On November 13, the 2019 Young Broker of Distinction Award was presented to Marc-Olivier Chauvin of DPA Assurances at the RCCAQ's annual convention. This annual award, sponsored jointly by the RCCAQ and LARAQ and presented for the first time by Applied Systems in 2019, recognizes the skills and potential of a deserving young broker.

An ambitious go-getter

Back in January 2016, Marc-Olivier Chauvin, then general manager of the St. Hyacinthe soccer association, was attending the national pee-wee hockey tournament being held in the city. Over the course of the evening, he met the tournament's honorary president, Yvon Pinsonneault, CEO of Groupe DPA Assurances and well-known around the region for his social activities and love of sports.

During their lively discussion, the two men spoke about their families, values and projects and, of course, the future. Two days later, having taken note of Marc-Olivier's evident strengths, Mr. Pinsonneault, via his son Jean-Philippe, vice-president of the company, made Mr. Chauvin an offer he couldn't refuse: sign up for the fast-track insurance course offered by Montreal-based Intact Academy!

Éric Manseau, Directeur général du RCCAQ - Karl Perreault, Président sortant de LARAQ -Philippe Joassin, Vice-Président Ventes, Applied Systems Canada - Marc-Olivier Chauvin, Gestionnaire de comptes, DPA Assurances -Roxanne Hébert, Directrice des communications et des opérations, Coalition pour la promotion des professions en assurance de dommages -Serge Therrien, Président et éditeur du Journal de l’assurance, Johanne Lamanque, Vice-présidente et directrice générale du Bureau d’assurance du Canada - Michel Lacelle, Directeur général de l’Institut d’assurance de dommages du Québec.

Seizing the opportunity

Mr. Chauvin, who has played a good deal of hockey in his hometown over the years, can't help but bring up the analogy: “I was 29 years old and was scouted out by DPA Assurances, a major-league team! All I had to do was live up to the hopes they'd placed in me." He is still grateful he was given the chance!

Mr. Chauvin added: “I didn't choose an insurance brokerage career; the career actually chose me! Being in the right place at the right time is one thing; but putting in the effort to seize an opportunity is another.”

Deeply rooted in his community, the young father (at the time, his son Viktor was not yet one year old and his daughter Elena wouldn't be born until two years later) left behind his comfortable and financially secure life and went back to school, with everything it entailed, i.e. a top-to-bottom reorganization of the family's routine. His wife, who works as a hospital manager, was supportive of his goal: “For the two of us, reconciling family and career became a day-to-day reality. Fortunately, Anne-Marie and I make a fearsome team,” he said with a smile.

A life-changing experience

Until that time, Mr. Chauvin had followed a fairly clear-cut path. After completing a business techniques program at St. Hyacinthe CEGEP and a bachelor's in business administration at the University of Quebec at Trois Rivières (UQTR), he moved to France, where he enrolled in a one-year economics and management course at the University of Sophia Antipolis in Nice. This life-changing experience gave him an opportunity to meet people from other walks of life and, as he readily admits, to expand his horizons.

Today, he attributes what he calls the “relationship-building” aspects of his work as a broker to the practical experience he gained in Europe: he tries to get to know people before they become his clients. He has even been known to arrive at the scene of a burst pipe before the plumber does. “Property damage is one thing but in a difficult situation, you have to take care of the people who've been affected and talk to them and reassure them."

Job or career?

After completing his studies, the jobs Mr. Chauvin held had one thing in common: they all enabled him to develop a wide range of knowledge, competencies and skills that continue to serve him well today as a broker: customer service, HR, finance, logistics, materials management, recruitment, training, staff onboarding, budgets and planning. Wherever he works, he's gets the job done!

Mr. Chauvin noted that he used to have various jobs; now, he has a career. When asked to explain the difference, he offered this tongue-in-cheek response: “At your best, you might do a job conscientiously; but when you have a proper career, you actually look forward to going to work on Monday morning!”

Ambitious and dedicated

Even though he's well established and comfortable in his role as a broker, Mr. Chauvin isn't one to rest on his laurels. He's ambitious and makes no bones about it: he wants to combine his two passions, insurance and management, and eventually become a partner at DPA Assurances. His bosses are well aware of his aspirations and are actively encouraging him to take the next step. That's because his ambitions are fully in line with those of the company, or so he's been told...

More recently, Mr. Chauvin developed a keen interest in surety bonds, a little-known business line that's gaining a bigger foothold in the insurance market. He's also actively involved in the work of the provincial surety bond organization (RQC) with a view to overseeing this activity while introducing new ethical rules aimed at better protecting clients and the general public.

A member of Club Maskoutain, a business group set to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2021, Mr. Chauvin is also actively involved in his community. He has a hand in all of the activities sponsored by the company, benefiting causes such as the St. Justine Hospital Foundation, the Red Cross, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and United Way (Centraide). For him, every act counts, no matter how modest or generous.

The award that Mr. Chauvin received from his peers in November 2019 has now brought his desire to succeed up a notch. He draws inspiration from his childhood idol Mario Lemieux : “He had the physique and the talent, and he dominated his adversaries. But most importantly, he had the force of will and the determination that allowed him to beat his illness."

When it comes to force of will and determination, Marc-Olivier Chauvin is definitely a winner!