There’s a new underwriting officer in town
A six-year veteran with Economical Insurance has been tapped to move up into the senior vice-president and chief underwriting officer position at the company.
Karen Gavan, president and CEO of Economical Insurance, announced the appointment of Chris Van Kooten is now the new senior vice-president and chief underwriting officer at Economical.
His new mandate now includes accountability for both personal and commercial insurance, as well as continuing to increase the level of sophistication in Economical’s pricing and analytics, according to the news release.
As a member of Economical’s executive team since October 2008, Van Kooten has held various executive roles with accountability for corporate actuarial, pricing, analytics and personal insurance.
Van Kooten holds both his FCAS (Fellow, Casualty Actuarial Society) and FCIA (Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries) designations, and has also been actively involved in the actuarial community outside of Economical.
He previously held the position of president of the Ontario Conference of Casualty Actuaries.
Poirier brings 16 years of experience
Opta, a provider of data management and risk information technology for insurance and corporate industries across Canada, announced that it has appointed Michelle Poirier as Vice President, National Commercial Sales. (continued.)
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With more than 16 years of industry experience, Poirier is committed to ensuring Opta’s commercial products, including iClarify Commercial, are maximized by every core client.
Prior to her appointment with Opta, Poirier worked as Director of National Personal Sales for SCM Risk Management Services (RMS), and as a Business Development Manager, Business Development Representative, Commercial Underwriter, and Broker for a number of major national insurance services providers.
According to an Opta press release, that experience gives Poirier the ability to understand and appreciate the needs of her clients and makes her ideal for this position.
As vice president of national commercial sales, Poirier will be responsible for leading Opta’s commercial sales strategy, developing multi-line sales channels, and providing customized and creative solutions for customers.
CSIO adds a new member to the board
The Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) is adding to its board of directors, drawing from the ranks of one insurer. (continued.)
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“We are very pleased to welcome Janet Rodger to the CSIO Board,” says Chairman Steve Whitelaw, Vice President of Business Solutions at
Travelers Canada. “Janet’s extensive industry knowledge and proven track record of success will no doubt be invaluable to CSIO as it continues to make significant operational improvements for the broker channel in the years ahead.”
Rodger, vice president, national operations and PMO at RSA Canada, brings to CSIO substantial experience and leadership in developing and executing strategy in the financial services industry. A results-driven executive, Rodger is committed to improving operational effectiveness and enabling effective change across organizations, says Whitelaw.
“I am delighted to join the CSIO board of directors and look forward to contributing towards achieving its strategic goals,” says Rodger. “Having built several best practices for project delivery and productivity, I understand the importance of standards implementation and look forward to working with CSIO and its Board of Directors on realizing the many efficiencies that exist for the broker channel.”
As a longstanding member of CSIO, says Rodger, RSA Canada maintains its support for the development and implementation of standards in Canada and will continue to strengthen the depth and representation of the board.
