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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…

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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,…

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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,…

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Shelly Swartout

Partner and Team Lead

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

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Andrew Barker

Partner and Team Lead

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Andrew Barker

Partner and Team Lead

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

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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….

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Partners

Brent Blasetti

Partner

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

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Hristo Minkov

Partner

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

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Risk Advisors

Tenille Burdz

Risk Advisor

Tenille began her insurance career in 2009 with a Calgary-based insurance brokerage, where she was a personal lines broker responsible…

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Mike Dow

Risk Advisor

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

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Joanne Hankinson

Risk Advisor

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Joanne Hankinson

Risk Advisor

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

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Risk Consultants

Phillip Stawowiak

Risk Consultant

Phil joined Iridium two and half years ago as a Risk Technician. Prior to Iridium, Phil worked in sales for a…

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Jessie Gwynne

Risk Consultant

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Jessie Gwynne

Risk Consultant

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

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Lisa Lee

Risk Consultant

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Lisa Lee

Risk Consultant

Lisa brings approximately 17 years of experience to Iridium. She has worked both as a Customer Service Representative and an…

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Hristo Minkovski

Risk Consultant

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

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Wesley Robinson

Risk Consultant

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Wesley Robinson

Risk Consultant

Wes joined Iridium in the role Risk Technician in 2017 as a graduate from the University of Calgary Haskayne School…

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Financial Lines

Danielle Gorst

National Practice Leader, Financial Lines

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

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Navacord Executives

Roger Swierstra

Chairman of Iridium Risk Services Inc.

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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…

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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’…

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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…

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The team at Iridium is professional, approachable and knowledgeable. Prior to the sale of our business, insurance was managed by an internal risk management corporate group. Iridium was engaged to establish insurance coverage within a short period of time for the standalone business. Iridium was intimately involved in proposing solutions to mitigate risk and brought significant cost savings to our business. Iridium is a true risk partner for our business; providing education and training, expert contract review and risk assessments, along with a strong understanding of our company’s exposures and insurance coverage.

—Wes Morningstar
Chief Executive Officer and Director,
Canlin Energy Corporation.

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.

Iridium’s unique approach and in depth understanding for our business made for a thorough and seamless insurance placement. We can always rely on their guidance and exceptionally prompt responses. Iridium’s knowledge and strong service focus gives us confidence in knowing the job will get done right!

—Dave Hawkins, CA
Chief Executive Officer,
Groundforce geoDrilling Solutions Inc.

Iridium provides us with the guidance we need to ensure we have the proper coverage for our business. Iridium goes beyond the traditional broker role enabling us to explore different and new avenues that helped identify and address our various risk exposures.

—Marcia Elaschuk, CMA
Controller,
Divestco Inc.

Over the many years that we have worked with Iridium they have continuously impressed us with their energy industry expertise, broad insurance market penetration and unfailing enthusiasm. We are particularly pleased with Iridium’s inventive attitude and strong relationships within the insurance industry which have resulted in the quick and above expected closure of several complex claims. Iridium has proven to be an important value adding partner to our organization and we look forward to a continued relationship in the future.

—Michael Makinson, CA
VP Finance & CFO,
Cona Resources Ltd.

We selected Iridium as our insurance partner as they provided a unique business and risk management focus that was aligned with our vision. Their team performed a comprehensive assessment of our insurance requirements utilizing a risk-assessment approach. Not only were we impressed with their initial assessment, but their ongoing service level, engagement and commitment has demonstrated to us that they are a valuable business partner. I would strongly recommend Iridium as a risk management partner.

—Stuart W. Jaggard
Chief Financial Officer,
Painted Pony Energy Ltd.

Fraser Surrey Docks is undertaking significant changes to our operations and we were looking for an expert who would work with us to address our evolving risk needs. Iridium’s understanding of our objectives, understanding of our industry and their risk-based consultative process was exactly what we needed. Iridium is incredibly responsive and they have become an invaluable member of our risk management team. The benefits to Fraser Surrey Docks in engaging a dynamic firm like Iridium continue to emerge and we would recommend them as a risk management partner to any of our West Coast peers.

—Leonard Cox
Chief Financial Officer,
Fraser Surrey Docks

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