Don Stuart Award Winners

Donald Stuart is a well-traveled man. He has visited the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. He is also a well-rounded insurance traveler. Employed in the insurance industry since 1940, he has greatly contributed to the growth of the risk management profession, particularly in his home country of Canada. In recognition of these accomplishments, Stuart was honored this past May by the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. Harry and Dorothy Goodell Award.
Stuart entered the insurance field as a chemical lab employee at Toronto-based Canada Packers Limited in 1936. He soon became the company’s “Safety Man,” handling loss prevention, fire prevention, motor vehicle safety, burglary and theft and anything else relating to loss. When Canada Packers’ secretary-treasurer passed away, Stuart assumed the role of sorting insurance forms. Initially, he reported to an insurance committee, which made the risk and insurance management decisions. At that time, “no one had any knowledge of what existed [in terms of coverage] or its adequacy,” he recalls. His growing responsibilities led to his appointment in 1955 as the company insurance manager.

In his new position, Stuart sought out organizations and events to help increase his professional knowledge and expand his network of contacts. He joined the American Management Association and attended conferences, which led to involvement in such groups as the Canadian Manufacturers Association Insurance Committee. At the same time, Stuart worked with others to form a Canadian chapter of the National Insurance Buyers Association, which was later renamed RIMS. As a founding member and second president of the Ontario RIMS chapter, Stuart was one of the earliest advocates of self-insurance and a strong proponent of hands-on inspections by risk managers. He condenses his job description down to two words–“prevent loss.” When the Canadian Packers’ president expected him to do just that, no matter what it was, Stuart was there.

Stuart first got involved in the Canadian legislative arena in 1961, when he attended a conference of the superintendents of insurance (similar to insurance commissioners in the United States) in Toronto and discovered that attendees made up the “Who’s Who” of the Canadian insurance community. Stuart recalls his first meeting, where everyone looked at “the interloper’s leery eyes” and asked about his credentials. But this initial dismissal did not stop him from promoting the risk management profession. After attending conferences and building relationships with regulators and insurance company heads over several years, Stuart gradually earned their respect.

In addition to his legislative activities, Stuart’s enthusiastic leadership carried over to many other RIMS-related activities. For example, before formal classes for the Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation were available, Stuart hosted study groups in Canada Packers’ offices. Evidence of his teaching skills can be seen in the number of protégés who have carved successful careers in the field after time spent with him, including Tony Bridger, past president of RIMS and director of risk management for the Bank of Montreal; and Brian Doyle, senior manager, corporate risk finance, at Northern Telecom Limited.

After Stuart retired from Canada Packers in 1978, he assumed the position of coordinator of RIMS’ Canadian activities in 1979, a position he held for four years. During this time, the society doubled its number of Canadian chapters from five to ten. Proud of his involvement, Stuart says he found the job “very challenging.” Described as the driving force behind RIMSCAN, the newsletter of the RIMS Canadian chapters, he firmly believed Canadians needed a report on Canadian-specific news. He also supported partnerships with Canadian trade magazines and contributed numerous articles on risk management trends and practices.

Stuart is no stranger to awards. He received the Richard Bland Award, given to a deputy RIMS member who has made a significant contribution in the regulatory or legislative area, the first time it was offered, at the 1973 RIMS conference in Atlanta. And the Donald M. Stuart Award was created by the Ontario chapter in 1979, initially to honor Stuart for his contributions to risk management in Canada, and then bestowed to other Canadian risk managers in recognition of outstanding contributions to the community. Although he is retired from the industry and RIMS, with this latest tribute, the Goodell Award, Stuart is honored “to have people think this much of me to grant me the award.”