Born in Quebec City in 1966, the RCCAQ's new chair, Sylvain Turgeon, has had a less-than-typical career path, driven by his undeniable leadership skills. In this article, we take a look at a broker who's determined to tackle professional issues head-on.
From the military to the insurance sector
Sylvain Turgeon, associate vice-president of Verrier & Associés Inc. and the RCCAQ's new chair, has had a less-than-typical career path. As a young man, he joined the cadets and began his pilot training. He then undertook a career in the Canadian Armed Forces, where he held a variety of positions, including infantry officer, recruitment officer and combat information officer. His leadership skills were awakened during his training: "When you learn to lead your troops into a hail of gunfire, you really need to treat your team well and forge close ties with all the members. You have to set an example at all times," said Mr. Turgeon.
When concerns arose about balancing his family reality and his professional life, he swiftly consulted a number of colleagues who had taken the plunge into the insurance sector. Encouraged by their positive reports, he made his move in 1989.
This chapter of his new life began with a job as an insurance agent. As he learned about the inner workings of the industry, he honed his advisory approach. Indeed, that was the aspect that underscored the downside, in his view, of working for a direct insurer: "Whenever clients submitted a claim, I realized that I didn't have any room to manoeuvre, so I couldn't support them how I would have liked," said Mr. Turgeon with a tinge of regret.
That experience ended up sparking his desire to work as a broker. He soon joined Pepin Assurance (now EGR), where he worked for 10 years. He subsequently moved on to AON, where he honed his sales techniques. In 2006, a firm specializing in commercial insurance (Verrier & Associés Inc.) offered him a position managing its Sherbrooke office. Three years later, having proved his unswerving commitment to the firm and its clients, he became a partner as well as vice-president.
From stage to grad school
Mr. Turgeon is also a man of hidden talents. For instance, when he's not managing his team and advising clients, he helps out various established rock bands as a substitute electric guitarist, completely in his element! It should come as no surprise that his hobby is also group-oriented!
Seeking new challenges, Mr. Turgeon completed an executive MBA in 2012 at the University of Sherbrooke, where he developed his management skills and enjoyed associating with a group of students from diverse professional backgrounds. "My time there was awesome," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He is sure that grad school enhanced his decision making, not only in terms of his firm's business but also for his client relationships.
Pride and autonomy
After taking on so many intense challenges, what will Mr. Turgeon's next step be as RCCAQ chair? "I aim to put a set of tools in place to preserve brokers' autonomy!" he said without hesitation. "If brokers are able to tackle market-related problems, technological challenges and succession issues, they'll be able to maintain the leeway they need to be fully autonomous. The 2020 strategic planning process, which I will be spearheading, will be an opportunity to come up with concrete solutions."
As Mr. Turgeon's professional career shows, he has a clear propensity to use his leadership skills to bring people together and forge closer ties with them. He would also like to focus on the pride associated with being a broker: "Protecting our clients' financial well-being, defending them when a claim is submitted, safeguarding their interests: there is a sense of pride associated with our work and we must foster that."
