The accolade of being a respected voice in the insurance industry should come as no surprise to anyone who has worked with this industry giant, be it at the national, provincial or regional level of governments – or simply as a client in need of a policy.
“Very, very honoured, I’m quite blown away by it,” says Ginny Bannerman, vice president of Finance West, Intact Insurance in Calgary, who told InsuranceBusiness.ca that being named as one of the two Established Leader honourees by the Chartered Insurance Professionals’ Society has come without pigeon-holing herself as a female broker.
“I’ve never thought of myself as a woman in the industry,” she says. “I’ve just thought of myself as an insurance broker, doing the best I can. I think the key is to just get out there and do the best you can.”
As a broker, Bannerman credits her success by making sure the customer comes first, and always finding a way to bring value-added service to every deal. But like many in the industry, she remembers how it all started by working at her father’s insurance brokerage during her high school years.
“I had some really big responsibilities, working with my dad after school – washing coffee cups and emptying garbage cans. I did that for long enough until he actually trusted me enough to do some filing,” she laughs. “I worked with him for 19 years until he retired; a wonderful, wonderful man.” (continued.)
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Ginny ran her family’s business from 1987 until 1998, and during that time, expanded it into a multiline brokerage with accounts both locally and internationally. After selling the brokerage, she worked for the new owner, but later decided to pursue more schooling and new opportunities, including earning her MBA degree in 2002.
Since the early 1990s, Ginny has been heavily involved as an advocate for the industry. She has served as president of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC), the Insurance Institute of Southern Alberta, and the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta (IBAA), where she became the first president to hold two consecutive terms.
Speaking about Bannerman’s time at the IBAA, one supporter wrote to the CIP saying “she worked hard at getting committee members to work together, commit to being open minded to change and to focus on the future of the insurance community.”
She has served on the National Education Committee of the Insurance Institute and was the IBAA representative on the committee rewriting the Alberta Insurance Act. She has worked for the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and did important work to reform Alberta’s automobile insurance policies on behalf of both the IBAA and IBC, overseeing a province-wide effort. In 2007, Ginny assumed the position of Executive Officer at the IBAA, and in 2008, became CEO. (continued.)
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Ginny joined Intact Insurance in 2010 in the position of Vice-President, Personal Insurance, Western division, moving to Vice-President, Finance in 2011. In her current role, she manages three essential areas of the organization, including Corporate Services, Financial Analysis and the Centres of Excellence (Business Excellence, Transformation, Practices & Process), which support nearly 2,000 employees, 3,000 broker points of sale and over 1 million customers.
Ginny’s impressive career is marked with multiple successes. In 1986, she was named Insurance Woman of the Year in Calgary, and in 2003, was awarded the Jean-Charles d’Auteuil Award for outstanding work on behalf of independent insurance brokers throughout Canada. In 2012, institutional investors presented Intact’s financial analysis team with the award for the Highest Confidence in Reporting amongst Canadian Financial institutions.
Bannerman’s involvement at all levels of government has given her a unique perspective on the industry.
“It is a whole different world, when you move from municipal to provincial to national. It is different complexities, different relationships; different legislation. Just being exposed to the differing jurisdictions in various regions is interesting.” (continued.)
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The nationwide debate on overland flooding coverage is something that cannot be solved quickly, Bannerman observes, seeing the need for extensive debate and education to finding a solution.
“We need to do a really good job of communicating. It is a really complex problem with a lot of regulations and legislation to consider,” she says. “I think the role as an industry, and as brokers, is communication to make sure people know what they’ve bought and what they need for proper coverage.”
Aside from her active role in the industry, Bannerman has a personal crusade that is near and dear to her heart.
A survivor of breast cancer herself, Bannerman continues to speak out in support of breast cancer research. Ginny has spoken at Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade (WICC) fund-raising events, and just this past year was recognized for her continued support of the cause with an award presented by WICC chair, Donna Brown.
The supporter who forwarded Bannerman’s name for the CIP honour wrote that “What I admire and appreciate about Ginny is that she is true to herself no matter what the work or life issue is, and she will always act with honesty and integrity.”
