The 10th annual Insurance Business Canada Awards put resilience, customer focus, and trust firmly centre stage, as brokers, insurers, MGAs, and service providers gathered to celebrate the people behind Canada’s top-performing organizations. From life and health to cyber, claims, and digital innovation, winners spoke less about trophies and more about teams, relationships, and the insurance promise.
For the full list of 2025 Insurance Business Canada Award winners and categories, click here to read the complete winners’ story and see every finalist and recipient in detail.
For many of the night’s big winners, success began – and ended – with the customer.
Accepting Life & Health Insurer of the Year honours for Sun Life, senior vice-president, retail advice & solutions Rowena Chan pointed straight to her people and their client-first mindset. “It’s all teamwork,” she said, adding that Sun Life’s advantage lies in “the right talent to execute on the right vision,” guided by a simple principle: “We always put [the] client first, and that will always drive the right action to deliver the right results for Canadians.”
At The Mutual Fire Insurance Company of British Columbia, named P&C Insurer of the Year, chief marketing officer Christine Young said the company’s mutual structure and values are more than a slogan. “I would say our value of mutuality,” she explained. “We celebrate our success with our partners, and we truly live our core values every day.”
Freshly recognized with The FIRST Insurance Funding of Canada Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Insurance Industry, Glen MacRae of Wilson M. Beck Insurance reflected on what has – and hasn’t – changed over his career. “It’s a people business. It’s all about relationships,” he said. Technology, he argued, is “irrelevant” if it isn’t grounded in human needs. In his words, “The customer in the solar system of insurance is the Sun King, and our eyes should always be on their needs… all across the value chain.”
For Rose Freeman of Willow Insurance Corp, named Insurance Broker of the Year (Regional – Prairies & Maritimes), that customer focus shows up as education. “We’ve always focused on education,” she said. Early on, she realized “the general public really knows very little” about insurance. “We’ve always put education first for our clients, and that has always been our priority.”
On the claims side, winners stressed that in the most difficult moments of a client’s life, technical excellence means nothing without empathy.
Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc., crowned Best Claims Management Firm, sees that every day. President Greg Smith said a top adjuster is “full of empathy and is recognizing the important work they do to fulfill the insurance promise,” remembering that settling a claim often comes “in one of the most difficult situations the client may be experiencing.”
At Travelers Canada, which took home Claims Team of the Year – Insurer, vice president, claim Gavin Mascarenhas credited “our people, 100% our people.” Travelers’ claims professionals, he said, “truly, deeply care about our customers,” coming in “inspired to really do what’s right for the customer” and proving that “it takes a village” to deliver on that promise every day across the country.
For Agile Underwriting Solutions, winner of The First Onsite Property Restoration Canada Award for Claims Team of the Year – MGA, president Brett Graham said performance comes down to service when it matters most. “Being top of the class for the claims is all about service,” he said. “Nobody wants to buy insurance, but when they have a claim, that’s what it’s there for. So it’s all about providing that over-the-top service for our clients.”
Customer experience also took a bow on the insurer side. Northbridge Insurance, recipient of The Securian Canada Award for Outstanding Customer Experience, was represented by Lynne Cool, vice president, Ontario claims at Northbridge Financial Corporation. Heading into 2026, she said excellence will depend on “everybody at the company believing that [customer service] is of utmost importance,” and on building “trust and connections, delivering with urgency and responsiveness in order to make sure that our clients’ needs are being addressed.”
Northbridge Insurance was one of the winners for The Best Insurance Companies for Construction in Canada. See the full list of winners on the 5-Star Construction special reports here.
Leadership awards on the night underscored that titles matter less than responsibility and authenticity.
Named CEO of the Year, Jean-François Chalifoux of Beneva emphasized the broader weight of the role. “Leadership is more than just that simple title,” he said. “It’s a responsibility… to inspire people and a responsibility to create a meaning, to create a purpose, to share your vision.” Above all, he added, it’s “a great opportunity to help build a more diversified and a more sustainable world.”
Donna Mulligan, head of middle market at Zurich Canada and recipient of The Steamatic Canada Award for Woman of Distinction, admitted the moment was “a little bit overwhelming.” For her, the recognition is about “female leadership… with heart, so beyond the bottom line.” She framed leadership as “being the [leader] for our future talent” and “showing up in [an] authentic way to demonstrate what you can be as you can be yourself and be a strong leader.”
In the brokerage space, Shara Bierman, principal broker at Strong Roots Insurance Brokers and winner of The Travelers Canada Award for Brokerage of the Year (10–100 Staff), was quick to credit her team. Her success, she said, comes from “amazing staff, 100% my team,” who “work so hard every single day to pour into the needs of our clients.”
