Our seminars are presented by experienced instructors who work in many facets of the insurance industry. Some of our instructors come to us from the fields of law, dispute resolution, sales and marketing, and adult education. Regardless of their backgrounds, they share their extensive knowledge and experience to provide you with practical and relevant continuing education.

Nick Batistic has been employed in the insurance industry since 1963. He has worked in underwriting, claims and field work with both national and international insurers. He moved to the brokerage side of the business in 1983 and spent over ten years as an account executive with one of the leading international brokers. Currently with Pemberton Insurance Corporation in downtown Vancouver, Nick handles commercial lines business with a specialty in technology risks and brokers his own accounts directly with underwriters. He has been presenting seminars for IBABC since 2003.

Beverley Carlson has worked in the insurance industry for over 40 years. She began her career as a policy typist at Sun Alliance. Later, Beverley also worked for United Insurance Managers, Safeco Insurance, and the Motor Vehicle Department. Today, she works for HUB International TOS Ltd. where she manages the Pleasure Craft Marine Department. Beverley has been teaching marine pleasure craft seminars for IBABC, along with John Zeiler, since 1998.

Brian Cook is founder and president of PowerCheck Electrical Safety Services, a Vancouver-based company offering electrical safety assessments of homes, apartments and commercial buildings throughout BC for the insurance industry. Brian has an in-depth knowledge of and is keenly interested in electrical safety. He is a licensed electrical contractor and a registered Field Safety Representative. His expertise is founded on 35 years experience in the electrical field. He has a comprehensive background in safety of residential and commercial electrical systems, including consulting to BC Hydro and the National Research Council of Canada. Brian regularly lectures on electrical safety at UBC and has written course material on electrical systems for BCIT.

Debra L. Fitzsimmons, CAIB has been in the insurance industry for more than ten years. She began her career on the front lines of a large Prince George insurance brokerage as an Autoplan agent, and then quickly moved into personal lines which became her passion. Currently an office supervisor for Seafirst Insurance Brokers on Salt Spring Island, Debra continues to assist clients with their personal insurance needs. A former IBABC Board Member and BIP Committee Chair, Debra has been facilitating courses and seminars for IBABC since 2005.

David Keen, a past president of the Insurance Brokers Association of B.C., entered the insurance business with Lloyds Brokers Hogg Robinson & Capel-Cure Ltd. after leaving school at age 17. Born and educated in the south of England, he immigrated to Montreal with J.H. Minet & Co. Ltd. in 1969 and transferred to Vancouver with Reed Shaw Osler Ltd. in 1973. Subsequent to time spent with Reeds, Johnson & Higgins and Leslie Wright & Rolfe, he and a partner opened a brokerage house in Vancouver in 1978. Up until his recent retirement, David was co-owner of Vanguard Insurance Brokers Ltd. in Vancouver and Surrey. David has, in the past, been involved in youth soccer as a coach, referee, club president and he owns five acres in Langley where he breeds and shows Irish Setters under the Saxonhall Kennel name. David has been presenting seminars for IBABC since 2005.

Glen MacRae currently works at a major insurance brokerage specializing in servicing the construction sector. His career has embraced many front line jobs in the insurance industry. After graduating from the University of British Columbia, he worked briefly as an administration manager in a Canadian chartered bank before joining a direct writing American insurance company selling commercial P&C, life, and disability insurance. For fifteen years, he worked at producing and servicing clients in many industry sectors. During those years, he had first hand experience as a Direct Writer, National Tier I brokerage and as an equity owner in an independent agency. After selling his business, he went to work for a decade in increasingly senior positions with one of Canada's foremost insurance companies. There, he worked closely with the president and COO as Manager of Claims Operations. Following a corporate reshuffling, he took a Graduate Certificate in e-Business at the University of British Columbia. Since then, he has gained experience at day-to-day e-commerce selling to a global clientele. Glen combines his first-hand experience of the insurance industry and experience as a senior management trainer to create educational programs directed at the emerging needs of the insurance brokerage sector.

Karen MacWilliam, B.A., FIIC, CRM is an independent insurance and risk management consultant. She has over 20 years experience as an underwriter, broker, corporate risk manager, trainer and consultant. In addition to advising a variety of clients on risk management and insurance matters, she is the author of The Risk Management and Insurance Guidebook for Industry © 2001, ABS Inc. and teaches advanced insurance and risk management curriculum at SFU and UNBC. Karen has been facilitating seminars for IBABC since 1998.

