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,” déclare Lorie Phair, présidente de 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 Assurance
Rey Belcina, Chubb
Sarah Bennewies, Halwell Mutual Insurance
Lauren Bethune, Intact Assurance
Charles Bourgault, Aviva Canada
Diana Bruulsema, Definity
Richard Ho, Assurance Northbridge
Dominika Kiersnowski, Aviva Canada
Jenny Li, Assurance Wawanesa
Jeff McClymont, Intact Assurance
Ross Munro, Zurich Canada
Cheryl Mussell, Red River Mutual Insurance
Michelle Pancham, Aviva Canada
Thomas Pickering, Aviva Canada
Brandon Pomfret, Intact Assurance
Tyler Pretto, Sovereign General
Sara Richer, Aviva Canada
Karen Rosales, Echelon Insurance
David Surette, Assurance Northbridge
Amber Teakles, Intact Assurance
Jillian Topp, SGI CANADA
Marcel Van Osch, Assurance Wawanesa
Ellen Wang, Assurance Wawanesa
Bettina Weber, Trillium Mutual Insurance
Courtney Williams, Le groupe d'assurance mutuelle Commonwell
Heather Zantingh, Bay of Quinte Mutual Insurance
Ariel Zhang, Liberty Mutual Canada
Personal Award Recipents:
Jomar Ballesteros, Compagnie d'assurance mutuelle Peel
Maude Beaulieu, Intact Assurance
Ankeeta Bharti, Aviva Canada
Stephanie Brown, Assurance mutuelle Gore
Stacey Campbell, Intact Assurance
Kristen Carbone, Intact Assurance
Matthew Deleon, Aviva Canada (2)
Roxi Denning, Assurance Générale Optimum
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, Assurance Générale Optimum
Shelly Morris, Intact Assurance
William Moulton, Intact Assurance
Vicki Rowan, Assurance Générale Optimum
Elio Alfredo Sarkees, SGI CANADA
Laurentiu Secareanu, Aviva Canada
Cristina Sorescu, Assurance Northbridge
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, Assurance ABEX
Jonathan Duplessis, Angus Miller Insurance
Shannon Gilby, Solutions de souscription agiles
Hilary Leckie, K&K Insurance Canada
Tyler Lee, Revau
Claudius Lo, Assurance SUM
Gabriel Morneau, Image Insurance
Bruce Norman, Souscription ODIS
Jessica Plhak, Revau
Marcus Raitanen, Victor Canada
Kyle Roos, Brownstone Insurance
Nicole Rose, Solutions de souscription agiles
Derek Szekeres, Forward Insurance Managers Ltd.
Callum Wacasey, Solutions de souscription agiles
