The CIP Society is the Professionals’ Division of the Insurance Institute, and as such, reports to the Institute’s Executive Committee and Board of Governors.

National CIP Society

The CIP Society is headed by a National Chair appointed by the Executive Committee. The chair invites up to 11 leading members, representing all sectors of the CIP Society membership, to participate on the National Council. The mandate of the Council is to provide development opportunities, new services and products for members of the Insurance Institute’s graduate community.

Institutes and Chapters

Institutes and chapters work in partnership with the CIP Society National Council to achieve common goals. To meet the needs of Society members at the local level, most institutes and chapters have set up CIP Society committees within their governance structure and host a number of events and continuing education seminars each year.

If you are interested in volunteering with the CIP Society, please take a look at our volunteer opportunities or contact your local institute and chapter to see how you can get involved.

Meet our Council

Rosalind Staples-Simpson, FCIP

Elected to Council: April 2016, Chair since May 2021

Rosalind began working with RSA in 2000, following her graduation from university, starting in the Commercial Underwriting Trainee Program. After having worked as an underwriter for three years, she was accepted into RSA’s early career acceleration program for future leaders, getting the opportunity work on a diverse array of projects across Personal, Commercial and Corporate areas within the business.

Since then, Roz has held multiple, progressive leadership roles across RSA Canada’s broker business in both Commercial Insurance and Personal Insurance spanning across Underwriting, Operations, Strategy and Planning.

Most recently, she was appointed VP, National Operations & Integration, Personal Lines at Intact.

She is committed to supporting the development and progression of careers, paying forward the opportunities from which she benefited. She enjoys coaching and mentoring, as well as taking an active role in shaping her organization’s culture to underpin these principles.

Roz holds a BComm from Dalhousie University as well as a Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) designation. She is member of the National CIP Society Council.

Roz lives in Dartmouth, NS, with her husband, Patrick, and their two children, Jillian and John.

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Mark Francis, FCIP, ACS

Elected to Council: April 2020

Mark obtained his FCIP back when the program was still recognized as the FIIC, in 1997. He started his insurance career with ICBC in 1987 as a Claims Adjuster Trainee and worked his way up to the role of Director, Provincial Vehicle Registration and Licensing in 2011, eventually retiring from ICBC in 2018 after 31 years.

During this time, he represented the Province of BC with the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators Program Committee on Drivers and Vehicles and served as Chair of that program committee from 2011 – 2012. He also had the privilege of co-chairing the Autonomous Vehicles working group which developed regulatory standards and recommendations for motor vehicle administration and law enforcement communities.

Mark has also spent over 10 years volunteering with the Insurance Institute of BC including serving on the Executive from 2011 to 2017, and was President from 2014 to 2015. More recently, in October 2018, Mark joined HUB International Insurance Brokers, and manages their Commercial Auto & Transportation team.

In his spare time, Mark enjoys competitive running, cycling, hockey and golfing as well as spending as much time as possible in Maui.

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Darcey Garrington, FCIP, CRM, MLIS

Elected to Council: April 2019

Darcey began her career in the insurance industry over 20 years ago, at a small brokerage as a personal lines processor. Since then, Darcey has spent most of her time in the commercial insurance field in a variety of underwriting roles including both direct and broker-based organizations, a MGA/Insurtech, and various leadership positions. Darcey currently works with Aviva Canada in the commercial insurance department.

Darcey holds both FCIP and CRM designations, as well as a Risk Management certificate from the University of Toronto. Darcey is currently studying for her MBA through the University of Fredericton and enjoys resistance training, travelling, leadership development reading, and spending time with her two children and husband. Darcey supports her local community through school and sports fundraisers, as well as charitable events.

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Neal Jardine, CIP

Elected to Council: April 2022

With the emergence of cyber-attacks and insured losses, Neal Jardine combined a decade of commercial insurance adjusting skills with his Bachelor of Computer Science degree to become a leader in executing best practices in cyber risk management, post-cyber attack mitigation and cyber claim management.

Today, he is the Global Cyber Risk Intelligence and Claims Director for BOXX Insurance, joining BOXX from his role as the North American Cyber Practice Leader for Crawford and Company Insurance Adjusters. He is a recognised leader internationally, in the complexities of responding to cyber attacks including ransomware negotiation, privacy breach and data loss.

Neal has adjusted insured and uninsured losses arising from over 350 cyber attacks and breaches internationally, including Asia, United States, Canada, and Europe. As an expert, he has presented to brokers, businesses and insurers on issues related to cyber insurance and cyber risk management, assisting a wide range of industries, in their understanding of pre and post loss management and response to cyber events.