At Westland Insurance, which earned The Burns & Wilcox Award for Big Brokerage of the Year (100 Staff or More), vice president, Ontario personal insurance, Chelsea Smyth, echoed that sentiment. “We have some of the best people working for us across Canada,” she said. Any recognition “all goes back to teamwork, what we really want to do for our customers and the satisfaction that we’ve done a good job.”
For Morgan Mackenzie, senior vice-president, central customer growth and enablement at Western Financial Group and winner of The PAL Insurance Brokers Award for Young Achiever of the Year, motivation is simple. “For me, it’s [the] impact that we have on the lives of people,” she said – the impact of change and “the impact we can have on a customer.”
And Jason Court, senior business development manager at Travelers Canada and Business Development Manager of the Year, offered a piece of advice for 2026: build your personal brand in a resilient industry. “This is a great industry. It’s done amazing things for me in my career,” he said, calling insurance “pandemic and recession proof” and encouraging newcomers to get involved.
In a year dominated by talk of automation and AI, broker winners repeatedly returned to the irreplaceable human element.
Jason Di Vincenzo of Insureit Group, who captured Insurance Broker of the Year (Regional – Eastern) and The SPG Canada Award for Canadian Insurance Broker of the Year, traced his success to three decades of being there for clients. “When I got into business, I got into it to really help people,” he said. A self-described people person, he still goes to clients’ homes, building relationships that can last 20 or 30 years. When claims arise, he wants clients to call “even at two o’clock in the morning” so he can show up and help.
SPG Canada was named as the Best Insurance Companies to Work for in Canada. Read more on special reports here.
Asked whether insurance will always be a human business, Di Vincenzo had no doubt. “Absolutely, 100%,” he said. Clients don’t want to get lost in automated menus: “You want to be able to talk to the people. I want to talk to somebody,” he added, arguing there’s “no way” an automated system can replace that connection.
For Matt Taylor, general manager at PAL Insurance Brokers Canada – which won MGA of the Year (Fewer Than 50 Staff) – the brokerage and MGA model is rooted in family and continuity. Looking to 2026, he talked about “keeping the family business going,” bringing in new staff, and building on PAL’s recognition as MGA of the Year (Fewer than 50 Staff) to eventually compete in larger categories through “more employees and more service.”
Relationships also anchor Agile Underwriting Solutions, which took home MGA of the Year (50 Staff or More) alongside its MGA claims team award. Steering an MGA “through rough waters,” Graham said, is “all about relationships,” relying on key broker and industry partners “to help drive us to the next level and through the transitions.”
Agile Underwriting Solutions was one of the The Top MGAs in Canada winners. Read the 5-Star Brokers on MGAs special reports here.
While winners embraced technology and AI, many stressed that innovation must be grounded in real-world value for clients and staff.
Applied Systems, recognized as Best Insurtech Firm, sees its role as enabling the industry’s digital future. Senior vice-president and general manager Steve Whitelaw pointed to “over 400 people in Canada, over 2,700 people internationally” who wake up focused on “bringing innovation and value to our customers.” Their mission is to “digitize the full policy lifecycle of insurance,” he said, noting the award also reflects the belief customers have in that vision.
For Solutions Insurance Group, winner of Digital Innovation in a Brokerage, CEO Sri Suneetha Nagumantri framed their success squarely in terms of AI investment. “Right now it’s all AI,” she said, and the brokerage decided “to be on top of the technology, because in the brokerage world, technology plays a vital role for us to be successful.”
Cyber specialist BOXX Insurance, named Cyber Insurance Provider of the Year, is also thinking beyond national borders. CEO and co-founder Vishal Kundi said that for a fast-growth Canadian business, it’s essential to “use the killer talent that you have in Canada to build products for the planet and not just for Canada.”
Even in traditional underwriting roles, AI and digitization are redefining what it means to be top-class. Avi Mali, underwriting manager at Zurich Canada and Underwriter of the Year, highlighted “resilience” plus “collaboration and teamwork” as the key skills. The colleagues she works with daily, she said, are the ones she is learning from. “They make me a better underwriter every day.”
Not all impact shows up on a balance sheet. Several winners underlined their commitments to community and the environment.
For APRIL Marine, which earned The CNA Canada Award for Excellence in Philanthropy & Community Service, community engagement flows directly from its maritime focus. Claims manager Stacey Buckley said, “It’s important for us to be part of the community. We’re not just an insurer.” In the marine industry, she added, “it’s really important for us to keep our waters clean and safe,” ensuring the environments clients use their vessels in are secure – and that APRIL Marine is “part of that.”
