Headquarters:
219-4929 Jarry E, St-Leonard, QC H1R 1Y1
Year founded:
1993
Number of employees:
200
Phone:
1 866 254 4221
Email:
underwriting@revau.com
Website:
revau.com
LinkedIn:
ca.linkedin.com/company/revau
“In the spirit of our storied history, REVAU distinguishes itself through excellence – our quality of service, quality of execution. Excellent service is not negotiable. It drives our customers and our team to victory through people, creativity, and technology”
Jean-François Raymond, REVAU
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REVAU
Jean-François Raymond
President and Chief Executive Officer
Frédéric St-Jean Mercier
Chief Information Officer
Yves Daigneault
Chief Operating Officer
Leadership
Jean-François Raymond is president and chief executive officer of REVAU, a Montreal-based managing general agent doing business across Canada and in a few US states. Over his 20-year career, Jean-François has worked as an actuary, insurance broker, risk manager and commercial underwriter. He holds a Certified Risk Manager designation from McGill University and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
In 2013, he became partner at REVAU (previously named GroupAssur). From 2013 to 2019, he was vice chair on the board of the Chambre de l’assurance de dommages, the self-regulating organization of the damage insurance industry in Quebec. He has been on the board of the Canadian Association of Managing General Agents since 2021.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jean-François Raymond
After 20 years of experience in the technology industry ‒ 15 of which have been spent in the financial and insurance sectors ‒ Frédéric St-Jean Mercier has relished the challenges presented by his role as CIO of Canada’s most respected MGA. He designed the company’s information strategy, using the latest and most promising technologies. Combining world-class applications like Guidewire with an innovative artificial intelligence approach, REVAU will unquestionably strengthen its place as a market leader under his guidance.
Frédéric was recently featured in InsurTech digital magazine on digital transformation, technology stacks, and the commercial insurance ecosystem. He holds a university degree in management and completed his Executive MBA in 2018.
Chief Information Officer
Frédéric St-Jean Mercier
Yves Daigneault is chief operating officer at REVAU. After a prosperous career at a renowned international insurer where he perfected his underwriting skills in both casualty and professional liability through various leadership positions, he joined an international brokerage firm to lead the professional liability practice. At the time, he created programs that still stand in the market as unique solutions for industry professionals.
In 2008, he co-founded Evolution Insurance with Louis-Philippe Ferland and successfully built it to what it is today – a casualty leader in the MGA space. Further to a very complimentary merger with GroupAssur, it is now REVAU, the largest independent Canadian-owned MGA in the country.
Chief Operating Officer
Yves Daigneault
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“In the spirit of our storied history, REVAU distinguishes itself through excellence – our quality of service, quality of execution. Excellent service is not negotiable. It drives our customers and our team to victory through people, creativity, and technology”
Jean-François Raymond, REVAU
“Combining Guidewire with an innovative artificial intelligence approach, REVAU will unquestionably strengthen its place as a market leader”
Frédéric St-Jean Mercier, REVAU
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“Now, we have much more frequent recognition awards because we want to celebrate people staying at CAAT and recognize the contributions that they bring to the organization”
Frédéric St-Jean Mercier, REVAU
“In the spirit of our storied history, REVAU distinguishes itself through excellence – our quality of service, quality of execution. Excellent service is not negotiable. It drives our customers and our team to victory through people, creativity, and technology”
Jean-François Raymond, REVAU
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Marie-Philippe Lambert
Vice President Business Development
Marie-Philippe Lambert holds the position of vice president, business development at REVAU. In her role, she ensures that the network of brokerages across Canada receives the quality of service they deserve. She is also responsible for the company’s brand strategy. Throughout her 15-year career in the MGA industry, Marie-Philippe has held leadership positions across several business sectors.
In 2013, she became a partner at REVAU (previously GroupAssur), where she participated in expanding the company through more than six acquisitions, to become the largest independent MGA in Canada. She participated in the Andrew Beazley Broker Academy at Lloyd’s in 2015.
Vice President Business Development
Marie-Philippe Lambert
Louis-Philippe Ferland
Senior Vice-President
Louis-Philippe Ferland is co-founder of Evolution Insurances and now senior vice president at REVAU (previously GroupAssur). He has over 20 years of experience in insurance, starting at AIG where he became the casualty manager in 2006. In 2008, he started his own MGA, Evolution Insurance, with his business partner, Yves Daigneault. They grew the company year over year by providing solutions and services to their broker clients with various accounts, from the vanilla type of risk to the toughest casualty risks. After 14 years on his own, he has developed great relationships across the insurance community, from brokers to insurers.
