GroupOne Talent Feature.
GroupOne is excited to present our first article in a series of Employee Features as part of our monthly newsletter. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate our GO Talent and share our employee’s achievements and provide them with the recognition they deserve. We know that relationships are of fundamental importance in our industry and hope our Employee Feature will provide you with the ability to put a face to a name. We are proud to introduce our first featured employee, an insurance professional and integral part of our team who has been with GroupOne for over 24 years, Fiona Chan, Senior Underwriter, Hospitality and Host Liquor.
Fiona started her insurance career as a Technical Assistant at Genmark Insurance in March, 1995. Genmark Insurance would later become GroupOne Insurance after a merger between
Central Underwriters and Genmark Insurance in 2010. Fiona fondly recalls her early years when underwriters would send quotes to brokers via fax and sometimes bar napkins (seriously), and smoking in the office was perfectly acceptable – not that Fiona was a smoker! As a Technical Assistant Fiona quickly acquired her first skills in underwriting, “doing almost every task I could to help me understand every part of the whole process”. Her smile tells you she is proud of all aspects of her career, however, Fiona says one of her proudest professional accomplishments was ushering in the use of electronic spreadsheets at Genmark to replace physical map-cards at a time when Email and Excel were the exceptions and not the norm. Her second proudest achievement is becoming a Senior Underwriter specializing in Hospitality and Host Liquor Liability; a class of business not easily or successfully underwritten in Canada, yet Fiona has done just that! Well done Fiona!
Fiona knew her relationship with GroupOne would be long and happy when our current president and CEO, Kay-Lee Franklin, became the CEO of Genmark in 1997. She recalls when her
birthday came around in her first year, Kay-Lee gave her a card and theatre passes, a gesture which meant a great deal to Fiona and still resonates today. “Kay-Lee truly cares about you, and truly makes you feel a part of her family. “It’s great to have a boss who cares about you and makes you feel special”, says Fiona. Fiona’s secret to long-term success? “Continuously asking questions, never feeling embarrassed to ask and not being afraid to challenge myself every day. Even in my current role today I still continue to learn. In an industry as diverse and as vast as insurance, how can I?” Asking questions and ensuring a thorough understanding of the client’s needs allows me to provide the best possible service.” Fiona’s advice to young underwriters –“Keep open communication with your broker to understand the needs of their clients so that you can provide comprehensive, sound underwriting solutions.” GroupOne thanks Fiona Chan for her hard work and dedication over a very successful 24 years with many more to come!
