Headquarters:
Suite 1488 - 700 West Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1A1
Year founded:
1937
Number of employees:
600+
Phone:
1 877 532 6864
Email:
info@spgcanada.ca
Website:
https://www.spgcanada.ca
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/spgcanada
“We prioritise embracing cutting-edge technologies, creative problem solving and continuous improvement to enhance our premium funding solutions and provide exceptional value to our clients”
Brett Bastow, IQumulate Premium FundinG
Leadership
Chris Pauli is executive vice president, construction for SPG Canada Construction (formerly BuilderSURE by Cansure), Canada’s leading construction underwriting team backed by a unique combination of i3 Underwriting and Cansure construction expertise. He began his insurance career in 2003 at Key Insurance, a locally owned retail brokerage based in British Columbia. During his time there, Pauli honed his skills as an underwriter and gained valuable experience with Lloyd’s.
In 2008, he co-founded i3 Underwriting with two partners and was tasked with growing the company’s successful construction division. During the peak of the pandemic in 2020, i3 was acquired by Cansure, elevating Pauli to his current role, where he now leads a team of 27 dedicated construction professionals.
Executive Vice President, Construction
Chris Pauli
Hans Choi began his insurance career at Cansure in 2016 after graduating from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, specializing in finance and human resources. Starting as an underwriting assistant, Choi has steadily advanced through various roles in underwriting and management, and now serves as vice president, construction at SPG Canada Construction (formerly BuilderSURE by Cansure).
Over the years, he has built extensive underwriting expertise across a range of P&C risks, including construction, contractors, trades, and realty. Choi is a Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) and holds the Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation.
Vice President, Construction
Hans Choi
Val Bosiaga is a claims manager at Arch Insurance Canada, responsible for examining claims of various complexity and severity. He joined Arch Canada as a senior claims examiner in May 2020. Val is result driven, customer oriented, and possesses excellent understanding of the commercial insurance filed with all its intricacies.
Val has been an insurance professional since 2006, having successfully completed his Chartered Insurance Professional certificate, and is working toward obtaining further professional certificates and designations. Prior to his insurance career, he had enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces as an infantry soldier with the Royal Regiment of Canada.
Claims Manager
Val Bosiaga
Sasha Opacic is the vice president, sales - broker and group channel at Allianz Global Assistance Canada, bringing nearly three decades of experience in the insurance industry. His career has evolved from working as a broker to business development and he now leads Allianz’s national sales team focused on building strong broker and strategic partner relationships.
Opacic is passionate about helping brokers grow through innovative travel insurance solutions and education. Outside of work, he has a strong passion for travel, outdoor adventure, and sports. He especially enjoys creating lasting memories travelling with his two children and exploring new destinations and experiences together.
Vice President, Sales - Broker and Group Channel
Sasha Opacic
John Archer is manager, technical claims within NZ broker and specialist claims at IAG New Zealand. A life member of NZILA and recipient of the ANZIIF Lifetime Achievement Award, he brings exceptional depth of expertise to complex and high-value claims.
Known for his strong customer empathy, Archer is highly regarded for his claims negotiation and dispute resolution skills, consistently delivering fair and timely outcomes in challenging environments. He leads high-performing teams with a focus on efficiency, quality and customer-centric claims handling.
Manager, Technical Claims
John Archer
Stevens & Associates Lawyers is a leading and trusted employment law firm based in Sydney known for delivering high-quality legal expertise in the area of employment law and industrial relations across Australia, alongside a proven track record of effectively and swiftly resolving a variety of workplace law issues.
In the past year, the firm’s growth has been notable. It has:
• experienced a 213% growth in the number of client matters, increasing from 149 client matters in the 2022 financial year to 390 client matters in the 2023 financial year
• improved its online visibility, leading to over 50 online enquiries each month and a conversion rate of client leads of up to 40%
• significantly expanded the breadth and type of matters that it advises on day to day, which has increased the firm’s skillsets, diversity and resilience
• expanded its community outreach by collaborating with local Sydney venues for client seminars and continuing active participation in a Sydney small/family business group
Stevens & Associates Lawyers has adapted to digital trends by implementing an effective strategy with SEO and web design, resulting in a structural shift that has seen increased representation of employees where the firm previously mainly advised employers.
