CEO - Steven Frye, CA•CBV, CFE, MBA
Fluent in English and French, Steven has 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, supplemented by hands-on experience in other sectors as Chief Financial Officer and as a consultant.

Steven was a consultant in the insurance broker practice at Clarkson Gordon (now Ernst & Young).  He is experienced in a range of specialty services, including strategic business planning and implementation, operations management, acquisitions and divestitures, corporate finance and regulatory matters.

With his partners, Steven has developed and led seminars on the various aspects of brokerage management and operations.

Over a period of ten years, Steven performed spot check audits and investigations on behalf of the Ontario regulatory body The Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario.

In 2006, Steve became a Certified Gold Seal Auditor, and in 2007 he completed the Lloyd’s Canada auditor training course.

Managing Audit Principal - Eric Walker, CA•CBV, CFE, MBA
Eric has an established background in providing consulting advice to insurance brokerages, as well as several major insurers.  He is experienced in a broad range of specialty services in operations management, corporate finance, acquisitions and divestitures, valuations, tax, sales and regulatory matters.

Eric has been consulting to insurance intermediaries for over 20 years in evey province of Canada.  Eric was a consultant in the insurance broker practice at Clarkson Gordon (now Ernst & Young).

Recognized by the courts as an expert in the valuation of brokerages, Eric is a Chartered Business Valuator and a Certified Fraud Examiner.  He has developed and led seminars that have been attended by hundreds of brokers on issues ranging from the management of CSRs and producers to enhancing the value of brokerages.

Eric is an advisor to the Ethics Advisory Network, a subcommittee of The Chartered Insurance Professionals Society.

Over a period of ten years, Eric performed spot check audits and investigations on behalf of the Ontario regulatory body The Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario.

Audit Manager - Karen Rutherford, CCIB
Karen has been active in the insurance industry for 30 years, first as the owner of a brokerage and then as a consultant in the fields of risk management and broker development.

During her career as a broker, Karen worked closely with the provincial and federal regulators to write and implement broker regulation including the development of standards for continuing education.  As a consultant, she has designed and delivered education programs for Canadian insurance companies, brokers and other businesses.

In 2000, Karen created a software program (“Crisis Tool”) designed to build continuity plans for businesses and it is now recognized as a “Best Practices” standard in North America.  In 2004, she became a Certified Gold Seal Auditor.  Recognized by her peers as an industry leader, she has been awarded the prestigious Jean Charles d’Auteuil Award and the J.D. Thacker Award.

Audit Specialist - Carol A. Dawe, FCIP
As a property and casualty insurance professional since 1976, Carol has a diverse career at insurers and insurance brokers.

As a General Manager and a member of the Board of Directors of a start-up Canadian insurer, Carol developed products, pricing and policies and negotiated reinsurance treaties.  She also established Underwriting and Claims procedures along with developing programs and a distribution system.  Carol transformed a territory as Regional Vice President for Wellington Insurance Company from unprofitable financial performance to the most profitable unit in the province in 1991.

As Vice President of Operations for the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan Insurance Brokers, OTIP, she improved operational performance by executing growth and turn around strategies.  She was manager for a U.S. wholesale insurance broker, Underwriter Services Inc. located in Tampa, Florida.

Just prior to starting Dawe & Associates, Carol was a Director for The Insurance Institute of Canada responsible for member services and chapter operations.

Audit Specialist - Gil St. Martin
Gil has worked in the property and casualty insurance industry for more than 45 years, and has an abundance of industry experience in the areas of underwriting, sales and management.  He is fluent in both English and French languages.

Gil has participated as a facilitator and instructor of seminars, courses and product development sessions on virtually every line of insurance, as well as personal development topics such as relationship building, motivation, customer service, sales techniques, dealing with adversity and numerous others.

He is a past President of an independent insurance brokerage.  He was also a Chief Agent in an international property and casualty insurance company and was responsible for all aspects of the operation of the Canadian branch.  He has functioned as a Senior Claims Examiner with a caseload of over 200 files, which he audited quarterly.

Gil was Vice-President of Field Operations in Central Canada for a large insurance company for 6 years.