Van Bakel Appointed COO of Crawford’s Canadian Operations

Pat Van Bakel has been appointed to the position of chief operating officer, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc., the organization announced.

Van Bakel has been with the company for more than 20 years and most recently served as senior vice president, Operations, Insurer Markets.

Starting his career as an adjuster, Van Bakel moved through a number of management and special assignments. After several years of handling all lines of claims, he became manager of Crawford’s Mississauga and Oakville branches in 2001, and moved on to become director of Accident Benefits in 2003.

In 2007, he was named vice president, Claims Operations, which comprises all Crawford claims branches across Canada. In January 2008, he was named senior vice president of this division. In his new role, he is responsible for services supplied to the Canadian property and casualty insurance market, including National Claims Services, Global Technical Services, Global Marine Services, Catastrophe Services, and Contractor Connection Services.

Van Bakel is a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) and has received formal management and leadership training through the Schulich School of Business at York University, Franklin Covey and the Niagara Institute.

Source: Crawford & Company