Headquarters:

Vancouver, BC

Year founded:

1964

Number of employees:

130+

Phone:

604 689 1261

Email:

marketing@thor.ca

Website:

thor.ca

LinkedIn:

ca.linkedin.com/company/thorsteinssons

“We put our customers at the centre of our business, responding to brokers in a proactive and timely manner and working with the customer to understand their unique risk profile and tailor appropriate solutions”

Erica Kofie, QBE

THORSTEINSSONS LLP

David Christian

Managing Partner

Paul Gibney

Partner, Member of the Management Committee

David Davies

Partner, Member of the Management Committee

Leadership

David Christian’s practice covers all taxation matters, with a particular focus on corporate reorganizations and taxation of owner-managed businesses. Christian was for eight years an adjunct professor of corporate tax law at Allard Hall, the law school at the University of British Columbia. He was for many years a contributor to the tax materials for the Professional Legal Training Course of British Columbia, and has lectured on tax matters at conferences sponsored by the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Conference for Advance Life Underwriting, the Pacific Business and Law Institute, the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, and various professional organizations including the Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, the British Columbia Medical Association, and the Canadian Bar Association.

Managing Partner

David Christian

Paul Gibney’s practice focuses on personal, corporate and trust planning for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, executives, owner-managers and their businesses, both domestic and international, including corporate reorganizations, estate planning, purchases and sales of businesses, immigration and emigration, non-profit organizations and charities. Gibney also represents taxpayers in their dealings with the CRA in the context of audits, appeals and voluntary disclosures. He served as Policy Advisor to the Minister of National Revenue in Ottawa in 1996 and 1997. In that capacity, he developed significant contacts within the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). He is a former member of the Toronto Centre TSO CRA and Professional Consultation Group. He is also a former member of the CRA’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Advisory Committee, its International Tax Advisory Committee, and its SR&ED Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.

Partner, Member of the Management Committee

Paul Gibney

David Davies started his career as a tax planner with Thorsteinssons LLP before turning to tax litigation. With a planning background, he understands the tax and commercial foundations of the transactions being challenged. Davies has appeared in the Tax Court of Canada on numerous occasions, the Federal Courts of Canada, and the provincial Courts of Ontario and British Columbia. He speaks at tax conferences and for tax groups. His clients are comprised largely of corporate taxpayers. He also represents high-net-worth individuals who have been targeted by the CRA. One of the top creative tax problem solvers in the country, he zealously guards the interests of his clients to obtain the best result possible.

Partner, Member of the Management Committee

David Davies

Erica Kofie, QBE

“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”

Erica Kofie, QBE

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“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”

Erica Kofie, QBE

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Shane Brown

Partner, Member of the Management Committee

Shane Brown’s practice focuses on domestic and international tax planning for individuals, trusts, corporations and charities, including estate planning, corporate reorganizations, divisive reorganizations, business structuring, property acquisitions, and offshore and cross-border structures. Brown also advises non-residents, including persons planning to immigrate to Canada, and represents clients who have disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency. He also lectures on various aspects of taxation law at conferences, meetings and courses attended by tax advisors and other professionals regarding tax planning matters. Brown co-authored a paper and presented it at the 2011 Canadian Tax Foundation National Tax Conference in Montreal. He also authors and co-authors papers and articles on a variety of tax planning matters, including a 2008 paper for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia entitled “Corporate and Income Tax Issues Relating to Share Rights and Restrictions”.

Partner, Member of the Management Committee

Shane Brown

Brandon Wiener

Partner, Member of the Management Committee

Brandon Wiener’s practice focuses on personal, corporate and trust planning for high-net-worth individuals, professionals, executives, owner-managers and their businesses, both domestic and international, including corporate reorganizations, structuring of investments and businesses including professional incorporations, purchases and sales of businesses and real estate, estate planning, immigration and emigration, and non-profit organizations and charities including private foundations. He also advises investment funds and their managers and advisors in connection with structuring and other fund-related tax issues. Prior to joining Thorsteinssons LLP in 2010, Wiener worked in the litigation and tax departments of the Montreal office of a large national law firm. He also worked as a law clerk for the Honourable Mr. Justice Michel Bastarache at the Supreme Court of Canada. Having a strong background in tax litigation, Wiener also assists and represents clients in their dealings with the taxation authorities in the context of an audit or assessment or voluntary disclosure.

Partner, Member of the Management Committee

Brandon Wiener

Thorsteinssons LLP is Canada’s largest law firm practicing exclusively in taxation law. Our lawyers are consistently recognized as being among Canada’s leading tax practitioners. Thorsteinssons LLP was founded in Vancouver in 1964 by P.N. (Pat) Thorsteinsson. In 1990, the firm expanded by opening a Toronto office to better serve its national client base. We were then, and continue to be, Canada’s only national tax law firm. Tax is an area of great complexity. By restricting our practice to tax, we are better able to deliver the level of skill demanded by our clients. Our practice encompasses all aspects of taxation including tax planning and restructuring, tax litigation at all court levels, and advice on compliance obligations. We provide tax advice of the highest quality to clients around the world and are known for our skillful work in highly complex matters. Our close client relationships afford us the in-depth knowledge of client businesses that is necessary to deliver the advice that our clients require. Our goal throughout is to provide our clients with valuable solutions in a timely and efficient manner. Working together, we share an uncompromising commitment to excellence in everything we do.

