Home // About // Our Team

Meet our team

You can count on our experts to provide timely and practical risk management and insurance advice to your business. Exceeding your expectations is our goal. If you are curious about what makes us so passionate about what we do, please read our manifesto.

Leadership

Berto Di Manno

President

Berto is the President and CEO of Iridium Risk Services Inc. Berto started his career in 1995 at Marsh specializing…

Full bio >

Frances Weeks

Managing Partner

Frances joined Iridium in 2006 as a Partner, and is the Account Lead on a variety of E&P, oilfield service,…

Full bio >

Geoffrey Cowling

Managing Partner

Geoff joined the Iridium team in 2008 as a Partner and works on a variety of technical risks including E&P,…

Full bio >

Shelly Swartout

Managing Partner

Shelly joined Iridium in 2008 and plays an instrumental leadership role in the company. She is the Account Lead on…

Full bio >

Andrew Barker

Managing Partner

Full bio >

Andrew Barker

Managing Partner

Andy joined Iridium as a Risk Technician in 2010 immediately upon graduating from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of…

Full bio >

Partners

Hugh Patterson

Partner and Team Lead

Hugh joined Iridium in 2012 as a Risk Technician and progressed to his current role as Partner and Team Lead….

Full bio >

Brent Blasetti

Partner

Brent joined Iridium in 2006 and is the Account Lead on a number of Canadian E&P and oilfield servicing accounts….

Full bio >

Hristo Minkov

Partner

Hristo has been with Iridium since 2010 and works on a variety of E&P, technology and marine clients. Prior to…

Full bio >

Financial Lines

Danielle Gorst

Partner and National Practice Leader, Financial Lines

Danielle brings more than twenty years of financial lines insurance experience with over thirteen years in Executive Protection with a…

Full bio >

Risk Advisors

Bruce Barton

Risk Advisor

After graduating from the University of New Brunswick Saint John, Bruce moved to Calgary in 1990 and started his insurance…

Full bio >

Joel Askew

Risk Advisor and Team Lead

Joel graduated from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business in 2018, earning a Bachelor of Commerce in Energy…

Full bio >

Scott Gummerson

Risk Advisor

Scott has over 30 years of client service and broking experience with companies in the energy sector. Throughout his career…

Full bio >

Mike Dow

Risk Advisor

Mike brings over 25 years of risk management and insurance experience to Iridium, having worked as an underwriter, broker, and…

Full bio >

Jessie Gwynne

Risk Advisor

Jessie joined Iridium in 2012 in the role of Administrative Assistant. She was promoted to Technical Assistant in 2014, then…

Full bio >

Joel Harrison

Risk Advisor

Joel joined Iridium in January of 2019 as a Risk Technician and works on a number of E&P accounts. He…

Full bio >

Joanne Hankinson

Risk Advisor

Full bio >

Joanne Hankinson

Risk Advisor

Joanne brings over 20 years of energy, manufacturing, transportation and contractor insurance experience to the Iridium team. Joanne has a…

Full bio >

Heather Johnstone

Risk Advisor

Heather brings almost ten years of insurance experience to Iridium. Prior to Iridium she managed a Commercial Lines team at…

Full bio >

Tim de Jonge

Risk Advisor

Tim is a well-rounded insurance professional with 27 years of experience in the insurance industry. He began his career as…

Full bio >

Hristo Minkovski

Risk Advisor

Hristo joined Iridium in 2014 as a Risk Technician, and works primarily with E&P clients. Prior to this, he worked…

Full bio >

Gibran Qureshi

Risk Advisor

Prior to joining Iridium in 2019, Gibran spent almost ten years working in a variety of roles within the insurance…

Full bio >

Risk Consultants

Jared Nash

Risk Consultant

Before joining Iridium in September 2018, Jared worked on the energy team for a large brokerage. With several years of…

Full bio >

Graeme Shea

Risk Consultant

Graeme graduated from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business in 2019 with a Bachelor of Commerce and a…

Full bio >

Graham Duff

Risk Consultant

Before joining Iridium in April 2023, Graham spent several years managing personal and commercial lines portfolios at a leading national…

Full bio >

Barry Smith

Risk Consultant

Barry graduated from The University of Lethbridge in 2005 with a Bachelor of Economics before moving to the University of…

Full bio >

Navacord Executives

Roger Swierstra

Chairman of Iridium Risk Services Inc.

