Joanne Abram commenced with the Alberta Insurance Council (AIC) in 1989 when the AIC began operations. As a crown controlled agency the AIC is the body responsible by delegation for the licensing and regulation of insurance intermediaries in Alberta. Joanne became C.E.O. in December 1993.

As C.E.O. she is responsible for a staff of 22 employees located in offices in both Edmonton and Calgary, dealing with all aspects of licensing and regulatory compliance for insurance intermediaries as well as investigations into complaints relating to insurance company activities. She served as Chair of the Market Conduct Subcommittee dealing with the revision of the Alberta Insurance Act. She is past Chair of the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organizations (CISRO), an organization of regulatory authorities for insurance distributors across Canada. She served as Chair of the Life Agent Education Committee of CISRO, responsible for development of the Life License Qualification Program and Chair of the LLQP Integrity Committee responsible for its ongoing maintenance and development.

Gerry Matier

Gerry has been the Executive Director of the Insurance Council of British Columbia since September 1991. The Insurance Council is primary regulator in the province, responsible for regulating more than 22,000 persons, more than 10,000 of which are life insurance agents. Gerry has served as Chair of the Canadian Insurance Services Regulators’ Organization and currently serves on a number of national industry committees.

Previously, he was the Deputy Superintendent, Registration & Statutory Filings at the B.C. Securities Commission. Gerry also has past work experience as a mediator, adjudicator and tax auditor.

Bill Good  

Bill Good began his sales career selling dictionaries door-to-door. He knew that there had to be a better way to sell, and before that, an even better way to prospect. He set about to discover what those methods might be.

30-plus years later, he is the Chairman of Bill Good Marketing, Inc, a top salesforce training and marketing firm. He has trained many of the top salespeople in the financial services industry as well as others who went on to stellar careers. David Bach (author of The Automatic Millionaire) and Chris Gardner (author of The Pursuit of Happyness) are two such.

His prospecting methods have been taught in tradeschools, colleges, and financial industry training programs and have become quite mainstream. As a keynote speaker and writer, he has delivered over a thousand seminars and keynote speeches, written 300 articles for Research Magazine (and over 1,000 other articles for other publications), and of course, authored his first book Prospecting Your Way to Sales Success in print since 1986. His new book, Hot Prospects, was just released in August 2008 by Scribner.

In his free time, he enjoys photography and is in the process of preserving 10,000 family photos, some from the 1800s. He lives in Draper, Utah with his wife Joava and enjoys summer vacations with his children and grandchildren.

Jamie Golombek 

Jim Ruta, BA RHU  

From “the street” to “the executive suite”, Jim Ruta has done it all.  Starting as a life insurance agent, he ended up leading a multi-million dollar agency in the heart of Canada’s national financial district.   

Jim began his career in 1977 after graduating from university.  In 1979, he established “IAP -- Insurance and Annuity Planning” as an agent.  His successful sales, marketing, training and management career spanned three companies and more than two decades.  He went on to help create two successful Managing General Agencies. 

Jim served on both agent and manager industry boards and moderated their training programs.  He’s spoken on every Financial Advisor Association of Canada national “schools” and the AGM.  He was one of Canada’s first Registered Health Underwriters in 1992.  He is currently a Director of GAMA International Canada.

Today, Jim is a business coach for top financial advisors, managers and executives and president of Expert Institute.  He is a national TV, press and radio commentator on consumer advisor issues.  He founded Expert Institute as a unique personalized professional coaching system for entrepreneurs and leaders.
 
Jim’s regular column in Canada’s “Insurance and Investment Journal” and video segment on “Investment Executive’s” IE:TV are subscriber favorites.  His magazine articles have appeared in MDRT’s “Round the Table” and “Life Insurance Selling” in the US.  His three books, “Expert Identity Marketing”, “Master Your Money Management” and “How to Win Sales and Increase Profits with Jim Ruta” have sold thousands of copies.  Thousands read his weekly “Ruta’s Rants” blog at JimRuta.com.

Jim’s passion, humor and plain talk have inspired, educated and entertained many thousands worldwide.  These include the Centennial Celebrations at Great Eastern Life in Singapore and the Main Platform of the Million Dollar Round Table Annual Meeting.

Jim serves on the board of two Catholic charities and is very involved in his church.  He is a licensed private pilot, avid golfer and father of three.  He and his wife Rhonda live outside of Toronto, Canada.

Hal Couillard  

Education & Professional Designations
• Bachelor of Commerce, University of Calgary
• Chartered Life Underwriter focusing on life insurance and estate planning
• Chartered Financial Consultant focusing on tax and estate planning
• Certified Financial Planner focusing on retirement and financial planning

Past and Current Community Involvement
• Past Board Chair - Advocis - national organization of 15,000 financial advisors based out of Toronto www.advocis.com
• Charter member, Conference of Advanced Life Underwriting - 400 of the top estate planning professionals in Canada based out of Ottawa www.calu.com
• Advisory Board Member, Bissett School of Management, Mount Royal College, Calgary
• Featured speaker at financial planning conferences across Canada

 Greg Pollock

Greg Pollock is the President and CEO of Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada.

