September 08, 2023
By Glen Hopkinson
Country Manager, Canada, AXA XL
At nearly 10 million square kilometers (3.9 million square miles), Canada is the second-largest country by land area. Overseeing an insurance business that serves all of Canada would seem to be an exceptionally big undertaking. In reality, meeting that challenge is all in how one approaches it. As Country Manager of Canada for AXA XL, my philosophy is relatively simple: global reach and local empowerment.
Canada is a vast country, with a diversity of industries, each with unique risks, stretching across all provinces and territories. Meeting the needs of Canada’s industries requires the expertise, capabilities, and appetite of a global insurer such as AXA XL, but what really makes the difference is ultimately the strength of our service and the relationships we forge with our clients and brokers.
From commercial banks in Ontario, to energy operations in Alberta and Quebec, to agriculture and forestry, hospitals, and service businesses, Canada offers a wealth of opportunities for growth – and risks that can hinder it. Property, casualty, technology professional and specialty risks are all challenges for businesses in Canada. As an insurance partner, not merely a payer of claims, AXA XL helps our clients prepare for things that happen. We pay close attention to the traditional kinds of risks that can disrupt businesses, as well as the emerging risks that are not yet well known or that our clients haven’t yet experienced.
From commercial banks in Ontario, to energy operations in Alberta and Quebec, to agriculture and forestry, hospitals, and service businesses, Canada offers a wealth of opportunities for growth – and risks that can hinder it.
Striving to improve resiliency
Managing and mitigating these risks are critical steps in supporting resiliency. To do that effectively, we need to have a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses. As complex as the risks Canadian industries face are, the right risk management partner can make all the difference.
What matters in helping clients improve their resiliency comes down to a few, tried-and-true actions. These include:
- Understanding and empathy. Understanding our clients’ business challenges and risk needs is only one side of the coin. The other is knowing how AXA XL can support clients. Sometimes that requires leveraging our global capabilities and bringing together their expertise to solve clients’ problems.
- Being present. Filmmaker Woody Allen famously said, “80% of success is showing up.” In the people business of insurance, showing up for clients – before they have a claim, and especially during and after that – is paramount. At AXA XL, we strive to be present every day for our clients, through our commitment to service.
- Anticipation. An important component of good service is not just being there at the moment of need, such as when a loss occurs, but also anticipating what the client will need in the future. Sports metaphors in business are as common as pigeons, but one phrase attributed to hockey icon Wayne Gretzky has persisted, and for good reason. Gretzky was quoted as saying, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Anticipation is a powerful skill, and in risk management, it can make a huge difference for any organization.
- Partnership. AXA XL has a long history of underwriting difficult risks, and we are not a company to hop in and out of lines of business. We have a long-term commitment to being a strong partner for our clients and brokers, and we’re ready to serve.
For more information on AXA XL’s Canadian insurance operations, please visit axaxl.com.
About the author
Glen Hopkinson is the Country Manager for AXA XL’s Canada insurance operations. Based in Toronto, the longtime AXA XL executive is responsible for AXA XL’s product and service offerings in Canada. Previously, he was the interim leader of AXA XL’s Canada operations and head of casualty claims for the Americas. Before that, he served as the head of claims for Canada.