“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”

Erica Kofie, QBE

Kin Lee-Yow

Chief Information Officer

Catherine Sieniewicz

AVP of Travel and Retail

Rhonda English

Chief Marketing Officer

Evelyn Peng

Chief Risk Officer

Kin Lee-Yow’s combination of banking, payment, retail, e-commerce, and insurance technology experience has enabled him to contribute to the success and leadership positions in three large organizations in Canada, culminating in his current role as the CIO of CM Club Group. Kin is a graduate of Computer Science and Information Systems from the University of Waterloo. He also holds a Kellogg-Schulich master’s degree in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

Chief Information Officer

Kin Lee-Yow

With decades of experience, Catherine Sieniewicz has always been devoted to growing within the travel and retail industry. Catherine became director of retail and travel at CCG in May 2019. In February 2020, she was promoted to AVP of travel and retail where she continues to guide all her decisions by what she has learned in member, associate, and business experience.

AVP of Travel and Retail

Catherine Sieniewicz

Rhonda English is a CPA, CMA and obtained her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and her MBA from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario. Rhonda joined CM Club Group as vice president of insurance, then took the role of vice president corporate marketing, overseeing business insights & analytics and the acquisition and retention of the CM lines of business. In 2016, she was named chief marketing officer, taking on additional responsibility for travel and membership product, digital, and the government & community relations advocacy team.

Chief Marketing Officer

Rhonda English

Evelyn Peng started at CCG in 2017 as director of risk management and now serves as the chief risk officer for the organization. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Waterloo. She has extensive experience with enterprise risk management, specializing in operational risk management, and financial risk management. Evelyn is a Chartered Accountant and a Financial Risk Manager.

Chief Risk Officer

Evelyn Peng

Chief Risk Officer

Evelyn Peng

Chief Risk Officer

Evelyn Peng

Sarah M Stewart

Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations

Karen Bannister, CM

Vice President, Marketing

Dave Longbottom

Chief Technology Officer

Alex Ventura

Head of Marketing

Damian Palovick

Senior Vice President of Underwriting AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Dr. Mary Lavoie

Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Mark Bernacki

Chief Underwriting Officer

Ryan Armijo

Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division

Bob Petrilli

President, Underwriting Division

“Despite the challenging claims environment, QBE’s coverage and risk appetite have remained consistent. Brokers and customers know and understand our risk appetite and the cover we offer, providing them with certainty for the future,” says Erica Kofie, head of cyber proposition. “We put our customers at the centre of our business, responding to brokers in a proactive and timely manner and working with the customer to understand their unique risk profile and tailor appropriate solutions.” Kofie adds, “Through 2022, QBE successfully delivered significant growth in the cyber sector, reflecting the depth and strength of our team. We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations.”

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Earlene Huntley

Group Chief Financial Officer

Melissa Abramowitz

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Melissa Abramowitz has been practicing corporate and commercial law for over 20 years, with an emphasis on the financial services industry. She joined CAA Club Group in 2014, and currently serves as the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer of CCG and its affiliated companies. At CCG, Melissa provides strategic legal advice on a broad range of matters including corporate governance, licensing, distribution, marketing and advertising, commercial contracts and regulatory compliance. She holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.CL) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from McGill University and a Certificate in Regulatory Compliance for Financial Institutions from Osgoode.

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Melissa Abramowitz

Earlene Huntley joined CAA in 2014 as director, tax and was promoted to AVP, tax in 2016, and to her current role as group chief financial officer of CAA Club Group in February 2017. In her role, she is responsible for all aspects of finance. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies where she earned her BSc. Accounting (Hons) and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the United Kingdom.

Group Chief Financial Officer

Earlene Huntley

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Group Chief Financial Officer

Earlene Huntley

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Melissa Abramowitz

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Earlene Huntley

Group Chief Financial Officer

Earlene Huntley

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Melissa Abramowitz

Management liability Arch Insurance’s management liability team is dedicated to addressing the needs of our partners. Our underwriting approach is to recognize and address exposures particular to each insured and offer creative solutions for our customers including complex risk and hard-to-place industries. Know more here: insurance.archgroup.com/north-america/canada/offering/management-liability Cyber Arch Insurance’s experienced underwriting team takes a forward-looking approach to writing network security, privacy and media liability for mid-to-large accounts. Professional liability Arch Insurance’s professional liability team is positioned to offer professional liability programs for financial service firms.