Senior Vice-President
Louis-Philippe Ferland
REVAU (REVolution Advanced Underwriting) is the new name of GroupAssur.
“In the spirit of our storied history, REVAU distinguishes itself through excellence – our quality of service, quality of execution,” says Jean-François Raymond, president and chief executive officer. “Excellent service is not negotiable. It drives our customers and our team to victory through people, creativity, and technology.”
The MGA has evolved considerably over the past nearly 30 years. GroupAssur was founded in 1993 by brokers who wanted to join forces to offer services to large groups and associations. In 2008, GroupAssur expanded its offer by acquiring William J. Henry & Associates, a wholesaler that had been serving brokers throughout Quebec for 34 years. In 2009, they acquired the Edmonton-based CFI Underwriting Managers, which allowed the company to go national.
Underwriting Managers, which allowed the company to go national.
In 2014, GroupAssur was taken over by three employees, Jean-François Raymond, Micheline Morency and Marie-Philippe Lambert, then became independent and diversified its markets. In 2019, they acquired the general agent division of TecAssur Specialized Insurance. A month later, GroupAssur made its first acquisition in Ontario, TCB Underwriting Ltd., a Canadian wholesaler offering insurance products.
Then, several acquisitions and a decisive partnership occurred in 2020. GroupAssur acquired SC Solution Caution, an underwriting centre in Quebec City specializing in surety bonds. This acquisition was a long-sought-after goal that allows GroupAssur to ensure a presence in the national capital. In September 2020, they acquired Val International, a wholesaler specialized in civil liability in Quebec. This acquisition enabled GroupAssur to solidify its markets and to offer its brokers complete liability solutions. A few weeks later, the company went even further and established a partnership with Novacap, one of Canada’s leading investment firms. Novacap acquired a majority stake in GroupAssur and its divisions through its new Novacap Financial Services fund.
“Combining Guidewire with an innovative artificial intelligence approach, REVAU will unquestionably strengthen its place as a market leader”
Frédéric St-Jean Mercier, REVAU
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Alex Ventura has a wealth of experience and passion for martech across the financial services sector – including B2B and B2C – with a focus on delivering exemplary omnichannel experiences. Alex is responsible for driving brands in the digital age with strategies that evoke a brand’s personality and corresponding values. Mapping customer journeys encompassing systematic and programmatic technologies has been key to his successful strategies.
Head of Marketing
Alex Ventura
With a superior understanding of web design and architecture, Dave Longbottom has been pivotal in orchestrating the development of new technologies, which are aligned with business objectives, and pioneering industry-leading solutions. Dave’s tenacity to push the status quo has led to the development of innovative solutions encompassing the latest emerging technological trends and cyber security frameworks.
Chief Technology Officer
Dave Longbottom
Karen Bannister has over 20 years of marketing expertise and has a Chartered Marketer designation from the Canadian Marketing Association. She is a strategic marketing leader with a career record of success in developing and executing effective marketing strategies, growing revenue, and overseeing multi-talented teams. She also holds five certifications for marketing and brand management.
Karen has successfully completed the Mini-MBA, Essentials of Management program at Schulich School of Business, and most recently completed the Communications and Leadership Program at The Ivey Academy.
Vice President, Marketing
Karen Bannister, CM
Sarah M Stewart has more than 15 years of strategic leasing and customer care experience in residential property management. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Centurion’s national leasing platforms, residential lead generation, and overall customer experience excellence through operation of the company’s internal customer service department.
Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Sarah M Stewart
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura has a wealth of experience and passion for martech across the financial services sector – including B2B and B2C – with a focus on delivering exemplary omnichannel experiences. Alex is responsible for driving brands in the digital age with strategies that evoke a brand’s personality and corresponding values. Mapping customer journeys encompassing systematic and programmatic technologies has been key to his successful strategies.
Head of Marketing
Alex Ventura
With a superior understanding of web design and architecture, Dave Longbottom has been pivotal in orchestrating the development of new technologies, which are aligned with business objectives, and pioneering industry-leading solutions. Dave’s tenacity to push the status quo has led to the development of innovative solutions encompassing the latest emerging technological trends and cyber security frameworks.
