Program
Wednesday, June 8
ICBC Information Session
10:30 am – Noon
Kick off the conference with ICBC’s session including corporate, financial and online updates as well as discussion of the Strategic Accord and ICBC’s current and future business models. The speakers will be:
Nicolas Jimenez, President & CEO, ICBC
As President and CEO of ICBC, Nicolas Jimenez provides leadership and strategic direction to ensure that ICBC delivers affordable insurance, excellent customer experiences and products that offer among the best protection in Canada.
Since joining ICBC in 2003, Jimenez has worked in a variety of senior roles in insurance, corporate development, driver licensing and road safety. Before joining ICBC, he worked in strategy and public sector management, which included roles in the Parliament of Canada, the Privy Council Office (Government of Canada), BC Hydro and IBM Global Business Services. He has a master’s in public administration from both Harvard University and the University of Victoria as well as a bachelor’s in political science from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Bill Carpenter, Vice President of Insurance, ICBC
Bill Carpenter is ICBC’s Vice President of Insurance. He helps keep ICBC’s insurance products well designed and priced fairly, and helps support the experience customers have with ICBC. His team works with over 900 Autoplan brokers to ensure that British Columbians have the products they need to protect them on the road.
Before joining ICBC in 2011, Carpenter was a Principal and Consulting Actuary at Milliman, Inc., one of the world’s largest providers of actuarial and related products and services. He has also been the Chief Actuary and Vice President of Underwriting for Reliance Direct Insurance and the Vice President of Underwriting for Nationwide Insurance. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and has served on various committees including its Committee on Ratemaking and Automated Vehicle Task Force. In the past, he was the president of the Casualty Actuaries of the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Sharon Craver, Senior Director, Insurance Operations, ICBC
Sharon Craver is the Senior Director, Insurance Operations responsible for insurance customer services and broker support. This includes business improvement for PolicyCenter, Autoplan procedures and broker governance. She is currently responsible for the delivery of the online Autoplan insurance project. Craver joined ICBC in 1992. She has held senior roles in the IT, claims, driver licensing and insurance divisions.
Craver believes in giving back as a volunteer. She is a past president of both the Insurance Institute of B.C. and the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and former member of the board of directors for Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade (WICC).
John Dickinson, Director, Insurance Sales and Distribution, ICBC
As ICBC’s Director, Insurance Sales and Distribution, John Dickinson is currently responsible for the sale and distribution of ICBC’s products and services through more than 900 broker locations throughout B.C. During his 33 years with ICBC, Dickinson has served in a variety of positions including claims management, marketing and road safety.
In addition, Dickinson has served as the Insurance Institute of B.C.’s president and was also a former co-chair of WICC B.C. He has a bachelor of arts from UBC and has his fellowship diploma from the Insurance Institute of Canada.
Cameron Sutherland, Manager of Broker Governance, ICBC
Cam Sutherland is ICBC’s Manager of Broker Governance. He is responsible for driving strategic broker initiatives, implementing the Strategic Broker Accord, and managing broker compliance programs. Sutherland chairs and manages various broker consultation groups including the Memorandum of Understanding Council (MOUC), ICBC Broker Liaison Committee and the Broker Online Task Force.
He has a bachelor of management from the University of Lethbridge and has worked in several divisions at ICBC since 2000.
IBABC Annual General Meeting
1:15 pm – 5 pm
Don’t miss the most important meeting of the year. Discuss issues that directly affect brokers and help determine the direction of the association. IBABC members please note the AGM has a separate registration. Only members in good standing are entitled to attend and vote at the AGM. Register here!
Welcome Reception
5 pm – 7 pm
After the AGM, join your broker colleagues and conference delegates at the welcome reception for some refreshments and networking.
THURSDAY, June 9
Insurer & Leaders Panel
9:15 am – Noon
Insurance company leaders will discuss their distinct points of view about various issues of the day. Audience participation will be encouraged. Come prepared with your questions for these senior executives:
Louis Gagnon, CEO of Canadian Operations, Intact Financial Corporation
In his role as CEO of Intact Financial Corporation’s Canadian operations, Louis Gagnon is responsible for all Canadian-based business entities (Intact Insurance, belairdirect, Anthony Insurance, BrokerLink, Johnson Insurance) in addition to overseeing personal lines, commercial lines, marketing and communications functions. Prior to his appointment to CEO in 2021, Gagnon was president of Intact’s Canadian operations since 2018. He has been with Intact since 2007 and in the insurance industry since 1992.
Graham Haigh, Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer, Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
Graham Haigh launched his insurance career in B.C. in 1994 after graduating from Simon Fraser University. He has also completed the FCIP and CAIB designations. He now calls Winnipeg home, but he spent most of his career in Vancouver. In 2009, he joined Wawanesa as its Regional VP for B.C. & Yukon. He has taken on progressively senior positions since and is currently SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, a position in which his passion for leadership and business strategy drives his goal of enabling a world-class sales and marketing culture.