Ken Marriette is a Victoria-based sales trainer, business coach, and marketing specialist. Ken was an extremely successful sales professional with IBM Canada Ltd. for twenty-five years. During his time there, he consistently exceeded sales targets and was perennially awarded for being a high achiever. In 1992, he left IBM and is now a full-time seminar instructor, business mentor, and personal coach. His highly energetic and enthusiastic presentation style puts him in constant demand as a presenter. He has been facilitating sales, marketing and business coaching seminars for the IBABC since the early 1990’s.

Evan Miles is the Branch Manager for Crawford & Company (Canada) Ltd., in charge of the Vancouver, Abbotsford, and B.C. Marine branches. He was born on the prairies, was raised in Edmonton, and moved to B.C. over 20 years ago. While in Alberta, Evan spent 17 years in the Fire Services and, after 10 years of active firefighting, moved into Fire & Arson Investigations where he eventually reached the rank of Assistant Fire Marshall, then Deputy Fire Chief. Of course, most firefighters have some type of part time job and, in Evan’s case, he owned and operated a Private Investigation Agency for over 10 years and he also dabbled in Driver Education. Over the past 20 years, he has worked as a Claims Professional in Independent Adjusting and as a Staff Adjuster, Examiner, and Litigation Manager.

Jo Anne Mitchell, CIP is founder and operator of Effective Training & Communications Plus (ETC Plus), based in Port Stanley, Ontario. Jo Anne has over 20 years experience in the insurance industry, including commercial lines and farms. A seasoned facilitator, she has trained over 5,000 insurance professionals across Canada. Jo Anne’s insurance career spans both a brokerage and company background, giving her a unique insight into the training needs of both groups. She has been presenting seminars for IBABC since 2006.

Renate Mueller, C.A. is a prominent figure in the Canadian insurance industry. Originally a public accountant, she changed her career and became an insurance broker when she purchased M.G. MacGregor Insurance Agencies Ltd. from her parents over 20 years ago. As owner and senior manager there, she serviced the insurance needs of both personal lines and commercial lines clients. In 2000, Renate sold her highly successful brokerage and stayed on for a couple of years as a broker/producer. In 2003, she joined AMAC Consultants Inc. as owner and President. In that capacity, she manages acquisitions and mergers, engages in senior executive recruitment activities, and provides general consulting to the property and insurance industry. Renate is a past President of IBABC, has sat on the board of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC), and has been a director of numerous other professional associations and organizations including the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Edelweiss Credit Union, and the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board. She has been facilitating seminars for IBABC since 2003.

Larry Munn is the Chair of Clark Wilson LLP’s Privacy Law Group and a member of the Business Litigation, Intellectual Property and Insurance Law Groups. In these areas, his practice is focused on regulatory issues and complex litigation. In the area of insurance, Larry provides advice to insurance clients regarding the regulation of the insurance industry at both the federal and provincial levels. He has dealt with numerous coverage and interpretation issues. Recently, he acted as counsel to the Insurance Bureau of Canada before the British Columbia Utilities Commission in respect of the ICBC rates and regulations. He has both a Diploma in Legislative Drafting and an LL.M. from the University of Ottawa. He received his LL.B. from McGill University. Before moving to Vancouver and joining Clark Wilson LLP, he practiced with a major Toronto firm.

Krista Prockiw is an associate with Clark Wilson LLP and a member of its Insurance Law Group. She has been a member of Clark Wilson’s Litigation Department since 2002. The focus of her practice is insurance litigation and the defense of personal injury claims. In the past, Krista has worked on behalf of private insurers, ICBC, and for Plaintiffs in personal injury claims. As a result, she has a broad experience with both third party and first party claims. Krista obtained a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) from the University of Alberta in 1993 and, after graduation, taught English in Kagoshima, Japan. Following her return to Canada, she obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of British Columbia in 1998 and was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1999. She has been presenting seminars for IBABC since 2004.

