Headquarters:

1 Robert Speck Parkway, Suite 400, Mississauga, ON, L4Z 4E7

Year founded:

1996

Number of employees:

1,419

Phone:

905 273 1000

Email:

contact@symcor.com

Website:

symcor.ca

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/symcor

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Holger Kormann

President and Chief Executive Officer

Ana Brtan

Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Craig Menzies

Senior Vice President, Client Service Delivery and Operations

Leadership

As president and chief executive officer, Holger Kormann is responsible for the strategic management, direction, and growth of Symcor’s operations across Canada. An innovative and hands-on change agent, Holger is a visionary with an exceptional track record of shaping successful business strategies and driving growth. Prior to joining Symcor, Kormann served as ADP Canada’s president for eight years, where he was responsible for positioning the company as the partner of choice in the HR technology and outsourcing markets. With over two decades of experience spanning technology, operations, and sales, he has held progressively senior positions at organizations, including Atos International and Siemens.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Holger Kormann

Ana Brtan oversees the resources, training, and strategy that empowers employees to follow Symcor’s north star of “Connecting for the Common Good”. In her role, Brtan shapes the company’s overall employee experience, advances well-being, diversity and inclusion, and champions cultural transformation. Her progressive talent strategy supports Symcor’s business objectives, as well as the growth and development of its employees across nine locations in Canada. Prior to joining Symcor in 2019, Brtan held senior positions in organizations across Canada and the UK, including HP and DXC Technology.

Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Ana Brtan

Craig Menzies leads the client services team to oversee the delivery, integration, and transformation of business services within the Symcor delivery network. He also leads a team responsible for client relations and operational excellence initiatives. Menzies joined Symcor in 2009 as vice president of operations for the Western region. His 20 years of global outsourcing operations experience includes serving as director of North America utility BPO operations for Accenture and, prior to that, as director of customer care operations at CustomerWorks LP.

Senior Vice President, Client Service Delivery and Operations

Craig Menzies

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Leadership

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Leadership

Aaron Sanderson

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Aaron Sanderson is responsible for overseeing Symcor’s financial and risk management operations in alignment with the company’s overarching vision and mission. He joined Symcor in 2016 as vice president of finance, bringing with him a wealth of experience in managing financial operations and a track record of successfully enabling growth and sales activities to deliver strong results. With over 20 years of expertise in functional finance spanning diverse industries, Sanderson is an exceptional leader with a razor-sharp focus on generating results. Prior to Symcor, he held roles at organizations, including Deloitte, Atomic Energy of Canada, and Brewers Retail/Brewers Distributor.

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Aaron Sanderson

Paul MacDonald

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Paul MacDonald is responsible for developing and executing Symcor’s market-driven technology strategy and managing the technical support and core application teams. He began working with Symcor as a consultant in 2015 before being appointed to his current position in 2016. MacDonald has extensive experience as a business and information technology executive from his time as senior vice president and chief information officer at Farm Credit Canada, and as vice president at Ipsos-Reid.

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Paul MacDonald

Symcor is a technology provider of payment, security, and data services. From business transformation to digital innovation, it has the expertise and technology solutions to help clients thrive at every stage of its business evolution. Symcor makes tomorrow’s challenges today’s business. Symcor is recognized for its steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). This is integral to its corporate identity. “We have a strong people culture and one that is driven by performance excellence,” explains Ana Brtan, senior vice president and CHRO. A key aspect of Symcor’s strategic DEIB framework has been evolving how the company attracts and retains employees.

Saba Shariff

Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy, Product and Innovation Officer

Elisabeth Demone

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Kevin Kim

Director of Finance  

David Badurina 

Director, General Counsel  

Saba Shariff oversees multiple teams responsible for designing and launching innovative products that address industry-wide challenges, along with a mandate for charting Symcor’s corporate strategy toward continued growth. She joined Symcor in 2002 and held progressive senior positions thereafter. Prior to joining Symcor, Shariff had preceding experience in both start-ups and telecommunications sectors. Named one of Canada’s Top 50 Women in Fintech, Shariff is a sought-after public speaker who shares insights on topics such as open banking, innovation, and women in technology in the Canadian financial industry.

Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy, Product and Innovation Officer

Saba Shariff

Elisabeth Demone oversees the company’s legal, contractual, and regulatory functions in addition to guiding governance matters as secretary to the Board of Directors. She joined Symcor in 2010, holding progressively senior positions. Prior to joining Symcor, Demone worked at John Deere Credit and Stikeman Elliott LLP. She earned her LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario. She previously served as a director on the board of the Canadian Technology Law Association.

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Elisabeth Demone

Kevin Kim is responsible for providing leadership and strategic guidance to the finance team (accounting, planning and analysis, tax, financial reporting and extended warranty and internal audit and financial controls), ensuring compliance with company policies and all financial and government regulations, influencing high-level management decisions, and ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting, forecasting, and planning. 

Director of Finance  

Kevin Kim

David Badurina is the director of general council at Hyundai Canada, where he is responsible for the direction of all legal matters pertaining to the company, including providing legal advice to management. He is also responsible for the risk management function, such as advising on all risk-related issues pertaining to events, consumers, and team members. 

Director, General Counsel  

David Badurina  

Director, General Counsel  

David Badurina

Director, General Counsel  

David Badurina  

Sarah M Stewart

Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations

Karen Bannister, CM

Vice President, Marketing

Dave Longbottom

Chief Technology Officer

Alex Ventura

Head of Marketing

Damian Palovick

Senior Vice President of Underwriting AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Dr. Mary Lavoie

Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Mark Bernacki

Chief Underwriting Officer

Ryan Armijo

Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division

Bob Petrilli

President, Underwriting Division

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Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

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Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

social services fuel oil and propane distribution janitorial services security guard services animal welfare organizations adult residential care facilities and more

Tangram’s experienced team is constantly surveying the landscape and creating ways to add value through broader coverage, elevated service, and competitive pricing. They continue to move with independence, diversity, and responsibility to serve their customers and partners. The Tangram team looks forward to working together.

technical excellence portfolio management data analytics focusing on communication collaboration

These factors are actively and routinely reaffirmed by senior vice president and chief technical claims officer Francine Minervini. She says, “We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration. Our process incorporates communication throughout the life of the claim and encourages communication with insureds, brokers, claims management, and our underwriters and actuaries.” Eager to develop and become better, Arch has a raft of future plans to boost its offerings amid the rapid pace of technological change. “We are in the midst of a system transformation that will modernize our claims system; we are also working with Strategic Analytics to introduce AI into the claims mail process,” shares Shiva Altadonna, senior vice president, claims shared services. “As a starting point, it will allow us to identify and route First Notice of Loss even faster to our claims professionals for handling and give quicker peace of mind to our customers that we are fanatical about responsiveness.”

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not,” says Christine Schneider, senior vice president, casualty claims. “Also, strategically executing on opportunities based on market conditions has continuously supported Arch’s growth.” Leadership encourages all segments of the business to be bold, take calculated risks, celebrate accomplishments, and learn from mistakes. The focus is placed on the goals of each initiative, along with the necessary specific strategies. A key factor in Arch’s success has been the implementation of a new claims system that interlinks with the firm’s ‘North Star’ of placing employees in a position where they can add value on a daily basis. Senior vice president, financial and specialty claims Brian Kristiansen says, “We segment claims by line of business and hire employees with experience in those lines. We provide them with additional training and mentoring to ensure the continued development of expertise in those lines.” Another driver of Arch’s market-leading performance is its investment in data analytics and data transformation, increasing its ability to utilize business intelligence to improve product offerings and the abilities of its claims department, with a strong emphasis on claims handling and claims excellence. In addition, the firm continuously seeks feedback from the broker community on any areas where they would like to see potential improvement, particularly in claims service. Arch Claims specifically has done considerable work around communication with brokers over the past year, including an extensive survey to solicit feedback on the claims experience. Schneider says, “Through their commentary, we strive to be able to build even more trusting, respectful, and responsive relationships with all of our partners.” The claims department underscores the importance of:

