The Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) offered its congratulations to the independent insurance brokerage Van Allen Insurance on being the first Canadian brokerage with all of its staff earning CSIO’s Digital Broker designation.

Each Van Allen employee achieved the distinction by completing at least six courses offered through CSIO’s Professional Development Program. These courses are taught by industry leaders in digital marketing, cybersecurity, and insurance innovation, a release said.

“This demonstrates Van Allen Insurance’s commitment to continuous learning, innovation and digital best practices,” commented CSIO president and CEO Catherine Smola. “Our goal is to help support brokers in an increasingly digital world – particularly over the last year and a half which has highlighted the need to provide seamless digital experiences for clients.”

“We made it a priority for all of our employees to take CSIO’s Professional Development Program. The fact that the courses are free, relevant and engaging, made it an ideal way for our brokerage staff to enhance their digital knowledge and get their Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) Continuing Education (CE) credits,” said Van Allen Insurance owner Sarah Van Allen.

Sarah added that the cybersecurity and ransomware courses, in particular, helped prepare the Van Allen team with the knowledge to avoid phishing campaigns and keep both the brokerage and its clients safe. She also gave special mention to the courses on digital marketing and SEO, which are key to the team’s digitalization efforts.

CSIO offered a reminder in a release that all brokers who are members of their respective provincial broker association are member of CSIO, and that the courses offered in the Professional Development Program are all free for members to access.