Full bio >

Roger Swierstra

Chairman of Iridium Risk Services Inc.

Roger is the Chairman of Iridium Risk Services Inc. He has over 27 years of insurance and risk management experience…

Full bio >

T.Marshall Sadd

Chairman of the Board of Navacord Inc.

Marshall is president and CEO of Lloyd Sadd Insurance Brokers and Executive Chairman of Navacord, and has over 20 years’…

Full bio >

Shawn DeSantis

President & CEO of Navacord Inc.

Shawn is President and Chief Executive Officer of Jones Delaurier Insurance Management Inc. and President and CEO of Navacord Inc. Shawn…

Full bio >

I have to say that I am one happy customer. Iridium and NMB have delivered significant value to WesternZagros with the insurance policies that we have had in the past and the support with the claim, and now with a very competitive quote for insurance going forward. I pass on the gratitude of our entire executive team for this support, as I have to say that without your assistance I do not believe we would have achieved the success we have had recently at Sarqala.

—Greg Stevenson
Chief Financial Officer,
WesternZagros Resources Ltd.

The Iridium team is very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and professional, and consistently provides timely and relevant advice regarding insurance and risk management issues that are of importance to Propak. Iridium generated underwriter interest in our account through a strategic marketing exercise that resulted in policy coverage improvements alongside a reduction in premium. Iridium analyzed our insurance program and policies, identifying gaps in coverage and wording improvements and proposing and placing new policies, ultimately optimizing our insurance program. Propak is pleased to be working with such a talented and committed team at Iridium. I wish we had made the change years ago!

—Barry C. Taylor, CA
VP Finance and Administration,
Propak Systems Ltd.

From day one the team at Iridium has shown a commitment to researching and implementing the best possible solution for Pacesetter’s insurance needs which has met both our unique corporate and operational objectives. Iridium has demonstrated their knowledge of the different products and carriers and has demonstrated their commitment to privacy, confidentiality and discretion concerning the corporate information discussed in transacting with Pacesetter. Further, the Iridium team is committed to providing efficient, accurate support and service on all matters concerning our insurance and risk items as they come up.

—Chad Robinson
Chief Financial Officer,
Pacesetter Directional Drilling Ltd.

The team at Iridium handled our significant pollution liability claim like the consummate professionals we’ve come to know them as. We felt supported throughout the entire process and knew Iridium always had our back. Whether it be in dealings with insurers, adjusters or third party experts, they advocated for us every step of the way. We are very grateful for their level of involvement and the ultimate settlements along the way.

—Graydon Glans
Chief Financial Officer,
Highwood Oil Company Ltd.

We are very pleased with the expertise and service that we receive from Iridium. We take comfort that our representatives at Iridium have a current understanding of market conditions and combined with the investment they make in understanding our business and risks, we are highly confident that we are getting the best coverage and competitive premiums. The people at Iridium are very attentive and responsive to our needs. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

—C. Dean Setoguchi
Vice President & CFO,
Keyera Corp.

We engaged Iridium at the same time that we were completing a large asset acquisition and a corporate merger. In order to identify our exposures, the team at Iridium invested the time required to understand our existing business and the new acquisitions. In addition, they worked closely with our staff to compile the data requested by our insurance providers. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the exceptional level of service provided by Iridium and value them as a trusted business partner.

—Brent R, Bracken, CA
Sr. Vice President, Finance & CFO,
Caltex Resources Inc.

We have an expectation at Enerplus for accuracy and timely service. We also require our Broker have legal & policy expertise and the technical resources to enable us to fully manage our portfolio of risk exposures. Iridium has not only delivered and exceeded our expectations in each category, they have also shown a commitment to my team and to our organization that goes far beyond the standard scope of services.

—Marley Drainville
Manager Risk Management,
Enerplus

Read Testimonials