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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

Bruce Barton

Risk Advisor

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

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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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Wesley Robinson

Risk Advisor

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

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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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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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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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Iridium’s energy industry knowledge, technical expertise, and meticulous attention to detail gives us the confidence that our exposures are properly managed. The people at Iridium are true risk management and insurance professionals and I would strongly recommend their services to any firm operating in our industry.

—Scott Kirker
Secretary and General Counsel,
Tourmaline Oil Corp.

We engaged Iridium as Crescent Point’s risk management and insurance partner because they encouraged us to take a big-picture view on risk. Their collaborative and analytical approach enabled us to gain a better handle of our exposures and allowed us to put rigour around our many risk-improvement initiatives. Iridium impresses our team with their ability to develop intelligent risk solutions and they have more than delivered on their promise to be our strongest claims advocate. Without question, I would recommend Iridium as a risk management partner to anyone.

—Steve Downing
Manager. Risk and Treasury,
Crescent Point Energy Corp.

Pure is a company that has grown significantly both in size and complexity over the last 10 years and required a new perspective on its overall risk management approach. Through a detailed and in-depth review of our Company and our business, Iridium was quickly able to immediately add value to Pure by helping us develop and implement a comprehensive insurance program that ensured appropriate coverage on a cost effective basis. Our senior management has been very impressed with both the professionalism and responsiveness of the Iridium team as we have made the transition from our previous provider. We look forward to a strong and long term business partnership between Pure and Iridium as our business continues to grow.

—Geoffrey D. Krause, CA, CPA
Vice President and CFO,
Pure Technologies

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.

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.

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 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.

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