Northbridge recognized as one of Report on Business’ Canada’s Top 100 brands

The recognition comes as a part of Report on Business’ third annual ranking of Canada’s most valuable brands. Competing with some sure Canadian bets, Northbridge made the list for the first time this year. This recognition comes just three years after Northbridge was introduced to the Canadian market, marking an important milestone in the company’s journey.

“In 2012, we brought four strong commercial lines insurance companies together to form Northbridge, a leading Canadian commercial lines insurer,” said Silvy Wright, President and CEO. “Since then, we’ve built on our shared strengths to build our reputation as a company committed to delivering an exceptional customer experience to Canadian businesses. That’s at the core of what our business is all about.”

Silvy Wright shares her views on the key trends affecting the Canadian P&C market in 2015 and how the industry should respond with Canadian Underwriter

“Investing in modernizing operations to deliver better service to customers at every touch point – sales, service and claims handling – will continue to be a trend in the year ahead. As customers increasingly expect tools and information to be available digitally, insurers can anticipate more innovative uses of technology to interact with customers.”

Silvy Wright, President and CEO of Northbridge, shares her thoughts on key trends impacting the trucking industry at the 2014 Surface Transportation Summit

Mother Nature, human nature and the nature of technology

Although they may feel like opposing forces, evolving technology and changing weather are working to alter both the trucking industry and the people in it.

Silvy Wright, president and CEO of insurance provider Northbridge Financial Corp., told the audience in the main hall at the 2014 Surface Transportation Summit that trucking companies need to be willing to respond to both the new realities imposed by man-made and naturally generated forces.

Northbridge Insurance shares social media advice with Truck News

A smart social media strategy is key

We live and work in an increasingly connected world, where employees and customers alike can easily share a wealth of information. A recent survey by Media Technology Monitor found that 71% of Internet users are now active on social media, and the interest in platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter continues to grow. This is all a good thing – as long as the online conversations are managed against the backdrop of an effective social media strategy.

Any corporate strategy designed to manage such messages begins with a clear understanding of how different social media platforms are used. LinkedIn, for example, gives business professionals a place to share everything from contact details to virtual resumes and recommendations. Facebook, which according to Media Technology Monitor reaches a whopping 93% of Canada’s social media users, tends to be a stronger platform for personal and lifestyle-related posts. Twitter’s 140-character bites of information offer a quick way to share news and engage in related conversations.

Northbridge Insurance profile in Canadian Business Journal

At Northbridge Insurance, digging deeper and going further than anyone else in the industry to understand their customers’ unique business insurance needs is what has made them the kind of company customers and brokers know they can always rely on. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax, the firm serves a Canada-wide market, currently controls over $5.6 billion in total assets and has approximately 1500 employees.

Silvy Wright elected chair of the Insurance Institute board of governors

Insurance Institute of Canada elects new board members

The Insurance Institute of Canada celebrated its 60th annual general meeting in Toronto, Ontario on October 19, 2013, electing Silvy Wright as its chair of the board of governors. The Insurance Institute is the premier professional education body for the property & casualty insurance industry in Canada.

Northbridge Financial Corporation pledges $1million to Pathways to Education

Majority of Canadians say youth are unprepared for the job market

Canadian youth are settling back into school this month, with their sights firmly set on their future careers. But some are unprepared for the job market when they graduate, creating industry-specific labour shortages that weigh heavily on the economy, says Pathways to Education Canada.

The not-for-profit, which helps youth in low-income neighbourhoods graduate from high school by providing mentorship, tutoring and financial assistance, recently commissioned a survey with Vision Critical that found most Canadians (54 per cent) believe youth are not even moderately prepared to meet the needs of the emerging job market.

Wayne Connelly named President of Federated Insurance

Silvy Wright, CEO of Northbridge Financial Corporation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Wayne Connelly as President of Federated Insurance, effective June 1, 2013.

Wayne has been with Federated Insurance since 1995 and has held a number of key leadership positions throughout his career with the company. In his new role as President, Wayne will be responsible for leading and guiding the company’s continued evolution and will be based at the company’s head office in Winnipeg.

Wayne succeeds John Paisley, who is retiring after serving 23 years as President. John leaves behind an impressive legacy, presiding over a highly successful and profitable growth period for the company.

“We are very pleased to have found John’s successor from within Federated’s own leadership team,” said Silvy. “Wayne has demonstrated strong leadership abilities over the years and has been instrumental in evolving Federated Insurance into the company it is today.”

Lambert Morvan joins Northbridge as Chief Underwriting Officer

Northbridge Financial Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of Lambert Morvan to the position of Chief Underwriting Officer. In his new role he will have oversight over the corporate underwriting and actuarial teams.

Lambert is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and has more than 17 years of experience in the Canadian insurance and reinsurance market. During the past 12 years, he has served in senior management and actuarial positions within the Fairfax group of companies, most recently with Odyssey Reinsurance Company as their Senior Vice President & Chief Agent.

“Lambert’s actuarial background, experience and knowledge of the industry make him the perfect candidate for this new role,” said Silvy Wright, Chief Executive Officer of Northbridge Financial Corporation. “He and his team will play an important role in our growth strategies as they continue to build on our underwriting and pricing capabilities.”

Northbridge Insurance launches new Manufacturers’ Choice™ solution

Northbridge Insurance announced today the launch of its new insurance solution that is tailored specifically towards the manufacturing industry. The  new Manufacturers’ Choice solution* is an important part of Northbridge Insurance’s strategy to broaden its product offering and provide focused underwriting and risk management expertise to customers and brokers in targeted business sectors.

“Creating greater success for our customers and broker partners means ensuring our products, service and expertise better meet their needs,” said Julie Pingree Senior Vice President, Corporate Underwriting. “With this product, we have utilized our more focused approach to get a better understanding of the industry’s unique risks as well as the emerging issues customers face on a regular basis. The result of which is a solution that allows our brokers partners to provide customized coverage in this growing sector.”

Manufacturers’ Choice is a comprehensive product and service offering which combines mid-market policy wording with a range of services to help address the unique insurance needs of manufacturers. The solution includes:

  • A comprehensive package policy with automatic extensions designed specifically for manufacturing risks
  • Additional optional coverages including manufacturers’ E&O, equipment breakdown and production machinery
  • Manufacturing sector expertise (Underwriting, Claims and Risk Services)

A key success factor in the product’s development was involving brokers in the process.

“Partnering with our brokers is how we like to do business, “said Fabian Richenberger, President of Northbridge Insurance. “So we worked closely with our broker partners to ensure we developed a product that is comprehensive, flexible and tailored specifically to their manufacturing customers’ needs.”