The Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC) and the CIP Society have selected their 2026 Rhind Bursary recipients - Leonardo Di Raddo, who works at KBD Insurance and is a member of L'Institut d'assurance de dommages du Québec, and David Mercier, CIP, who works at Youngs Insurance Brokers' Sault Ste. Marie branch and belongs to the Insurance Institute of Ontario's Cambrian Shield Chapter.
Di Raddo qualified as a dependant of an active CIP Society member.
The Rhind Bursary opened for applications back in January, offering up to two bursaries annually to CIP Society members and their dependants working in the P&C industry who don't receive educational financial support from their employer. Each bursary covers tuition, textbooks and exam fees for one course within an IIC designation or certificate program.
"We are honoured to congratulate this year's Rhind Bursary recipients and acknowledge how this contribution can positively impact their Insurance Institute education, and ultimately, their career development," said Peter Hohman, president and CEO of the Insurance Institute of Canada.
Both recipients credited the award with easing a real financial barrier to continuing their education.
"The Rhind Bursary not only eases the financial cost of pursuing advanced education but also reinforces the value of lifelong learning within our profession," said Mercier. Di Raddo said he was "sincerely grateful to the CIP Society for selecting me as a recipient and for supporting my continued development in the insurance industry."
The bursary's eligibility structure, specifically excluding applicants who already receive employer-funded education support, targets a gap that tends to fall hardest on smaller brokerages and MGAs without the training budgets larger insurers can offer.
That is consistent with a broader talent development push IIC and the CIP Society have been running throughout 2026, from provincial symposiums on affordability and conduct risk to public-facing campaigns promoting the CIP designation itself.
For an industry that regularly cites underwriting complexity and evolving risk exposure as reasons technical education matters more than ever, small, targeted supports like the Rhind Bursary are one of the more direct ways that gets funded at the individual level rather than staying at the level of industry commentary.
Eligible applicants fall into three tiers: designation students pursuing FCIP, ACIP or CMGA credentials, certificate students working toward Risk Management, Commercial Insurance or MGA certificates, and dependants of active CIP Society members pursuing the CIP designation, with dependant awards subject to bursary availability in a given year.
