Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 74
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CANADA'S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS (2025)
Flexibility is key to Sutton Special Risk’s success
O
ne of the highlights
of her career as an
insurance underwriter
at Sutton Special Risk,
Inc., according to Renee Sands,
is a week she spent in London on
an exchange with employees of
Sutton’s U.K. partners.
“It was great to have the opportunity to watch them go about
their job,” she says. “It was also
nice to get to know them on a faceto-face level. Just having access to
high-level colleagues and business
partners and having them host us
was very unique, and I’d be surprised if other companies offered
the same thing to their younger
employees.
“London was an incredible
experience, and I feel we came
back to Toronto with enhanced
perspectives and got to strengthen our business relationships in
person.”
For president and CEO Greg
Sutton, that opportunity echoed
his own early experience at the
company his father founded in
1978 to create special insurance
policies for clients with unusual
needs.
He was sent to London for two
years to work with Lloyd’s of
London, a global industry leader,
and remembers how he made
“some really long-lasting connections that have been vital to our
business to this day.”
“I’m glad Renee mentioned that
trip,” he says. “We try to allow for
those sorts of experiences. Not
only does it provide a change of
pace and scenery, but to go over
there and see how we’re connected
to our business partners and learn
first-hand positive opinions on our
capabilities, it makes our people
here feel more connected to what
we do and gives them an idea of
our reputation and the impact of
our strong relationships.
“We like to say we’re a small
company with large-company
capabilities,” says Sutton. “We
are extremely agile, allowing us
to offer a more bespoke solution
— to work with the client to offer
the product that meets their risk
exposure. It puts us in a position
to compete with larger carriers.”
Sands says working in a smaller
office like Sutton’s makes communication much easier, which
is crucial when tailoring client
policies. “You can be on an underwriting team and ask questions
to the finance team by walking
over to their department. You feel
comfortable doing something
like that. You don’t have to set up
formal meetings.”
“WE ARE EXTREMELY AGILE, ALLOWING US TO OFFER A
MORE BESPOKE SOLUTION.”
— Greg Sutton, President and CEO
Employees at Sutton Special Risk have the opportunity to go on exchange with the organization’s partners in
the United Kingdom.
