In recognition of on our first year as a North American specialty team,we’re profiling some of our Canadian colleagues and sharing their thoughts on the past year. We hope you enjoy getting to know some Intact colleagues a little better!
Alex Campbell
Location: 999 W Hastings St., Vancouver, BC
What is your position at Intact/OneBeacon and how long have you held it?
I am the VP Surety, Western Canada. I have been with Intact for one year.
What are you working on today?
I did a seminar this morning for the underwriting staff on the key high-level items to focus on when underwriting an account, met with a client on a $1 billion P3 project they want to participate in and had a check-in meeting with a staff member at lunch. I’ll also be developing the security package for a Private Equity financed client.
Tell us a little bit about your background – how did you land in your area of specialty?
I was the VP and RGM for the West (all lines) for a specialty company (The Guarantee Company of North America) for 32 years after starting their operations in western Canada in 1985. I fell into bonding as no one goes looking for a career in Surety (I had to explain to my mother that this wasn’t like bail bonds)! My brother-in-law had worked with someone at The Guarantee Company and referred me to him as they were looking for someone to start up the West. Before that, I got my CA (CPA) with Ernst and Young and then worked for three years in the insolvency group as a manager in Vancouver. That is when I learned how a business really works (or fails).
Since the acquisition and becoming a North American team, what has surprised you the most?
How quickly we have been able to put the two groups together.
What’s the most complicated or interesting or strangest file you’ve ever worked on?
The $1 billion P3 bridge to Prince Edward Island. This was the first significant P3 project in Canada. It took five years from inception to contract award and then another 3.5 years to complete it in 1997.
Who is your hero or mentor and why?
My parents. They gave me my moral compass, importance of family, self-confidence and sense of optimism.
Tell us about your picture.
This is a picture of me with my first grandchild, Olivia Grace, who was born in March this year.
One reply on “Intact Employee Spotlight: Alex Campbell”
Absolutely loved the article – questions, responses, etc., but most of all the PHOTO – Puts a real life perspective into work life.