At Advocis, Greg is responsible for providing effective strategic leadership and direction for the association. He oversees all aspects of Advocis' day-to-day activities on behalf of the association's members, including advocacy, continuing education, best practices and E&O insurance. He also coordinates the interests of Advocis' 43 chapters throughout Canada and continues to build membership by giving voice to the more than 11,000 Advocis members nationwide.

Greg has a Master of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and a Master of Educational Administration from the University of Toronto. He is a member of the federal government’s Task Force on Financial Literacy

Bruce W. Etherington BA, CLU, CHFC,CFP

A fully accredited financial planner with a specialty in life insurance, Bruce holds the CLU, CHFC and CFP designations. His firm, Etherington & Vukets, specializes in family harmony and philanthropy and has the objective of creating $1 billion for charities and not-for-profits by 2010.

A renowned speaker, Bruce has spoken to virtually every major insurance and financial planning organization in the world. He has appeared 15 times on the platform of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), which is considered by many to be the preeminent sales organization in the insurance and financial planning industry. His book “See The People” is an international bestseller, as are his CDs which continue to change the lives of salespeople around the world.

Career Highlights:

• 40-year Life and Qualifying Member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the world’s premier educational institution in the fields of life insurance, financial and estate planning. MDRT is comprised of the top 2% of financial advisors in the world .

• 30-year Charter and Qualifying Member of the Top of the Table (TOT), which is comprised of the top 500 MDRT members in the world. Bruce was Chairman of the TOT in 1993.

• In its recent best-seller, “The Greatest Insurance Stories Ever Told”, Bruce is featured as one of MDRT's 12 greatest living members.

• Co-founder of Action Committee Taxation (ACT) in 1977, which successfully opposed the Canadian Federal Government’s proposed “Widow’s Tax”.

• Founding member, Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU) – today the most effective tax lobby group for financial advisors in Canada.

• Past Board Member, Life Underwriters Association of Canada (LUAC) and Institute of Chartered Life Underwriters of Canada/Canadian Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (CAIFA) now Advocis.

• Past President, Toronto Advocis Chapter.

Peter A. Wouters, B.Sc., B.A.Hons, RFG, AIAA, ARP, TEP, FLMI, RHU, CFP, CLU, CHFC, ACS, ALHC, EPC, AFSI

Peter devotes much of his time to working with independent advisors and other professionals uncovering issues and concerns faced by affluent individuals, professionals and business owners. He supports their efforts in researching and developing optimal solutions aimed at improving their financial well-being and supporting their personal aims, wishes and lifestyles. He heads a team of accredited professionals who annually provide 100's of workshops and seminars for advisors, Managing General Agents, IIROC firms, professional firms and consumer groups throughout the country on the multiplicity of topics, concepts and strategies covering tax and estate planning. Peter's work and studies over the years have evolved into learning about and addressing the needs of an aging population including advisors. A good deal of his time is spent on awareness and educating people of all professions who work with or specialize in the needs, expectations and issues of elders. He also conducts workshops for advisors on the complex issues involved in buying, selling or merging a practice. Comprehensive lifestyle planning is an important element of these processes. A Registered Financial Gerontologist, Peter is also a certified Special Medicare Advisor in the U.S.

Among his many professional and industry affiliations are: CALU (Conference of Advanced Life Underwriting), the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners, the Institute of Research & Planning, the Canadian Tax Foundation, the American Institute of Financial Gerontology and the American Society on Aging. He is faculty chair of the International Elder Planning Counsellor program.

Peter is a frequent and repeat speaker at industry schools, conferences, congresses and seminars throughout North America and is very active in the industry on a committee and executive level. Peter is also the co-author of the internationally accredited college program, Your Home & Small Based Business. He has been repeatedly interviewed on regional and national television and radio as a subject matter expert on various industry issues and developments.

Peter is currently involved in industry work, review and lobbying on financial planning proficiency standards, courses and exams as well as issues regarding distribution of financial services products.

Peter graduated magna cum laude from McMaster University with Hons. BA and BSC. Degrees and he is in his 34th year of his career. A veteran industry course moderator, Peter is a true student of business as attested to by 13 professional designations; his articles have been published in newspapers, industry bulletins and trade journals throughout the world. He was inducted into America's Who's Who in 2002. Peter is married with two children and is quite active in church and community work.

Robert Kitchen

Brian Burlacoff

Brian Burlacoff is a Certified Financial Planner. His family has been providing professional investment and insurance advice to individuals and businesses for over 45 years.

