Rena has an extensive background in insurance, with over 30 years of insurance industry experience, specifically in claims.
Now, Rena works for Square One as a Claims Manager. She is focussed on developing frameworks and models that improve the claims experience for both the consumer and claims professional alike.
Rena joined Square One in 2016 as the claims manager, capping off a career in claims that started in 1981, when she became a telephone adjuster at Commerical Union Assurance. With the exception of a brief seven month stint as a risk analyst for the City of Surrey, Rena’s entire insurance career has been in claims.
In 1990, she became an independent adjuster at Hogan and Cox, a local adjusting firm that specialized in liability, eventually becoming a branch manager and partner. She moved to a national firm, ClaimsPro in 2004, where she founded and managed the Abbotsford branch, growing same from a one adjuster to five adjuster branch by the time she stepped down from branch management in 2012 to pursue her MA.
In addition to running the day to day operations of the branch, Rena maintained a portfolio of extensive losses, and as a Special Risk adjuster, handled total losses in residential, commercial and strata lines, as well as complex liability and casualty, and industrial losses, in addition to being control adjuster on a number of programs.
Rena has acted as arbitrator and or umpire on several insurance disputes and continues to do when there is no conflict of interest present. In 2015, she completed the small claims court mediation practicum and continues to mediate in community.
She regularly runs claims-centric workshops on critical incident stress, conflict and traumatization and continues to volunteer in community as a circle facilitator, conflict coach and trainer, running workshops in restorative practice and conflict transformation, in addition to designing conflict management systems for non-profits.
Rena embarked on an adult degree completion program in Leadership at Trinity Western University in 2010, after which she completed a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis and Management at Royal Roads University in 2014.
She holds a CIP from the Insurance Institute of BC, as well as a CRM, and is also a qualified arbitrator and mediator, having completed a certificate in conflict resolution and third party intervention at the Justice Institute of BC in 2010. She also has a certificate in critical incident stress management, from the Justice Institute of BC, and is a certified coach practitioner.
Rena holds the nominee license for Square One Claims Inc., and is licensed in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Rena is respected in the claims industry for her fairness and forward thinking when it comes to understanding the critical incident stress implications of the claims experience on people who have suffered catastrophic loss. She continues to research in this area, sharing the learning with Square One Claims staff, so that our customer claims experience is a positive one.
Rena has expertise in all lines of insurance, including:
In terms of business disciplines, Rena’s expertise lies in the following areas:
Rena has been featured on several different news and insurance sites, providing useful information and help to those who have claims and related questions.
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What does Vancouver’s new short-term rental bylaw mean for insurers? Canadian Underwriter | Apr 24, 2018 | |
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Wildfires are threatening more homes in Canada than ever Lowest Rates | Aug 4, 2017 | |
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Evacuated B.C. families can expect $11,300 in financial losses Business News Network | Jul 10, 2017 | |
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Elevator injuries are going up – and there’s insurance for that Insurance Business Canada | May 17, 2017 | |
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Elevator lawsuit offers vital lessons for insurance brokers Insurance Business Canada | Apr 21, 2017 |
Rena has also performed several speaking engagements and educational seminars within the insurance industry, specifically in claims and conflict management, to provide education to other industry professionals.
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IIBC – Symposium BC: Adapting to a changing market By Insurance Institute of BC | Apr 10, 2019 | |
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De-escalating emotionally heightened people workshop By the Insurance Institute | Nov 28, 2018 | |
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Dealing with high conflict people By the Insurance Institute of BC | Feb 11, 2016 |
Read the articles that Rena has been quoted in or has reviewed for accuracy of information following our editorial guidelines.
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