The firm’s recognition as a “Fast Firm” attests to its momentum in the employment law space.
“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started”
Wayne Tower,
IQumulate Premium Funding
Marina Christopoulos is a highly experienced professional with more than 30 years in the banking and insurance industries. Throughout her career, she has developed deep expertise across sales, underwriting, claims, project delivery and relationship management. Christopoulos is recognised for her collaborative approach, strategic thinking, and commitment to building lasting client and stakeholder relationships. She is passionate about achieving fair and balanced outcomes for customers while driving positive business results. Her broad industry knowledge, combined with her dedication to service excellence, has enabled her to contribute successfully across a wide range of roles and initiatives throughout her career.
Claims Relationship Manager
Marina Christopoulos
Courtney Mills is the NSW/ACT claims relationship manager within commercial property and specialty claims at Vero, where she has worked for three years. She builds strong broker relationships, promotes best-practice claims service, and supports complex and escalated matters. With 19 years of industry experience, Mills has worked across property, commercial and heavy motor, contract works, ISR, corporate travel, accident and health, recoveries, and investigations, bringing a detail-oriented and collaborative approach to delivering effective claims outcomes.
Claims Relationship Manager
Courtney Mills
Frank Hillerich has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience across customer service, property claims, assessing and claims leadership. Since joining Vero in 2017, he has supported brokers across Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, drawing on his extensive claims expertise to build strong broker relationships, promote best-practice claims service, and assist with complex and escalated matters.
Claims Relationship Manager
Frank Hillerich
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Commercial Manager
Stephen McMillan
One culmination of these efforts has been the real-world, needs-based IQEdge solution. A one-stop online quoting tool designed for both the Australian and New Zealand markets, IQEdge delivers quotes in under 60 seconds. Plus, the solution offers quote comparison and quote versioning capabilities, enabling users to review vital historical and financial data in a single page view.
IQEdge can streamline and automate application processing, underwriting document verification and payment collection, cutting the need for manual labour and minimising processing errors. A digital “self-service” platform, IQEdge, reduces the need for customer and administrative support. Meanwhile, borrowers can access their accounts, make payments and manage their policies independently and through sales and support teams, which are always available for further assistance.
“We’ve created a quality platform that simplifies the quoting process yet amplifies the customer experience,” says Gordon. “It’s a real game changer.” IQumulate offers an online digital quoting tool to clients. The best-in-market solution enables IQumulate to tailor funding offerings to brokers that align with their prefered distribution channel.
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What does IQumulate have in mind for the future?
“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started,” says Wayne Tower, CEO. “Through continuous engagement with our clients, partners, marketplace and industry, we will listen to the needs as they arise and position our business to be agile and respond to changes as they occur.
“Faster decision-making innovations such as AI-powered decision support systems can expedite the underwriting and approval process, leading to quicker responses to clients. This can improve client satisfaction and potentially attract more business, with the potential to allow IQumulate to capture a larger market share, whilst continuing to deliver service excellence to clients.”
“As forward-thinkers with a digital and ‘do it better’ mindset, we collectively and proactively look to learn and improve on our customer experience for our clients, paving the way for successful business outcomes for our clients and our business in the coming years ahead.
“We’re excited for the future and look forward to what’s on the horizon.”
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Product Manager
Claire Watson
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Commercial Manager
Stephen McMillan
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Ivan Verescuk
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Shaun O’Brien
Head of Underwriting
Emily Walker
Head of Strata and Development
Rex Oakman
Head of Operations and Risk
Sandy Newton
Head of Underwriting
Andrew Mitchell
Manager – NSW
Michael Prokopis
Manager – Southern Region
Pam Chhabra
Manager – Residential Strata
Jeffrey Valdivia
Manager – Commercial Strata
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
When SPG Canada sat down to map out the strategy that has carried it through the past few years, the conversation kept returning to a single principle: that survival in specialty insurance depends on the willingness to keep adapting.
