Aly Kanji has relinquished the title of president but will remain in the role of CEO for large Canadian brokerage InsureLine, the company announced earlier this week.
The change is one of several leadership changes at the brokerage effective immediately, InsureLine says in a press release Monday.
“This change will allow Aly to concentrate more on InsureLine’s overall strategic priorities, insurer relationships, and the recruitment of new franchisees, ensuring that we continue to expand our network and strengthen our market position,” InsureLine says in the release.
“We are essentially targeting two groups of people: existing brokerage owners, and individual producers who own a book or have the right to buy their book and would like to own their own brokerage,” Kanji tells Canadian Underwriter Wednesday.
“We believe there are still small brokerages out there that perhaps are not attractive to consolidators. And it is becoming increasingly difficult to remain independent if you own one of these small brokerages.”
Looking to the future, Kanji says InsureLine is looking to expand the network in the Prairies and Ontario. “We believe there is tremendous opportunity in these areas for our model, both with smaller and rural independent brokerages that need help to achieve growth, and with individuals looking for opportunities to become brokerage owners.”
InsureLine’s network includes more than 35 brokerages across Canada. InsureLine operates using a franchise model, which allows a firm to be a “true independent brokerage” as they retain 100% ownership in their business, Kanji explained to Canadian Underwriter in 2022. Every franchisee is a separate legal entity licensed with the regulator in their own jurisdiction with their own principal broker, nominee or equivalent. They have access to InsureLine’s market capacity, technology, marketing, and leadership.
“You own your own company, you own your book of business,” Kanji said at the time.
On Wednesday, he told CU InsureLine is “extremely selective” about who it allows to become a franchisee. “Our brokerages on average are growing north of 20% year-over-year growth,” he says. “We are also seeing efficiencies and economies of scale where our offices are making more per policy (commission growth is outpacing premium growth) and bottom-line margins are up.
“Ultimately, we believe we have something to offer that doesn’t exist anywhere else, and we need to get that message out. My focus will be making sure we are getting that message out and that we are attracting the right people into our network.”
Leadership changes
As part of the leadership changes, Kelly Walker will be stepping into the role of president of InsureLine, reporting directly to Kanji.
Walker, who has served as chief technology officer, will “take on a more active position in overseeing the overall operations of the business” in his new role, InsureLine reports.
“InsureLine recognizes that technology will continue to be foundational to our growth, and we are enthusiastic about having someone with Kelly’s expertise and vision leading the entire organization.”
Kanji says having Kelly with his technology background more immersed in the overall organization is an important change.
“Kelly brings a skill set and perspective that is different from the life-long insurance professional. He has run a publicly traded technology company and is really strong on the systems and operational side,” Kanji says. “His approach gives us diversity of thought so that we aren’t a leadership team full of insurance people only. He asks different questions and approaches problems from a different perspective.”
Left to right: Aly Kanji, Dawn Ladds, Kristy Kayat, Kelly Walker, Manjit Biring, Taj Phagura. Missing: Barb Street. Photo courtesy of InsureLine.
Other leadership changes include:
- Taj Phagura, who has managed franchisee and insurer relationships, will now assume the role of senior vice president of operations.
- Manjit Biring will transition into the role of vice president of personal insurance. She will be responsible for the growth and profitability of the personal lines portfolio across InsureLine’s network.
- Dawn Ladds, who joined InsureLine in 2024, will continue in her role as vice president of commercial insurance, with a mandate to build commercial expertise and grow the commercial portfolio across the brokerage’s network.
- Barb Street, who joined InsureLine in mid-2024, will continue as vice president of specialty insurance. Her focus will be on building out the brokerage’s business through its captive managing general agent, InsureLine Solutions Inc.
Feature image by iStock.com/Wasan Tita
