement. Her appointment is intended to strengthen Clementine's positioning within the broker channel at a time when the company is scaling its platform and growing its brokerage partner base.
"Norah brings strong leadership and a thoughtful approach to communicating value in a way that resonates within the broker channel. Her experience and relationships following more than a decade at the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our position in the market," said Curtis Samoy, founder and CEO of Clementine. "We're also pleased to welcome Ibrahim Sheikh as director of technology and Devon O'Brien as systems developer, who will help strengthen delivery and support continued growth."
The hires reflect accelerating demand for operational technology across the Canadian P&C brokerage market.
In Canada's insurance industry, 80% of executives view AI as a key priority for 2026, with 49% ranking it as their number one focus, marking a decisive shift from small, experimental projects to full operational rollouts. Analysts have identified a 7% to 10% productivity upside for Canada's insurance sector through technology adoption, with the industry identified as among the top five sectors where AI can most directly improve output, particularly through automating low-value manual tasks in claims, underwriting, and distribution.
Meanwhile, the finance and insurance sector was among four industries that led AI adoption in Canada between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025, each increasing AI use by more than 10 percentage points, with applications including data analytics, fraud detection, claims triage, and distribution support. Businesses in the sector cited hiring skilled staff and retraining employees as the most significant barriers to adoption, a challenge that specialist automation firms are well positioned to address.
The new technology appointments signal an intent to accelerate Clementine's product development agenda.Talent constraints in data, underwriting, and claims expertise are prompting Canadian brokerages to rethink workforce models through upskilling and ecosystem partnerships as an alternative to competing in tight labour markets.
