Chris Van Kooten, Senior Vice-president and Chief Underwriting Officer at Economical Insurance, will be leaving his position pursue other endeavours, said a statement released by Economical on Thursday afternoon.

Karen Gavan, President and CEO of Economical, said: “Chris has made significant contributions since joining Economical eight years ago, increasing our sophistication in pricing and analytics. We appreciate all he has done for Economical and wish him well in the next phase of his career.”

Van Kooten started his insurance career with The Co-operators where he was promoted to Director of Corporate Actuarial after nearly 5 years. His advice to young brokers at last year’s YBC conference was maybe a good reason for him to leave the security of his current position  - “Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Make bold decisions. Lead that change.”

Mr. Van Kooten’s last day at Economical will be Friday, August 26, 2016. The company has initiated a search to replace him.