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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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Ryan Tokar

Risk Advisor

After graduating from MacEwan University’s Insurance and Risk Management program in 2012, Ryan started his career at a Edmonton-based regional…

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Martin J. Delaney

Risk Advisor & Surety Leader

Martin joined Iridium as a Risk Advisor and Surety Practice Leader in 2020. Martin brings a diverse background to his…

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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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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.

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

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.

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.

When TransCanada Turbines aligned our business with Iridium, you were dealing with a group of TCT people with very limited exposure to the Risk/Insurance industry. Your ability to articulate insurance matters and jargon into clear terms enabled us to feel comfortable with all of our insurance and contractual decisions. Your team’s willingness to support our business for everything from education and transformational activities to our frequent questions regarding our transactional business dealing has been over the top. We will tell you that TransCanada Turbines would not hesitate to recommend Iridium to anyone. Your team service is excellent, your approach is transparent and your willingness to help is tireless. We look forward to a long and symbiotic relationship with the entire Iridium Team. Well done!

—Tim Wilcox
Vice President,
TransCanada Turbines

The team at Iridium understands our business and works tirelessly to get us the best coverage possible at the best rates possible. We appreciate that they stay connected to Seven Generations Energy throughout the year and provide consistently excellent customer service. We are thrilled to have Iridium as a valued partner in risk management.

—Kevin Johnston, CA
Vice President, Accounting & Controller,
Seven Generations Energy Ltd.

We were impressed with the depth of research and analysis Iridium preformed in determining our operational exposures and regulatory insurance requirements. Iridium developed and executed an intelligent marketing strategy which resulted in a competitively priced insurance program that reflected our exposure needs. We now consider them to be our partner in risk management.

—Bruce Sherley
P.Eng, President,
Dundee Oil and Gas Ltd.

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