SPECIAL REPORT
YOUNG GUNS 2018 THOMAS WRIGHT Program director TREDD INSURANCE BROKERS Age: 21 Location: Ontario
At 21, Thomas Wright already has a number of things going for him – in addition to being a program director at Tredd, he’s also owner, partner and chairman of three other non-insurance businesses, an active member of the Young Insurance Professionals of Toronto and an ambassador for ShelterBox Canada. Wright took on his current role at Tredd in early 2017 after the revamp and
official launch of Tredd’s welder’s program. Tasked with managing all aspects of the program, Wright produced methods and reports and created the tools needed to measure the stability and growth of the new program. He was also given the underwriting authority to increase the size of the program, which led the team to write more than $200,000 in premium and sign nearly 100 new clients in 2017. Wright’s success last year resulted in several accolades, including a spot on IBC’s 2017 Young Guns list and being named a finalist for both Toronto’s Young Insurance Professional of the Year Award and the Young Gun of the Year Award at the Insurance Business Awards.
BRETT NICHOL
Vice-president and senior underwriter
Account executive
ENCON GROUP Age: 33 Location: Ontario
Andrew de Ruiter started his career as a sales associate in personal lines for a large insurance brokerage in Winnipeg before moving to Ottawa to complete his degree in environmental studies. In his final semester, he was hired as an environmental underwriter, and within five years, he was promoted to senior underwriter and was recently named a vice-president for ENCON’s special risk department. In his role at ENCON, de Ruiter underwrites three unique and complex liability products: E&O, cyber and environmental liability. Thanks to his background in environmental studies, he brings a unique perspective to environ mental liability, and colleagues and brokers often seek him out as an expert in the area. “I continue to help brokers see the value in utilizing the expertise that an MGA can offer over a standard market,” de Ruiter says. “My ability to think outside the box is helping to drive innovation by developing new coverage enhancements for ENCON’s existing insurance products.”
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ANDREW DE RUITER
PROGRAMMED INSURANCE BROKERS Age: 29 Location: Ontario
Since joining Programmed Insurance Brokers in 2013, Brett Nichol has been steadily growing a book of business that covers three provinces. His efforts led to him being named PIB’s top account executive of the year. Nichol received his CAIB designation in 2017 and also holds Certified Sales Professional status from the Canadian Professional Sales Association. He is a member of the IBAO and the Young Brokers Council, and is active in local trade associations and clusters engaged in risk-management solutions. Outside of work, Nichol is passionate about hockey. He has served as a volunteer coach for his community hockey association for the past 10 years and is an active member of the Minor Hockey Associations Tournament Committee.
www.insurancebusiness.ca
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