Mark LeBlanc, Chief Distribution Officer, Aviva Canada
Mark LeBlanc serves as Chief Distribution Officer at Aviva Canada, after joining the company in September 2019 as Managing Director, Broker Distribution. In his role, LeBlanc leads distribution for Aviva Canada with responsibilities for business development, marketing and communications. He has over 30 years of experience in the Canadian insurance industry. LeBlanc has developed a strong understanding of the broker community, having a tremendous track record of supporting the successful growth of brokers across Canada.
Paul MacDonald, EVP, Personal Insurance, Economical Insurance
An avid mountain climber, Paul MacDonald is no stranger to thinking big and scaling new heights. He has extensive industry experience in leading underwriting and claims functions, product and distribution strategy, and business transformation and integration. MacDonald has long demonstrated his passion for helping P&C brokerages and carriers thrive in a changing landscape, and as the leader of Economical’s personal lines division, he has made it a mission to streamline the customer and broker experience.
Luncheon & Keynote
Noon – 1:30 pm
Join us for lunch to celebrate excellence in the insurance industry and listen to the keynote speaker. During the lunch we will recognize the highest–achieving CAIB students and our scholarship recipients, before diving into our keynote.
Keynote speaker: Dr. Mark DeVolder
Harness the Hurricane: Adapt Boldy, Nimbly, Quickly to Extreme Change
From coaching NASA rocket scientists on how to re-create themselves to helping pivot to a safety-first culture in Qatar’s oil industry, Dr. Mark DeVolder is a change specialist and a pioneer in the field of transition management. He has worked with a myriad of organizations across the world, including NASA, McDonald’s, GE, PWC, Coca-Cola and Verizon, teaching leaders about the process of adapting to continuous change through reinvention, innovation and anticipation.
DeVolder is a researcher, consultant and author. He wrote the multi-disciplinary book on managing change, Perpetual Pivot: How the Best Leaders Adapt to Exponential Change. He also wrote Get Engaged, a practical guide for improving employee engagement.
Speaker & Networking Sessions
1:45 – 3:15 pm Climate Change Forum
Join Paul Kovacs, executive director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), for a presentation on the insurance industry’s climate initiatives. Kovacs is head of the ICLR, which was established by the Canadian P&C industry in 1998 as a centre for multi-disciplinary disaster prevention research and communication. He is a passionate champion for insurance, disaster resilience and adaptation to climate extremes.
Following his presentation, Kovacs will moderate a panel discussion on the effects of climate change with:
Julie Skelton, VP Personal Insurance Operations, HUB International Insurance Brokers
Julie Skelton, VP Personal Insurance Operations, HUB International, has been in the insurance industry for 35 years. She holds a CAIB designation along with the Chartered Private Risk & Insurance Advisor (CPRIA) designation. Skelton’s role over the last 12 years has been as an executive member of the HCW leadership team with a focus on leadership and personal lines. Over the past five years, her role has included CAT event leadership working alongside the HCW teams and with carrier partners to navigate all the challenges CAT events have brought to their clients, teams and the industry as a whole.
Kelsey Winter, FireSmart Program Lead, BC Wildfire Service
Along with her role as the FireSmart Program Lead for the BC Wildfire Service, Kelsey Winter is also the Chair of the BC FireSmart Committee. She has been involved with FireSmart since 2014 when she became a FireSmart Provinvial Liaison for B.C. Winters has worked in wildfire for 12 years and has experience on the fire line in operational and strategic communications and is now leading the development and implementation of FireSmart across B.C. She has masters degrees in fire ecology and natural resources and is starting her PhD in public administration at UVic this year focusing on barriers to wildfire preparedness for Indigenous communities.
Joel Hamilton, FireSmart Home Partners Program Provincial Coordinator, FireSmart BC and the Fire Chiefs Association of BC
In his role with FireSmart BC and the Fire Chiefs Association of BC, Joel Hamilton provides project management and coordination to the FireSmart HPP, supporting local government and First Nations to implement FireSmart programs and practices within their regions. Hamilton’s background in emergency management and response includes working for Parks Canada within the Fire Management/Resource Branch, service on a type-1 National Incident Management Team (NIMT), volunteer fire departments, search and rescue as well as overseeing the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s (RDCK) wildfire mitigation and forest fuels program.
3:45 – 4:45 pm The Future of Work
Hamza Khan is a multi-award-winning marketer, bestselling author, and global keynote speaker whose TEDx talk “Stop Managing, Start Leading” has been viewed over a million times. He shares actionable insights on resilience, productivity, and leadership to help people and organizations thrive in the future of work. Through his consulting, writing, teaching and speaking, Khan empowers people and businesses to transform ideas into action.
From New York to Singapore, from Los Angeles to Sydney, Khan is a global thought leader who has spoken to hundreds of audiences across many industries, and his insights have been featured by notable media outlets such asVICE, Business Insider, and The Globe and Mail. He is also the author of Amazon bestseller The Burnout Gamble: Achieve More by Beating Burnout and Building Resilience.
IBABC Presidents Reception
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Join us for a reception to unwind after a day of sessions. Network with your fellow leaders from brokerages and insurance companies over cocktails and appetizers.
Sponsor & Insurer Events
Event sponsors and insurers will have networking events the evenings of June 8&9. Stay tuned to hear from them about what they have planned so you can connect and network with our industry partners.