About Us | Why Darryl Gautreau is proud to be an ALIGNED Advocate
We’re different. That is to say, our exclusive focus on business insurance sets us apart. Certainly, being different is just one of the many reasons why Canadian insurance professionals decide to join the ALIGNED team.
Above all, we’re always proud to welcome new members to our team and share their story. Most importantly, our About Us features are just one example of our commitment to connecting with our community. In the same vein, many of us are sharing useful business insurance content on social media every day.
Darryl Gautreau recently joined our growing team. Darryl is an Advocate and reports to SVP, Manager & Owner Darcy Franko-Felice. He works closely with ALIGNED colleagues across Canada.
Darryl is proud to be part of the ALIGNED Insurance team. In his own words, here’s what Darryl has to say about ALIGNED.
Q. Why did you join ALIGNED?
Darryl: I have been in the insurance industry for almost 20 years and have been considering a role change for some time. I was contacted by a recruiter for a position that did not suit me but after further discussion, he suggested I look into the Advocate role at ALIGNED. Having experience in sales, servicing, and marketing,ALIGNED presented a perfect fit for my skillset. After discussing with Andrew, Darcy, and the rest of the team, it was definitely clear this was the place where I wanted to continue and thrive in my insurance career.
Q. How did you first hear about ALIGNED?
Darryl: I first heard about ALIGNED through LinkedIn several years ago.
Q. In your opinion, what sets ALIGNED Insurance apart?
Darryl: Focusing entirely on business insurance and our 18 points of differentiation setsALIGNED apart from many competitors. Too many brokerages provide mainly personal insurance products and only dabble in business insurance on the side, where they may not have the expertise to properly protect their client’s business exposures. Working solely with business owners keeps us up to date with coverage offerings and allows us to anticipate the needs of our clients.
Q. Why did you choose an insurance career?
Darryl: In my younger days while I was in University and not yet sure what I was going to do for a living, I was offered a job from one of my father’s friends who owned an insurance brokerage. I accepted, studied for my RIBO license, and received the highest score on the exam in my RIBO class. I started working in sales and took to it right away. I enjoy working with clients, building relationships and have never looked back.
Q. In your career to date, what are you most proud of?
Darryl: Several years ago I took over account management of a large wholesaler when their existing broker retired. I advised the client I wanted to do a renewal review of all their coverages to make sure we had everything insured correctly, the client was hesitant to make time for this as they were confident everything was in order. I pressed them on this as I wanted to do my due diligence and they finally agreed to meet. Together we discovered a large storage building was not correctly added to the policy, which we immediately took care of.
Later that year wouldn’t you know it, this same building caught fire and was a total loss with everything inside, more than $1,000,000 in damages. The client called me in tears on a Sunday afternoon to report the loss and was very appreciative I was there to look after them. Everything was correctly covered, the client was extremely happy, and I have always been proud I was able to help in a situation like this.
Q. Tell us about your most recent professional designations.
Darryl: I currently hold the Canadian Risk Management Designation through the Global Risk Management Institute. I have several Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) courses completed and will be working towards getting my Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) designation.
Q. In your opinion, what’s the single most important service an insurance broker delivers to a client?
Darryl: Accountability. I feel clients want to know someone is in their corner and act as a true advocate on their behalf to the insurance company. Make sure the broker is available in a timely manner when they have questions or need advice, and will be there for them in the event of a claim.
Q. Which of ALIGNED’s 18 points of differentiation do you find the most personally meaningful and why?
Darryl: All ofALIGNED’s 18 points of differentiation are important but asALIGNED Advocates have ownership in their business, Only Dealing with Owners really speaks to me. I do believe clients would rather deal with an owner than an employee as having “skin in the game” creates accountability that clients will appreciate.
Have you met these ALIGNED team members?
What Pam Lecavalier believes to be the single most important service insurance brokers deliver…
“The most important service a Broker can deliver to a client is to be that trusted resource and fully understand all of their business needs and risk exposures. To navigate through policy language and make coverage recommendations that best suits an individual business’s specific needs.” – Pam Lecavalier, Adovate, ALIGNED Insurance.
Here’s why Customer Experience Manager Kate Blanchard pivoted an ALIGNED Insurance career…
“I come from a very different industry where I felt unstable and that growth was limited. As a young professional, I carefully considered different avenues where I could offer my strengths and in return could grow and develop with stability. I knew insurance would provide the stability in life I was looking for, while being able to offer my skills and passion for helping others.” Kate Blanchard, Customer Experience Manager, ALIGNED Insurance
Social responsibility is yet another way we deliver a different employee and client experience
Our Giving Generously campaign connects our clients directly with our social responsibility work. Each year, a portion of ALIGNED Insurance profits are donated to a registered Canadian charity that is selected by our clients. Learn more about our Social Responsibility program.
In addition, we support two annual volunteering days for every employee. We are proud that ALIGNED Insurance team members partner with the organizations that they are passionate about helping.
In short | Are you interested in joining the ALIGNED team?
Each and every day, our team members across Canada are proud to provide a different kind of insurance experience to each and every ALIGNED client.
We are actively looking for entrepreneurial and growth focused people. If you’re interested in joining our rapidly growing team, we’d love to hear from you!
We invite you to learn more about why Andrew Clark, our President and CEO, decided to found ALIGNED and our leadership.
