Headquarters:
105 Adelaide Street West, Suite 700, Toronto, ON M5H 1P9
Year founded:
2005
Number of employees:
400+
Phone:
13 18 13
Email:
info@nbfc.com
Website:
northbridgeinsurance.ca
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/northbridge-insurance
“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
Deanna Cain is responsible for examining the multi-line senior level claims in the Arch Canada claims department. She joined Arch in December 2008 and concentrates her time on the specialty claims and managing in-office claims examiners.
Cain is a graduate of Brock University, with a bachelor of kinesiology. She entered the field of insurance after working three years in the physical rehabilitation sector and has 20 years of claims handling experience within the commercial insurance industry. She has continued with her professional development and successfully completed her Chartered Insurance Professional certificate, Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional, and Certified Risk Management designations.
Vice President, Claims
Deanna Cain
Katherine Solomon is a technical claims manager at Arch Insurance Canada. She is responsible for examining multi-line senior level claims in the Arch Canada claims department. She joined Arch in May 2016 and primarily handles professional liability claims, in addition to other lines.
Solomon is a University of Toronto graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. She has also completed her Chartered Insurance Professional Designation and is currently taking the final course required for her to complete her Certified Risk Management designation. Prior to becoming a claims examiner, Solomon spent one year as a claims coordinator for a large property insurance restoration company.
She has 15 years of claims handling experience within the commercial insurance industry, including three years as a third-party administrator for Lloyd’s of London syndicates. She is committed to continuing her professional development through education going forward.
Technical Claims Manager
Katherine Solomon
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
Northbridge Insurance is a leading Canadian commercial insurer. Working closely with its broker partners and leveraging its in-depth industry expertise, the company helps businesses operate more safely so they can worry less about risks and focus on opportunities.
Northbridge supports customers’ businesses and resolves their claims effectively and efficiently so brokers can focus on growing their own.
What sets Northbridge apart?
Industry expertise: Northbridge’s commercially focused claims adjusters have sector expertise and access to tools not available to independents. Their understanding of sector-specific complexities and challenges allows them to deliver tailored claims handling to help ensure a swift recovery of customers’ operations.
Human connection: Northbridge treats customers with the empathy, transparency, and direct communication they need during a stressful time. The company makes sure they feel valued and not simply like a task to complete, guiding them through the claims process from start to finish, so they know what to expect and when to expect it.
Outcome focused: Northbridge prioritizes doing what’s right for its customers. Through its service commitment and innovative solutions, it aims to provide the best possible outcomes for customers when it matters most to them.
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
Katherine Solomon
Technical Claims Manager
Deanna Cain
Vice President, Claims