Leadership- I have over 20 years of experience as a leader in both business and the Canadian Armed Forces. By defining the goal and desired end-state I am able to coach/mentor subordinates as they work towards the desired outcome. Additionally I react calmly to unexpected changes in a situation without losing focus on the 'bigger picture'.

Strategic Thinking- Both with council and while running my own brokerage strategic thinking plays a vital role. I have a sound grasp on how to apply strategic thinking to modernize and 'future proof' and organization- ensuring it can remain responsive and relevant with changes societal wants/needs.

Communication and ability to influence- I posses strong written and oral communication skills. I have the ability to breakdown complex tasks and ideas into their component parts to ease understanding and minimize discomfort. I believe my ability to influence others is based on my knowledge and skillset as it relates to a given task or problem and not in any positional authority to force change 'because I said so."

Fiduciary Responsibility- As an insurance broker the concept of fiduciary duty has been engrained in me since I was first licensed. As a RIBO council member I take that responsibility extremely seriously- understanding that RIBO's duty is to the consumer and not the broker. I believe one of the best ways to exercise that duty can be summed up in my belief that "The best way to protect the public is to make brokers better."

Commitment to active participation- Over my first 3 year term on council I have maintained a commitment to active and engaged participation with Council, committees, and RIBO staff. I have maintained an attendance record of over 95% at all meetings, missing only 1 due to COVID. I believe that serving on council requires a commitment to doing the job properly and have set up my schedule to be available for maximum participation.

While I have skills and experience in all of the listed areas I will focus on the 3 areas where my skills are the strongest.

Brokerage Operations- As the President of a mid-sized brokerage with a good personal/commercial split I have active experience in brokerage operations. On top of that I still manage my own (smaller) client list giving me 'at the coal face' experience in client experience, client needs, carrier portals and processes, and day to day client service. This is a relatively unique skillset for a council member as I work with the public directly on a day to day basis from small tenants packages to multi-site multi-operation commercial risks. My unique and up-to-date experience with brokerage operations is an asset to council and I am always happy to provide insight into how proposed changes would impact a front-line service broker.

Governance and Policy- I am a self-professed 'policy geek.' I truly love all aspects of governance and policy making. I have the ability to onboard, synthesize, and summarize complex policy into simpler to understand terms. This is evident in the recent changes to broker licensing where I worked with council and RIBO staff to review and modernize the licensing exam requirements to avoid unneeded complexity for brokers who has already demonstrated the skills and knowledge that is being tested- the updated technical exemption requirements and the accelerated management exam pathway being two examples.

Professional Self-Regulation- I have a demonstrated strength in this area. As a Self Regulatory Organization RIBO is responsible for regulating the broker channel in Ontario. This 'brokers regulating brokers' requires the ability to step back from 'being a broker' and look at how RIBO protects the consumers by its actions and policies. This is not a simple thing to do as in many cases what is good for consumer protection will also be more challenging for the broker. I take seriously the privilege brokers have to regulate themselves and work to ensure that RIBO is able to protect the consumer by "making brokers better."

I have been working in insurance since I was 14 years old and serving on council for the last 3 years. In that time I have consistently provided my best efforts for my clients and to RIBO. Outside of my extensive experience as a customer facing retail broker I have been a member of the Canadian Armed Forces for the last 18 years. There I have learned many skills such as: leadership; inter-personal and inter-organizational communications; policy review and compliance; and strategic planning.

Over the past 3 years I have been on council I have focused heavily on broker education. I am proud of the accomplishments I have made with my council colleagues on that file- removing the level one exam case study, modernizing the technical exemption requirements, and developing the accelerated management exam pathway to name 3. In addition to that I have worked well with a team of dedicated insurance brokers and public appointees to help drive RIBO in its modernization process.

I have a number of projects currently ongoing in relation to broker licensing, exams, and continuing education. I look forward to being re-elected so I can see these projects through to completion before my time with RIBO council concludes.