Chief Technology Officer
Dave Longbottom
Karen Bannister has over 20 years of marketing expertise and has a Chartered Marketer designation from the Canadian Marketing Association. She is a strategic marketing leader with a career record of success in developing and executing effective marketing strategies, growing revenue, and overseeing multi-talented teams. She also holds five certifications for marketing and brand management.
Karen has successfully completed the Mini-MBA, Essentials of Management program at Schulich
School of Business, and most recently completed the Communications and Leadership Program at
The Ivey Academy.
Vice President, Marketing
Karen Bannister, CM
Sarah M Stewart has more than 15 years of strategic leasing and customer care experience in residential property management. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Centurion’s national leasing platforms, residential lead generation, and overall customer experience excellence through operation of the company’s internal customer service department.
Associate Vice President, Leasing and
Call Centre Operations
Sarah M Stewart
Sonia Ahuja
Chief Operating Officer
Sanjay Mehta
EVP and Chief Market Officer
John Laurie
Chief Partnership Officer
Anthony Dippolito
Chief Wellness Officer
Alex Ventura has a wealth of experience and passion for martech across the financial services sector – including B2B and B2C – with a focus on delivering exemplary omnichannel experiences. Alex is responsible for driving brands in the digital age with strategies that evoke a brand’s personality and corresponding values. Mapping customer journeys encompassing systematic and programmatic technologies has been key to his successful strategies.
Head of Marketing
Alex Ventura
With a superior understanding of web design and architecture, Dave Longbottom has been pivotal in orchestrating the development of new technologies, which are aligned with business objectives, and pioneering industry-leading solutions. Dave’s tenacity to push the status quo has led to the development of innovative solutions encompassing the latest emerging technological trends and cyber security frameworks.
Chief Technology Officer
Dave Longbottom
Karen Bannister has over 20 years of marketing expertise and has a Chartered Marketer designation from the Canadian Marketing Association. She is a strategic marketing leader with a career record of success in developing and executing effective marketing strategies, growing revenue, and overseeing multi-talented teams. She also holds five certifications for marketing and brand management.
Karen has successfully completed the
Mini-MBA, Essentials of Management program at Schulich School of Business, and most recently completed the Communications and Leadership Program at The Ivey Academy.
Vice President, Marketing
Karen Bannister, CM
Sarah M Stewart has more than 15 years
of strategic leasing and customer care experience in residential property management. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Centurion’s national leasing platforms, residential lead generation, and overall customer experience excellence through operation
of the company’s internal customer
service department.
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Sarah M Stewart
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Damian Palovick
Senior Vice President of Underwriting
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Dr. Mary Lavoie
Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Ryan Armijo
Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division
Bob Petrilli
President, Underwriting Division
In April 2021, GroupAssur announced its merger with Evolution Insurance. Founded in 2008 by Yves Daigneault and Louis-Philippe Ferland, Evolution Insurance has quickly become a sought-after resource for insurance brokers across Canada. The merger of the two entities created a larger and stronger platform to continue the growth of the company across the country.
In October 2021, GroupAssur acquired Eagle Underwriting (“Eagle”), an independent administrator agent that operates in the “things that move” insurance business, providing superior products, underwriting expertise and first-class claims service to brokers and their clients in Canada and the United States. This acquisition furthered GroupAssur’s international growth objectives, as Eagle underwrites cargo insurance policies in the US.
As of October 17, 2022, GroupAssur has gone by its new brand, REVAU.
REVAU recently completed the rollout of Guidewire, the most modern and powerful system in the insurance industry.
“Combining Guidewire with an innovative artificial intelligence approach, REVAU will unquestionably strengthen its place as a market leader,” says the company’s chief information officer, Frédéric St-Jean Mercier. “With Guidewire, domain specialists will be able to show their work. We are transforming access to commercial insurance, removing inefficiencies, elevating expertise, and empowering brokers to build their businesses.”
The company is becoming a forerunner among MGAs in using this platform. REVAU is positioned as the only North American MGA to bring state-of-the-art simplicity and elegance to the inefficient commercial insurance process.
“In the future, REVAU is planning to be the MGA-led revolution of commercial insurance and the best MGA in North America,” says Raymond. “Being the second one is not even on our radar. We have the best people, the best brokerage network and now the best system. In five years, we will be the reference for all, the only North American MGA to bring simplicity and elegance to the inefficient process of commercial insurance.”