Recruitment • Modified job descriptions using gender-neutral language, emphasizing Symcor’s dedication to an inclusive hiring process • Concentrated on external partnerships to share job postings across diverse job boards and attending career fairs, targeting various underrepresented groups • Implemented bias-free screening in HRIS with structured interviews • Established recruitment targets for underrepresented groups Training • Provided DEIB training and leadership development with courses on unconscious bias, accessibility, and anti-harassment, discrimination, and violence in the workplace • Implemented self-directed learning on the Udemy platform, which has an extensive catalogue of DEIB courses

“Over the years, we have seen greater emphasis within the industry, where businesses are developing DEIB strategies and interest from employees who want an employer who has a focus on DEIB,” adds Jeannie White, director, employee experience. Another aspect of Symcor’s DEIB framework focuses on how the company communicates its identity to clients. The following initiatives highlight Symcor’s dedication to DEIB, fostering stronger relationships and enhancing their reputation:

• Evolve its DEIB strategy with short- and long-term goals • Enhance training and development • Refine metrics and accountability measures

“We strongly believe that when our employees succeed, we all succeed,” comments Brtan. “This spirit of excellence and collaboration flows through every facet of our organization.”

• Promoting the company’s culture on professional platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor • Highlighting Symcor’s commitment to diversity and inclusion on its dedicated careers page on the corporate website • Offering information on Symcor’s DEIB activities when addressing diversity and equity inquiries in RFPs from prospective clients

All of Symcor’s DEIB initiatives relate to creating an environment where its employees can thrive. Brtan says, “We developed a people strategy with three key pillars intricately woven in all our employee programs: fostering an environment of belonging; supporting the well-being of our employees; and attracting, retaining, and developing the best people.” This extends to their Employee Value Proposition, offered to all employees and guided by their People Strategy, takes a holistic approach by encompassing both tangible and intangible benefits. In addition, Symcor established the EMERGE resource group with a purpose to focus on DEIB in the workplace by helping to expand, support, amplify, and connect employees. Another key objective of EMERGE is to drive the development of Employee Resource Groups of which there are now five: Women in Leadership, Early Career Network, Black Professionals Network, Proud Professionals Alliance, and MOSAIC (Muslim Outreach, Support, and Inclusion Community. Committed to continuing its equity and inclusion journey, Symcor plans to:

Recruitment • Updated job descriptions to be inclusive with gender-neutral language along with highlighting Symcor’s commitment to an inclusive process • Focus on external partnerships to post to diverse job boards and attend career fairs for specific groups • Bias-free screening in HRIS with structured interviews • Set hiring goals to look for underrepresented groups Training • DEIB training and leadership development with courses on unconscious bias, accessibility, and anti-harassment, discrimination, and violence in the workplace • Udemy company-wide platform for self-directed learning, which has an extensive catalogue on DEIB courses

• Showcasing the firm’s culture on LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor • Dedicated careers page on Symcor’s website highlighting the commitment to diversity and inclusion • Providing information around Symcor’s DEIB-related activities in response to questions related to diversity and equity in RFPs from potential clients • Regular reporting on DEIB statistics provided to Symcor’s Board of Directors

All the DEIB initiatives relate to creating an environment where their people can thrive. XXX says, “We developed a people strategy with three key pillars intricately woven in all our employee programs: fostering an environment of belonging; supporting the well-being of our employees; and attracting, retaining, and developing the best people.” This extends to Symcor’s Employee Value Proposition, offered to all employees, guided by the company’s People Strategy, which takes a holistic approach encompassing both tangible and intangible benefits. In addition, the firm formed the EMERGE group with a purpose to focus on DEIB in the workplace by helping to expand, support, amplify and connect Symcor employees. Another key objective was to drive the development of Employee Resource Groups of which there are now five. Committed to continuing their equity and inclusion journey, Symcor plans to:

[CEROS OBJECT]

• Refresh its DEIB strategy with short- and long-term goals • Enhance its training and development programs • Improve its metrics and accountability

“We strongly believe that when our employees succeed, we all succeed,” comments XXX. “This spirit of excellence and collaboration flows through every facet of our organization.”

• Refresh its DEIB strategy with short- and long-term goals • Enhance its training and development programs • Improve its metrics and accountability

“We strongly believe that when our employees succeed, we all succeed,” comments XXX. “This spirit of excellence and collaboration flows through every facet of our organization.”