The Insurance Institute of Canada announced the election of Greg Smith (pictured) as president of the Insurance Institute of Ontario.
Smith is president of Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc., a global organization that provides claims management and outsourcing solutions to insurance, corporate and government marketplaces.
Smith brings 30 years of leadership experience to his IIO election. Throughout his career at Crawford, he has held various leadership roles across all areas of the organization, including sales, marketing, information technology, human resources, compliance and operations.
"It is an honor to welcome Greg to this appointment," said Peter Hohman, president and CEO of The Insurance Institute of Canada. "We look forward to working with Greg in his role as President of the IIO, to continue elevating the vision of continuous innovation and excellence in delivery of professional education and member engagement in p&c education."
Smith steps into the IIO presidency just as Ontario's insurance sector prepares for one of its most consequential regulatory changes in recent memory.
Starting July 1, 2026, the province will shift its Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule from a largely standardized package to an "à la carte" system, making most accident benefits, including income replacement, caregiver, and housekeeping benefits, optional, while keeping only medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care benefits mandatory. Auto insurance will also become the first payer for medical and rehabilitation claims ahead of workplace health benefits, a structural change affecting every personal, commercial, motorcycle, and recreational vehicle policy in the province.
The scale of the education challenge this creates has placed the Insurance Institute of Canada directly at the center of the industry's response.
In partnership with the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario and the Ontario Mutual Insurance Association, the Institute developed a free, on-demand course explaining the reforms to agents, brokers, and other insurance professionals, with the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario actively encouraging completion ahead of the July deadline.
With more than 11 million licensed Ontario drivers directly affected by the changes, the professional education mandate Smith now oversees as IIO President carries unusually high stakes this year, as brokers and claims professionals work to explain a fundamentally restructured benefits system to clients before and after renewal.
Smith's background also brings a distinctly claims-side perspective to the IIO presidency.
Crawford & Company is among the largest independent providers of claims management and outsourcing solutions globally, with a Canadian operation spanning more than 60 branch locations from coast to coast. That vantage point gives Smith firsthand exposure to how the SABS reforms will play out in practice, since claims adjusters will be on the front lines of administering the new first-payer rules and explaining reduced benefit defaults to claimants navigating the post-accident process.
Few incoming IIO presidents have arrived with that specific operational vantage point at quite this consequential a regulatory moment.
"I am honored to accept this prestigious appointment and join the ranks of industry leaders who have served in this role, as we continue to look toward the future to further align the workforce of our industry's future with new technologies, evolving risks and economic uncertainties," said Smith.
