Three Rising Stars from one brokerage would be notable on its own. That the three come from three entirely different corners of the business – national partnerships, communications, and sales – is what makes Sharp Insurance Brokers worth a closer look.

Alannah Doxtater, Natasha Newsome, and Raniel Oyos earned Insurance Business Canada’s Rising Stars 2026 recognition by three different routes, which raises an obvious question. What is Sharp doing that produces leaders in every function it has, not just its top producers?

Sharp has promoted 10 employees internally over the past year, and new roles go to staff before they’re posted publicly, a pipeline built on visibility and trust that keeps talent moving up, not out.

All three winners came up through that internal track, and the system isn’t built around one kind of role or performer. It runs the same whether someone is client-facing, internal-facing, or working the numbers, which is why it produced three winners in three unrelated functions, not three versions of success.

Doxtater’s path into her role as national growth and partnerships director began with a recommendation from within Sharp’s ownership group, Synex Insurance, where a leader had noticed her “where there’s a will, there’s a way” mentality, paired with a passion for mentorship built through panels on women in insurance.

Sharp built the role around that trait, giving her a mandate wide enough to keep her growing inside the company. The national role, with its leadership opportunities, responsibilities, and exposure to executive leaders and carrier partners, has continued to expand. She is building this chapter of her career while raising a young family, the two treated as parallel priorities.

Newsome has spent three and a half years as Sharp’s communications specialist, building expertise another employer would have had reason to poach.

Close ties with the leadership team gave her a working understanding of the brand’s vision that goes well beyond writing and messaging, which she uses to spot where communication gaps intersect with business goals across departments.

Synex’s growth has since connected her to a wider community of communications professionals across partner brokerages, replacing the isolation of a team of one with real peer camaraderie.

Oyos built credibility through depth rather than title, working through policy manuals, consulting underwriters, and seeking out experienced leaders before he held any formal authority. That gave him an understanding of underwriting and risk most sales-side brokers never acquire, and it became the strength Sharp built his career around.

It made him the person teammates turned to for complex questions, which led Sharp’s leadership to trust him with greater responsibility, including covering for team leaders before he officially became one. As sales team lead, he runs a team built on accountability and healthy competition, where colleagues celebrate each other’s wins, and he treats mentorship as something to pass forward rather than something he received.

Alexi Aravena, vice president of Sharp Insurance Brokers, frames it as institutional intent, not luck. “One of the things that sets Sharp apart is our commitment to developing people, not just filling roles. As we continue to grow, we’re intentionally investing in individuals with the potential to lead, giving them meaningful opportunities to learn, take on new challenges, and grow alongside experienced mentors. Building the next generation of leaders isn’t something we wait to do; it’s part of who we are.”

Oyos sees it from the receiving end. “Some of the most valuable lessons in my career came from leaders who believed in me, challenged me, and invested in my growth. They took the time to answer questions, share their knowledge, and trust me with new responsibilities. That culture of mentorship is something I’ve experienced firsthand at Sharp, and it’s something I now try to pass on to my own team every day.”

Alexandra Mills, human resources technician, says the philosophy shapes hiring itself. “In interviews, we don’t just look at where someone is today; we look at where they can be tomorrow. Some of our most successful leaders began their careers in entry-level positions and grew into larger roles because they demonstrated curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to learn. Creating pathways for that growth is a priority for us.”

Kennedy Lightle, Sharp’s former managing partner, is credited internally with establishing the mentorship culture that Aravena and Herman Atwal, vice president of Link Insurance, have carried forward.

Doxtater, Newsome, and Oyos arrived by different routes, but each was identified early, developed deliberately, and given reason to stay. That is the bet underneath Sharp’s approach to talent and the reason a fast-growing brokerage can say its next leaders are already on staff.