SPECIAL REPORT
ELITE ELITEWOMEN WOMEN
2020
ELITE WOMEN
CHELSEA FITZPATRICK Vice-president of operations and COO Park Insurance Agency
22
Ten years ago, Chelsea Fitzpatrick began an internship in the insurance industry; on her first day, she realized it was the career for her. “There was an emphasis on being an expert and education, the opportunity to speak with people from all walks of life, teamwork, and the promise of digitalization,” she says. “All the different aspects of the job, the unlimited opportunity and career paths – that, and helping a client understand their coverage, is what kept me there.” In her role as VP of operations and COO at Park Insurance Agency, Fitzpatrick has a heavy focus on digital optimization, something she enjoys due to her love of coding. Building on Park Insurance’s dedication to being an employee-centric company, Fitzpatrick also launched a plan to improve employee satisfaction in 2016. Since then, the company’s overall satisfaction scores have gone from 72% to between 92% and 96%. “Employee empowerment as a priority is absolutely the right choice,” she says. “I am grateful to work with a like-minded leadership team that is dedicated to our culture and making our community a better place.”
GILBERTA MORRISON President PAL Insurance Brokers Canada
Gilberta Morrison was seven years old and spoke no English when her family immigrated from Belgium to southwestern Ontario. She started her career in insurance after high school by handling crop hail claims. She continued handling claims for 12 years before moving across the country to Calgary in 1980, where her husband founded Morrison Insurance. Morrison worked there as an underwriter for 12 years and eventually took over the accounting department. After her husband founded Party Alcohol Liability (PAL) Insurance, Morrison eventually took over PAL’s accounting department and the leadership of the Calgary office. When her husband passed away suddenly last year, Morrison rose to the challenge of leading PAL with help from family members. “I learned that by creating a strong and stable base from which to operate, it is possible for a team to not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity,” she says.
www.insurancebusiness.ca
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