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Ashley Manti, CAIB, CIP

Elected to Council: April 2023

As a Director of Technical Learning, Ashley is responsible for developing methods to enhance the technical knowledge within the organization. In addition, working closely with the leaders of the business to align initiatives and develop opportunities with the wants and needs of her teams.

Ashley has been an Insurance professional for 28 years. She has specialized in personal lines, commercial lines and office management, while mentoring and developing up and comers along the way. Ashley recently has transitioned into this new role from being a Corporate Director of Client Solutions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. managing a variety of market segments including Not for Profit/Charitable organizations, Municipalities, Educational Facilities, Manufacturing, and Construction.

She successfully obtained her Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker designation with honours, and her Chartered Insurance Professional.

Ashley retired from the Insurance Brokers Association of Hamilton in 2021 and sat as both President and Past President successfully leading the Board to Association of the Year with the IBAO in 2018. Ashley sat on the Board of directors for 10 years.

 

Ernest Mashingaidze, MBA, CIP ACS

Elected to Council: May 2021

Ernest’s insurance career started in 2015 when a friend would regularly tell him about how exciting his auto adjusting role was. Since then he has held various roles in the health insurance sector, P&C sector and reinsurance. He started as a health claims adjuster before being promoted to a contracts & rates administrator at GroupSource LP. He then transitioned to Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company in 2017. At Wawanesa he was an integral part of the auto claims team as well as the property claims team. His most recent role is with HSB Canada as a specialty products claims adjuster. Here, he specializes in cyber attack claims, data restoration claims, malware & ransomware claims as well as equipment breakdown and service line claims.

In 2019, he was inducted into the CIP Society leadership circle as a National Emerging Leader, after being recognized by his peers for his early contribution and impact in the industry. He is an Ambassador for the Insurance Institute of Canada and uses this platform to educate new graduates, career changers and newcomers on the benefits of the industry. Ernest sits on the Young Insurance Professionals of Toronto (YIPT) events committee and supports their mandate of connecting members and industry leaders.

He obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration from Trent University in 2014 before studying Risk Management at the University of Calgary in 2017. From there, he went on to obtain his Master of Business Administration from the University of Fredericton in 2020. He is currently pursuing his FCIP designation.

Ernest resides in Toronto, Ontario. In his spare time, he can be found improving his game on the golf course or enjoying nature on a hiking trail.

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Jean-François Parisien, ACIP, CIP

Elected to Council: April 2022

Jean-François began his career in insurance in 2014 as a p&c underwriter at L’Unique General insurance company. This start in the industry was the result of a good friend inviting him to a LARAQ (L’Association de la relève en assurances du Quebec) event the same year. He got involved with LARAQ, a volunteer-based association in Quebec that promotes the insurance industry to young professionals, the following year. The connection to LARAQ continues to this day, as Jean-François has been acting association President since 2019. Also, since 2019, he has served as a mentor at Academos.

Jean-François has worked as a p&c underwriter at Liberty Mutual Canada since 2020. In additional to his busy work life, he volunteers his time for the Insurance Institute of Canada as an ambassador and is featured in the Institute’s promotional campaign in Quebec.

An enthusiastic student in the insurance industry, Jean-François has achieved a lot in the classroom in a truly short amount of time. He attained his CIP and RMC designations in 2019 and earned his ACIP designation soon after in 2021. Currently, he is pursuing the FCIP, the Institute’s highest academic achievement.

In his downtime, Jean-François enjoys hockey and playing golf. He also likes to explore new places and cultures.

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Jeannie Ryan, RIB (Ont), CIP, CRM

Elected to Council: September 2021

Jeannie started her insurance career as a personal lines agent for Allstate Insurance in 1998. Her natural enthusiasm to coach and lead her to accept a position with Allstate Insurance Company as the corporate trainer for Eastern Ontario where she trained and developed new and existing insurance agents. She was a key player during the roll out of Pembridge Insurance Company in 1999 as a corporate broker trainer.

She experienced a few good mentors along the way, but felt she needed to further her insurance education. Jeannie completed her Chartered Insurance Professional designation in 2013 where she earned the Top Local Broker Award.

In 2011, a local broker hired Jeannie for their commercial lines team. Since then she has worked for a number of brokerages in the city where she has gained valuable experience in risk assessment, marketing, sales and service of commercial insurance.

Jeannie successfully completed her Canadian Risk Management Designation (CRM) at the Scrott School of Business in Ottawa and was a member of the graduating class of 2015.

