The Ontario Broker - Volume 20, Issue 1 - 27

EMPOWERED

Bob started in insurance when he was in
high school. Liberty Mutual had opened a
production office in Peterborough where he
was hired as an Auto Rating Clerk for $6,325 a
year in 1978. From Liberty Mutual he became
a Junior Auto Underwriter in Toronto where
he could finish his grade 13 in the evenings and
continue working in the industry.

brokers are the best distribution system.
They're the ones that really drive value
for customers because they offer advice,
advocacy and choice. There's a lot of
things that brokers do that I personally
value, like the fact they're so involved in
their communities. Successful brokers are
focused on the future and driven to adapt.

During one of his insurance courses, a peer
who worked for a specialty Commercial
insurer convinced him to apply. That
company would later become Pembridge
Insurance. He started August 18th, 1980.

"When Pembridge sold to Allstate in 1998,
we took a company that built its brand
off their agent business and had them
invest in the broker channel. Even though
Allstate owns the customer relationship
through their agency channel, we created
Pembridge where brokers own the customer
relationship and put a different club in the
broker's bag."

Bob's witnessed the industry evolve in
many ways. "At the time I started everyone
said, That's the end of humans in insurance,
everything will be computerized. But that just
wasn't the case.
"New types of coverage have emerged that
we would never have dreamed of. Look
at everything that's going on with cyber,
security breaches and privacy. We're going
to have to continuously adapt products as
we see more autonomous vehicles, ride
sharing, property sharing. This industry has
been around for 400 years. We've shown our
ability to adapt."
A prevalent theme throughout his career
has been changing in order to remain
relevant. "If you're passionate about
something, you have to be able to drive
value for others. If your company wants to
survive, you've got to remain relevant. It's
great to be a specialist but be prepared to let
it go when it's no longer relevant. You have
to change the environment, not wait for the
environment to adapt to you."
The broker channel is something Bob is
extremely passionate about. "I believe

His advice for young brokers is to be patient.
"It's not the type of business where in the
first 6 months you're going to be hitting 20
home runs. There are skills you're going to
learn that take time. You can accelerate by
putting more time in and continuing your
education."
Bob will retire on August 18th-his 40th
anniversary at Pembridge. "The big reason
for retiring is to become more flexible, to
be able to travel. I'll spend a month touring
Eastern Canada, trekking, which I've been
doing a lot of over the last few years.
I'm hoping to stay active in the industry
by becoming an advisor at Pembridge,
consulting on different projects and
potentially joining a board."

IB AO.ORG

27

"If you're
passionate
about
something,
you have to
be able to
drive value
for others."

Bob's not only made an impact on the
broker channel but has shown that hard
work, adaptability and using skills you've
learned to remain relevant can lead to a very
successful and rewarding career.

Volume 20 | Issue 1
http://www.IBAO.ORG
The Ontario Broker - Volume 20, Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Ontario Broker - Volume 20, Issue 1