Edith Strauss, CIP, CRM began her career in the insurance industry in the mid-1970's. She has worked as a broker/manager in both British Columbia and Ontario. Edith is an Associate of the Insurance Institute of Canada, is a member of the Chartered Insurance Professionals Society, and obtained her Certified Risk Manager’s designation in 2008. Since 1990, she has served as a senior instructor for the IBABC, teaching Fundamentals and CAIB courses as well as seminars. She is also chief editor of our online CAIB courses. Edith is one of the contributors to the Fundamentals of Insurance textbook and, in the past, she has been a text auditor for the Insurance Institute of Canada. She now devotes her energy full-time to the education and training of insurance professionals.

Frank Tappin, FIIC has over forty years of experience in the general insurance industry, in both the brokerage and company ranks. He has held senior underwriting positions with major Insurers in Saskatchewan, including acting as Corporate Secretary of the Saskatchewan Mutual Insurance Company. Frank obtained his FIIC designation in 1963, graduating with honours. He is a founding member and past President of the Insurance Institute of Saskatchewan. Frank has been involved in insurance education for many years. He has assisted in the writing of materials for the Insurance Institute and has served as a consultant in the preparation of some CAIB textbook copy. He has been facilitating seminars for the IBABC since the early 1990’s.

Neo Tuytel, LLB is a partner with Clark, Wilson and is chair of the firm’s Environmental Law practice group, co-chair of its Insurance practice group, and a member of the Business Litigation group. Neo obtained his LL.B. from the University of British Columbia in 1984 and was called to the bar in 1985. He was also accredited as a mediator in 1994. He is a member of the Environmental, Civil Litigation and Insurance subsections of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute. Neo is a contributing editor of the Canadian Journal of Insurance Law and Covered Events (newsletter of DRI’s Insurance Law Committee) and has written and presented numerous papers at seminars under the auspices of DRI, the BBABC, the Canadian Risk and Insurance Managers Society, the Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C., the Insurance Institutes of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario and other organizations. Neo was winning counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada in the landmark overlapping insurance case of Family v Lombard. He has been presenting seminars for IBABC since 2004.

Peter Willcock, LLB has practiced law at Harper Grey Easton since his call to the Bar in 1983. His litigation practice focuses primarily on the defense of professionals, most specifically insurance professionals and physicians. He is a member of the Civil Litigation and Insurance subsections of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, the Medical Legal Society of British Columbia and the Defense Research Institute. Peter has spoken extensively on Professional Errors and Omissions. He has lectured in Insurance Law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria and has presented seminars on Professional Errors and Omissions and Insurance Law for the IBABC on numerous occasions.

Don Woode was in the general insurance industry for over thirty years and, for that time, was a highly successful broker / producer. At the time of his retirement in 1997, he was Senior Vice President of Aon Reed Stenhouse. His formal education includes a Diploma in Business Management from the University of B.C. He has chaired several commissions and councils, including the 2000 Langley B.C. Games for Athletes with a Disability. An avid golfer, traveler, and fishing enthusiast, Don has been presenting seminars for IBABC since 2001.

Peter Wright, C.Arb. has been involved in the insurance industry for well over fifty years. He has been active in the Marine Insurance field throughout his career and has held senior management positions with the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company of Canada and Axa Pacific Insurance Company. In addition to his extensive insurance experience, Peter is a Chartered Arbitrator and has been a pioneer in the alternative dispute resolution field. He has acted as an arbitrator and mediator for over fifteen years and is currently retained by the IBABC and oversees the Insurance Dispute Resolution Services of B.C. As an international marine consultant, arbitrator, mediator, expert witness and lecturer, Peter brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the various seminars he facilitates for IBABC.

John Zeiler, CIP has been in the insurance industry for over thirty years. He began his career in 1970 with Zurich Insurance as a Personal Lines Supervisor. Soon after, he began specializing in marine insurance when he joined Dale and Company in 1972 as a Marine Insurance Marketer and Accounts Executive. Since then, he has held numerous positions in marine insurance for the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, Marsh & McLennan Ltd., the Allianz Insurance Company, and as President and CEO of Oceanic Underwriters Ltd. He is currently the head of Eagle Underwriting Pacific. John is a member of the B.C. Insurance Adjusters Association, the International Association of Marine Investigators, and the Vancouver Maritime Arbitrators Association. He is also an experienced instructor, having taught courses for IBABC, the Insurance Institute of Canada, the Association of Marine Underwriters of B.C., and the Northwest Community College for many years.