Profile
“Westfield Specialty and I have been trying to make sure we are opportunistic in the marketplace and that has allowed us to grow profitably and create a broader and more diversified portfolio”
Jack Kuhn
Westfield Specialty
Marie-Eve Paquette has always driven herself to build thriving teams and foster a collegial environment, making a positive difference for her organization and the people she works with.
Newly appointed CEO of APRIL Marine in Canada, Paquette was instrumental in transforming the company over the last 10 years into a dynamic business focused on customer experience and digital innovation.
She admits to working diligently to achieve her goals without getting discouraged, leveraging her prior skills and knowledge to advance the cause even in the most challenging circumstances.
“I took advantage of every opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, to go further, and to make a real difference,” says Paquette.
She credits her team’s strength as a driving force in accomplishing the goals before them.
“The team definitely makes me the proudest,” she says. “These people trust me with their eyes closed and take enormous pleasure in working together, no matter how crazy the ideas that I launch are.”
The management committee she has painstakingly built over the last few years is also a source of pride. Her coaching, support, and learning investments enabled the leaders to take on more responsibility, become stronger professionally, and manage their teams more effectively.
Paquette’s ability to build well-functioning teams is among her most vital qualities. That talent stands her in good stead, considering her biggest challenge is overcoming the shortage of people in the insurance field and trying to replace departing employees with new hires with the right attitude and fit for the company.
“Working in a team and improving people’s skills, allowing them to evolve personally and professionally, is where I excel,” she says. “I have this ability to share a vision and get people on board, motivate them to want to succeed, to want to go further, and to work as a team.”
Having been inspired several times over her career by leaders who motivated her to push to the next level, Paquette relishes giving back as one of Insurance Business Canada’s Elite Women of 2024.
“I hope I can inspire other women to go further, to push back barriers, and not to be discouraged by challenges,” she says. “It’s important to have dreams and believe in yourself to do everything to make them come true.”
By harnessing that confidence and taking delight in working with her team, Paquette has been able to blaze trails in the industry. Despite the storms that inevitably arise, she has been consistent in her actions and strives to improve every day.
“I think women are increasingly taking their place in the insurance industry, and that’s good,” she says. “On the other hand, we must learn to trust ourselves more and be able to say what we are worth. The biggest problem remains the inequality of salaries between men and women for the same position. Unfortunately, this is often linked to our difficulty in saying what we are worth and fighting to obtain it.”
There’s no doubt that Paquette’s aspiration to transform the image of insurance will come to fruition. The messages she hopes to share widely and the legacy she aims to create are that insurance is at the service of people to protect them and their property, and that insurance teams can be dynamic while offering simple contracts.
3250, Lapiniere Boulevard, Suite 100, Brossard, QC J4Z 3T8
450 671 3030
marie-eve.paquette@april.ca
linkedin.com/in/marie-eve-paquette-baa-38aa0295
aprilmarine.ca/on-en
Marie-Eve Paquette
Chief Executive Officer
APRIL Marine
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“The biggest challenge is getting everyone comfortable with the pace that I’m looking for to drive our buildout and growth. How I deal with it is by being open and transparent, and responsive to questions or concerns”
Jack Kuhn
Westfield Specialty
2008
2015
2017
2022
2023
Broker
2008
Operations manager
2015
Director of APRIL Marine
2017
Deputy CEO of APRIL Marine
2022
Executive VP, Operations and Customer Experience of APRIL Canada
CEO of APRIL Marine
2023
Assistant Vice President and Senior Broker at MJ Hall & Company since 2018
Present
Milestones
Aug 2022
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
Kuhn says, “I would say my career has been one of more of chance and opportunities than a set plan. And it’s interesting how one decision has a ripple effect on putting you on a different path than maybe where you thought you would be.”
He highlights his spell at Endurance as his biggest professional achievement to date.
“It took some time, but we took them from really being viewed as a reinsurance company to being viewed as a global insurance company.”
It’s this type of innovative attitude that is powering Westfield Specialty forward so successfully.
Kuhn explains, “Westfield Specialty and I have been trying to make sure we are opportunistic in the marketplace and that has allowed us to grow profitably and create a broader and more diversified portfolio.”
Part of this has seen the firm acquire the existing Lloyd’s of London Syndicate 1200 in February 2023. It is also Kuhn’s ingenuity that has allowed Westfield Specialty to outperform expectations in challenging market conditions.
“I would say it’s been the understanding that there is a limited window of time. We're in this unique market, we need to be fast and decisive to take advantage of market opportunities before the market begins to move away,” he comments. “Additionally, I'd like to say we move with a lot of speed, but we do it in a thoughtful and methodical approach, not just to be the first.”
However, it has been an intricate process to ensure his team are onboard with his vision. Kuhn places importance of explaining his targets and the blueprint to achieve them.
He adds, “The biggest challenge is getting everyone comfortable with the pace that I’m looking for to drive our buildout and growth. How I deal with it is by being open and transparent, and responsive to questions or concerns. This way, everything gets thoroughly discussed and resolved.”
With almost four decades in the industry, Kuhn has developed methods that have consistently delivered. It is why he has been tasked with so many leadership roles and he intends to maintain his focus on creating more success at Westfield Specialty.
“I think I am and have always tried to be methodical. I look at the big picture yet stay focused on executing the different opportunities or plans that I have in front of me. I don’t get emotional or make emotional decisions.”
Chief underwriting officer of executive risk at Chubb
President of financial insurance solutions at Kemper
Chief underwriting officer at Axis Capital
CEO of global Insurance at Endurance
CEO of global Insurance at Sompo International
Kuhn joined Westfield Specialty in the firm’s first year (2021) and has established the company’s presence in the specialty market. By the end of 2023, the firm is expected to surpass $1.3 billion in GWP after writing $300 million in 2021.
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