“Our culture is founded on the belief that it is critical to continuously adapt and evolve alongside our customers’ needs for long-term success,” the firm says, and that conviction runs through everything SPG Canada has built in the construction space.
Brokers agree. The firm’s place on Insurance Business Canada’s Brokers on Construction for 2026 was earned on the strength of their ratings across coverage, underwriting expertise, claims handling, and service. SPG Canada is led at the brand level by its president, Cameron Copeland, who oversees all of the group’s MGA brands, while the construction operation is headed by Chris Pauli, SVP construction and one of the founding partners of legacy brand i3 Underwriting. That entrepreneurial lineage shapes how the team operates day to day.
“Our underwriters are encouraged to think and operate as if this were their own business,” the firm says, describing a model in which accountability and ownership are built into performance. Underwriters are empowered to nurture their own broker relationships and make decisions that support clients, supported by leaders who keep an open-door policy and stay close to the trends moving both the insurance and construction sectors.
Depth of expertise is central to the pitch. The 28-strong construction team is staffed by specialists rather than generalists.
“They are not generalists who write across many industry verticals,” the firm says, a focus that it argues allows for sharper risk assessment and positions the team as a go-to advisory resource for brokers. The capacity behind that advice is considerable: SPG Canada writes up to $100 million on frame construction projects in house and $150 million-plus on fire resistive/non-combustible risks. The firm also offers CCDC and DE4 coverage, transit and off-site coverage, an all-risk comprehensive form and broad named insureds clause.
Technology has become SPG Canada’s defining strategic bet. The firm has rolled out Anthropic’s AI agent, Claude, across the enterprise, an initiative it is approaching “purposefully and carefully” to augment rather than replace its people. The clearest payoff so far has been a rating tool the team built at speed, one it says would otherwise have taken a developer months to code, giving underwriters a consistent rating methodology to work from. Stripping out manual friction frees the team to concentrate on bespoke coverage and product innovation.
That same technology is widening distribution through the SPG Canada portal, where brokers can quote, bind, and issue construction policies up to $10 million in total insured value. SPG Canada continues to refine the product as the market shifts, listening for trends worth acting on while drawing on its own underwriting experience to judge what is working. For the firm, recognition by brokers is confirmation that the strategy of constant evolution is paying off.
IQumulate invests in education and people, which are vital to attracting new business and talent to the company.
“We have long tenures for several of our key staff, including some in leadership positions, and this sound working knowledge of our business, practices and industry provides great insights and a wealth of experience to offer our clients,” says Bastow. “Our new head of sales, Graeme Gordon, formerly manager for New Zealand, joins us in Australia to drive our sales strategy and lead our team to successful outcomes for our clients and our business. We look forward to great things ahead with Graeme as he continues to be active and present in the New Zealand market as well as building sound working relationships and new connections in Australia.”
Clients can also expect a lot from working with IQumulate.
“Through active engagement with our trusted broker network, IQumulate provides relevant information, education and training content,” says Graeme Gordon, head of sales. “Our clients can expect IQumulate to support their business in several ways, providing an understanding of what premium funding solutions are available and how IQumulate can spread the cost of insurance and help borrowers get the right level of insurance cover to free up their cash flow for other expenses or business growth opportunities. Premium funding is often considered a tool for those who simply cannot afford to pay their premiums in full. While this is certainly a significant driver for many, it is also successfully used by profitable companies who use premium funding to manage their cash flows more wisely or better manage their liquidity.”
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
Pam Chhabra
Manager – Residential Strata
Frank Hillerich
Claims Relationship Manager
Courtney Mills
Claims Relationship Manager
Marina Christopoulos
Claims Relationship Manager
John Archer
Manager, Technical Claims
Sasha Opacic
Vice President, Sales - Broker and Group Channel
Val Bosiaga
Claims Manager
Hans Choi
Vice President, Construction
Chris Pauli
Executive Vice President, Construction