Award sponsors shared that sense of responsibility. Catherine Roe, president of CNA Canada – sponsor of the philanthropy and community service award – praised the gala’s atmosphere: “It’s an amazing evening… a lot of great energy and the band’s great.” On a more serious note, she said CNA “has always been a company that cares and reaches out to the community,” and that this award matters because “they want to make things better,” even as 2026 promises to be “an interesting year” that will require the industry to “keep moving forward.”
FIRST Insurance Funding of Canada, sponsor of the Lifetime Achievement award, echoed the focus on giving back. Chief sales officer David Caringi called it “great to celebrate people’s careers and everything they’ve given back,” describing an industry “full of amazing people” and saying that celebrating “the cream of the crop is something we want to be a part of.” Looking ahead, he predicted “a different time” in 2026 and urged peers to “keep your heads down and let’s keep working.”
Awards recognizing leadership, mentorship, and inclusion brought another theme into focus: the need to widen the tent.
Steamatic Canada has been behind The Steamatic Canada Award for Woman of Distinction for eight years. President Nancy Raymond called the gala “one of her favourite evenings of the entire industry” and said empowering women is core to any serious conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion. “You need to promote women leadership if we’re going to reach those goals,” she said, adding that she hopes 2026 brings “more male ambassadors,” and boards “focused on equality” that can better meet the needs of a diverse client base.
At PAL Insurance Brokers, Matt Taylor’s role extended beyond MGA winner to sponsor of The PAL Insurance Brokers Award for Young Achiever of the Year. Marking the 10th year of sponsoring that category, he called it “a great achievement” for a family business. Recognizing young talent, he said, helps give “the up-and-coming generations the confidence and the boost they deserve coming into the industry.”
Other sponsors also highlighted the human side of change. Sharla Postic, chief administrative officer at Securian Canada, which sponsors the Outstanding Customer Experience award, described the night as “an event with so much energy” and “beautifully done.” At Securian, she said, “people really are at the core of what we do. We lead with humanity and aim to reach a diverse group of customers and clients.” As AI and digitization accelerate, she sees a challenge for 2026: “integrating and amplifying intelligence… while retaining that human touch.”
If there was a unifying thread running through both winners and sponsors, it was the conviction that insurance is, and will remain, a people-driven business.
For First Onsite Property Restoration Canada, which sponsors the Claims Team of the Year – MGA award, EVP, national brokers & Lloyd’s Barry Ross summed it up: “The whole insurance business is all about service. It’s about relationships. It’s about keeping your clients.” Claims people, he noted, fulfill the promise alongside restoration contractors, keeping clients happy in the end. SVP Asima Zahid added that recognizing claims teams matters because “in insurance, [a] claim is the actual promise we fulfill,” and those teams “maintain customer service and actually make our insurance more attractive.”
Travelers Canada – which both sponsored the Brokerage of the Year (10–100 staff) category and saw its own claims team recognized – used the evening as a moment of reflection. “Coming together at events like this when we’re so busy, it’s important for us to pause and recognize all our achievements and what we’re able to give back,” said Mascarenhas. Recognizing good talent is something Travelers “wants to do,” he added, noting that every year brings new challenges but that the industry is “always ready to respond.”
For Burns & Wilcox Canada, sponsor of The Burns & Wilcox Award for Big Brokerage of the Year (100 Staff or More), the gala is both recognition and reunion. Regional VP Tyson Peel stressed the importance of recognizing “all the efforts we do in the community and across the country.” After more than five years sponsoring the award, he was clear on one thing when asked if he’d be back: “Of course you will.”
And for SPG Canada, sponsor of The SPG Canada Award for Canadian Insurance Broker of the Year, the event is about celebrating the whole ecosystem. President and CEO Cameron Copeland said that, especially as an MGA and intermediary, “coming together to celebrate the entire ecosystem and… the partnerships that bring our product to the customers we serve, that’s special.” Looking to 2026, he acknowledged ongoing pressures in rates and the broader Canadian economy but expressed confidence that “insurance is resilient, people will innovate, we’ll shift our position to attack the market.” The industry, he noted, is “always moving,” with everyone “focused on serving customers and serving clients.”
From Sun Life’s client-first ethos and Beneva’s purpose-driven leadership to the family-run MGAs, education-focused regional brokers, and cyber innovators building products for the planet, the 2025 Insurance Business Canada Awards highlighted an industry that keeps showing up for its customers — in boardrooms, at kitchen tables, and at the claims front line.
To see every organization and individual recognized at this year’s gala, click through to the complete winners’ list and category breakdown here.
