Swift Current’s Chad Parenteau, a partner in W.W. Smith Insurance, has been named the recipient of the 2024 IBAS Community Leadership Award. Parenteau, who was unaware he’d be receiving the recognition, was celebrated at the association’s annual Chair’s Banquet on October 17.

Presented in partnership with Wawanesa Insurance, this award is IBAS’s highest honour and distinguishes one outstanding brokerage or broker who has gone above and beyond to make a meaningful difference in their community. These contributions may be in the form of volunteerism, philanthropy, and/or demonstrated impact on the advancement of the broker profession. Nominations are reviewed by an independent selection committee.

“Chad embodies the very spirit of what it means to be a Saskatchewan insurance broker,” says IBAS President & CEO Derek Lothian. “He selflessly — and, more often than not, creatively — gives back to countless causes and organizations. He has served his fellow brokers as both an IBAS director and as an observer to the board of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada. And, perhaps most notably, he is a model small business owner — continually striving to improve the experiences of both his employees and his customers.”

As part of the #BrokersCare initiative, and to commemorate IBAS’s 72nd year in operation, IBAS and Wawanesa Insurance will be making a $7,200 donation on behalf of Parenteau to a beneficiary of his choice.

“One of our core values at Wawanesa is community,” adds Randy Dhillon, vice president, central region, for Wawanesa Insurance. “That same value has been foundational to our business for roughly 128 years, and we are thrilled to see it still shared today by our broker partners and leaders like Chad, who truly are the heartbeat of their communities. I can’t think of a more deserving — or humble — individual.”

Watch the award video