Brian is a published author and sought-after speaker within the financial planning profession. He has spoken across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe and has been interviewed by local and national media on financial planning topics numerous times.

Since the late 1980s, Brian has established a successful financial planning business that assists clients in attaining their financial goals. As a Certified Financial Planner with dual masters degrees in Accounting and Business Administration, Brian’s clients benefit from his knowledge and expertise.

Brian is a multiple recipient of the financial planning industry’s National Quality Award and is a member of the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table’s “Top of the Table”, ranking him amongst the top 1% of the world’s best financial services professionals. In addition, Brian has consistently placed as one of Sun Life Financial’s top advisors annually based on sales achievements.

Brian’s community involvement includes delivering gifts for the Toronto Star’s Santa Claus Fund and serving on the Board of Governors of Kingsway College School a Toronto Independent School.

Brian is the father of two boys, Aaron Age 7 and Noah age 5. Brian enjoys golfing, skiing and scuba diving when time permits.

Lisa Burlacoff

Lisa Burlacoff is a Registered Nurse.

Lisa has spent the majority of her career providing care for adults living with cardiac disease. The passion for her profession has its foundations in working in various Cardiac and Neurosurgical Intensive Care Units, providing education to both nurses and patients and working as a triage coordinator for a cardiac surgery program in the Greater Toronto Area.

Currently, Lisa provides professional services to the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario, an organization that oversees the provincial wait list management system for advanced cardiac care.

Lisa’s community involvement includes leading a local Beaver group for the past three years. Lisa is the mother of two busy boys, Aaron age 7 and Noah age 5, and enjoys golf, skiing and scuba diving when time permits.

Lisa worked for 7 years as a triage co-ordinator for a busy open heart surgery program in the Greater Toronto Area. This experience is very relevant to the story you will hear.

Ken Holland

Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President/General Manager/Alternate Governor Canada Men’s Olympic Hockey Team, Associate Director.

Ken Holland enters his 13th season as general manager of the Red Wings and his 27th year with the organization. He is arguably the most successful general manager in all of professional sports over the last twelve years. Since Holland was appointed to his current position in July 1997, the Red Wings have won more games (638) than any other franchise in the National Hockey League, including 544 regular-season victories and 94 play off wins. Under Holland’s watch the Red Wings have won three Stanley Cups (1998, 2002, 2008), four President’s Trophies (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008), nine Central Division titles (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) and five regular season Western Conference titles (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008).

Holland’s last four seasons have been perhaps his most impressive as an NHL general manager. After drastically cutting payroll to comply with NHL’s new salary cap, he assembled a team that won the second most games in Red Wings’ history (58) and the President’s Trophy in 2005-06. The Red Wings followed that campaign with a 50-19-13 regular season and a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the Red Wings posted a 54-21-7 record, and captured the sixth President’s Trophy and the 11th Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

This past season, the Red Wings’ made NHL history by recording their ninth consecutive 100-point season and became only the third team in NHL history to record 50 or more wins in four consecutive seasons. The Wings finished the 2008-09 campaign with a 51-21-10 mark.

As the 11th GM in club history, Holland’s role includes overseeing all aspects of hockey operations including all matters relating to player personnel, development, contract negotiations and player movements. Due to his numerous responsibilities as GM, Holland now plays a less prominent role at the NHL Entry Draft, after being the main point person during his seven years as amateur scouting director.

Holland, 53, was elevated to his present position in 1997. Prior to that time, he handled several different front-office duties for the club over a 15-year period. Holland began his off-ice career in 1985 following a professional career as a goaltender, primarily American Hockey League. His first position was as a Western Canada scout followed by five years as amateur scouting director and three years as assistant general manager.

A native of Vernon, BC, Holland played in the junior ranks for the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) in 1974-75. He was Toronto’s 13th pick (188th overall) in the 1975 draft and twice signed with NHL teams as a free agent – in 1980 with Hartford and 1983 with Detroit. He spent most of his pro career with AHL clubs in Binghamton, Springfield and Adirondack. Holland was inducted to the Binghamton Hall of Fame (N.Y.).

In addition to his responsibilities with the Red Wings, Holland is also served as an associate director for Hockey Canada in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Ken and his wife, Cindi, reside in suburban Detroit and have four children: Brad, Julie, Rachel and Greg.

Dion Hamman B. Law PFP

Regional Sales Manager - Investment Products

Dion graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree in South Africa and has extensive experience in the Banking, Insurance and Investment industries covering a period of almost 30 years. An avid student of history, he has a unique perspective of credit and investment in the 21st Century.

Since arriving in 1997, Dion has accrued invaluable additional experience in both the Investment and Life Insurance industries, including almost 8 years in Investment Advisory and Insurance Sales support. Most recently, Dion was an Associate Vice-President of Strategic Relationship Management for a wholesale Canadian financial services cooperative.