TORONTO, ON, SEPTEMBER 08, 2026/insPRESS/ – Canadian Broker Network(CBN), the exclusive peer advisory group for high-performing brokers in Canada, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2026 Underwriter of the Year Awards, recognizing insurance professionals whose expertise, responsiveness, and commitment to broker relationships have made a meaningful impact on CBN member firms across Canada. The program is a flagship initiative of CBN and has been celebrating underwriting excellence for over a decade in partnership with Canadian Underwriter magazine.
“Strong insurer relationships are built by exceptional people,” says Lorie Phair, President of CBN. “These award recipients represent the very best of our industry. They uphold the highest standards of underwriting excellence, combining technical expertise with a genuine commitment to supporting brokers and their clients. Congratulations to all winners and nominees and thank you for being an integral part of our mutual success. We also wish to acknowledge our insurer partners whose financial support enables us to run benchmarking studies, special events and programs such as this one.”
The 2026 awards recognize winners across Commercial Insurance, Personal Insurance, and MGA categories. In addition, CBN expanded the program this year to include individuals in business development roles whose contributions have had a meaningful impact on underwriting decisions, account placements, and broker-insurer relationships. This enhancement reflects the evolving nature of the insurance industry and the growing influence of business development professionals in supporting successful underwriting outcomes.
“We are honoured to recognize individuals who have earned the respect of brokers across our network through their expertise, reliability, and unwavering commitment to partnership”, says John Pino, Chairman of CBN. “Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients!”
Commercial Award Recipients:
Marie-Claude Bédard, Intact Insurance
Rey Belcina, Chubb
Sarah Bennewies, Halwell Mutual Insurance
Lauren Bethune, Intact Insurance
Charles Bourgault, Aviva Canada
Diana Bruulsema, Definity
Richard Ho, Northbridge Insurance
Dominika Kiersnowski, Aviva Canada
Jenny Li, Wawanesa Insurance
Jeff McClymont, Intact Insurance
Ross Munro, Zurich Canada
Cheryl Mussell, Red River Mutual Insurance
Michelle Pancham, Aviva Canada
Thomas Pickering, Aviva Canada
Brandon Pomfret, Intact Insurance
Tyler Pretto, Sovereign General
Sara Richer, Aviva Canada
Karen Rosales, Echelon Insurance
David Surette, Northbridge Insurance
Amber Teakles, Intact Insurance
Jillian Topp, SGI CANADA
Marcel Van Osch, Wawanesa Insurance
Ellen Wang, Wawanesa Insurance
Bettina Weber, Trillium Mutual Insurance
Courtney Williams, The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group
Heather Zantingh, Bay of Quinte Mutual Insurance
Ariel Zhang, Liberty Mutual Canada
Personal Award Recipents:
Jomar Ballesteros, Peel Mutual Insurance Company
Maude Beaulieu, Intact Insurance
Ankeeta Bharti, Aviva Canada
Stephanie Brown, Gore Mutual Insurance
Stacey Campbell, Intact Insurance
Kristen Carbone, Intact Insurance
Matthew Deleon, Aviva Canada (2)
Roxi Denning, Optimum General Insurance
Rob Diplock, Aviva Canada
Nicole Featherstone, Intact Prestige
Justin Gaspar, PURE Insurance
Caroline Hood, Definity
Kauser Khan, Aviva Canada
Tracy Lundstrom, Nova Mutual Insurance Company
Evangeline Martinez, Optimum General Insurance
Shelly Morris, Intact Insurance
William Moulton, Intact Insurance
Vicki Rowan, Optimum General Insurance
Elio Alfredo Sarkees, SGI CANADA
Laurentiu Secareanu, Aviva Canada
Cristina Sorescu, Northbridge Insurance
Kritagya Srivastava, Aviva Canada
Catherine Thompson, SGI CANADA
Stephanie Westcott, Peace Hills General Insurance Company
Kerry Willems, My Mutual Insurance
MGA Award Recipients:
Robyn Chalmers, ABEX Insurance
Jonathan Duplessis, Angus Miller Insurance
Shannon Gilby, Agile Underwriting Solutions
Hilary Leckie, K&K Insurance Canada
Tyler Lee, Revau
Claudius Lo, SUM Insurance
Gabriel Morneau, Image Insurance
Bruce Norman, ODIS Underwriting
Jessica Plhak, Revau
Marcus Raitanen, Victor Canada
Kyle Roos, Brownstone Insurance
Nicole Rose, Agile Underwriting Solutions
Derek Szekeres, Forward Insurance Managers Ltd.
Callum Wacasey, Agile Underwriting Solutions