She currently leads a team of commercial account managers as the Commercial Lines Manager for Smith & Reid Insurance Brokers Ltd. In Ottawa, Ontario where she continues to learn and mentor.

Jeannie resides in Ottawa, Ontario and enjoys the company of good friends and family.

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Bill Simms, CIP, CRM

Elected to Council: April 2019

The insurance industry found Bill in 1991 when his father-in-law offered him a position of adjuster within the adjusting firm he was managing. Bill achieved his CIP and CRM designations early in his career and moved quickly through the ranks, adjusting a wide array of claims including auto, casualty and large commercial losses. In 1996, Bill moved to the commercial department of a large Newfoundland-based insurance brokerage where he learned the art of marketing and underwriting. Over the years, Bill worked at another large brokerage and then moved to where he is today. His current position is with Crosbie Job Insurance as the Commercial Accounts Director writing a fairly large book of business.

During the course of his career, Bill has volunteered a lot of time with the Insurance Brokers Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (IBAN) in varying roles. Bill instructed the CAIB II and CAIB III components of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) CAIB Program for over 15 years. He also served on the board of directors of IBAN for almost 10 years. Other boards and committees Bill served on include the Board for the Center for the Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) as the Atlantic Canadian Representative, as well as the Technology Committee with the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC). He’s also served on various convention and AGM committees over the years.

Bill was born and raised in St. John’s, NL, where he met his wife Colleen. They have been together for over 25 years and have four grown children.

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Renée-Léa Soucy, PAA

Elected to Council: September 2019

Renée-Léa has extensive insurance experience, with over than 10 years in call centres and agencies. She started at The Co-operators (HB Group Insurance Management Limited) in 2009 and since risen through the ranks to become in 2017 District Manager. In 2019, she was promoted to Senior Manager Business Insurance Development and manages a team of 20 employees. Renee-Léa is results-oriented and is known for her enthusiasm, dedication, and determination. She is also an experienced communicator with strong priority management, leadership, and organizational skills.

Renée-Léa’s educational accomplishments includes a college degree in insurance and a Chartered Insurance Professional designation. She is currently enrolled in the Insurance Institute of Canada's Advanced Chartered Insurance program. Renée-Léa has also a Yellow Belt Lean certification. Since 2014, she is a member of the Chambre de la sécurité financière.

In her spare time, Renée-Léa enjoys deep-sea and ice fishing, travelling with her spouse, friends or family and spending time with her numerous friends. Her most recent trip was to Northern India, a trip she has fond memories of and has wanted to take for many years. Her short-term dream is to travel again.

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Carrie Trudeau, FCIP, CRM

Elected to Council: April 2019

Carrie sought out a career in the insurance industry at a young age, following in her father’s footsteps. Her first job was with a Canadian coverholder for the Lloyd’s market. She spent her first year underwriting cross-border commercial trucking and motor truck cargo, and shortly after was given the opportunity to enter claims adjusting. That’s where she learned to appreciate the phrase, ‘Claims is where the heart is.’

Carrie attained her FCIP designation while working as a senior file examiner at Markel Insurance Company of Canada. Since then, she’s also completed her CRM.

In 2008, she joined Crawford & Co. (Canada) Inc., where she started as a client service manager, and later moved into the role of director of Lloyd’s and Dedicated Units. In April 2018, she started her new position as vice president of claims for Canada with Lloyd’s managing agent AEGIS (Associated Electric & Gas Insurance Services Limited).

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Heather Winters, MBA, FCIP, CRM, CCIB, CAIB (Hons.)

Elected to Council: April 2019

Heather has more than forty years experience in the insurance industry including brokerage management, third party administration, professional development, and agent/broker and insurer regulatory compliance. She has held general, life, and accident and sickness agent licenses, and been employed in senior roles by broker associations in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Manitoba. Heather has advanced training in investigations from NCIT. She co-authored a national paper for CISRO’s Inspection and Audit Committee and an automobile agent’s licensing text book. As well, she authored pre-licensing exams for the ICM and the national CIP examinations. Heather provided substantial materials for the C132, and contributed to the development of CAIB, CPIB, and CSIP. She has presented industry initiatives before Nova Scotia MLAs, and appeared before the Senate Banking Committee and Manitoba’s Insurance Agent and Adjuster Licensing Appeal Board. She served as the President of the IIO Speaker’s Club. Upon completion of her AIIC, she received a National Award from the Institute. Heather lives in Winnipeg with her author-husband, Andrew Allentuck.

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