INFORMA FINANCIAL – THE IMPORTANCE OF A WELL-ROUNDED TOTAL BENEFITS EXPERIENCE IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN.
Informa’s founder, Cliff Pipke, began this business out of a desire to help service the insurance needs of families, as well as those of the small business owner.
As Informa’s book of clients expanded, and Cliff was able to further hone his knowledge, the opportunity to be contracted alongside the Chambers Plan presented itself: A not-for-profit, family-run insurance carrier, specifically designed for the small to medium size company. A plan that has proven to become Canada’s largest benefits provider, offering more stability in rates through it’s unique pooling structure. Today, the Chambers Plan insures over 32,000 businesses and is the go-to insurance provider for the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and it’s members.
The contract with the Chambers of Commerce benefits plan has been instrumental in the growth of Informa Financial as companies struggling to find stability in their rates have gravitated towards the pooled offering for decades .
Today Informa has grown into a tightknit brokerage, working alongside all major carriers, that specializes in employee benefits, executive benefits, group retirement, life insurance and living benefits. As technological advancements have slowly trickled into the insurance world, Informa has evolved alongside them. Informa has a unique partnership with both Payworks payroll, offering a unique live data integration between Chambers Plan benefits and Payworks, as well as Collage, an innovative platform allowing companies to manage HR function, payroll, and benefits from the cloud.
In 2023, Dane Christianson officially joined as partner of Informa Financial, marking the fist time Cliff has brought an equity partner into the business.
Dane has carved himself out a specialization working within the Vancouver tech and startup scene. And highlighting this, in 2020, Informa landed a corporate partnership with one of Canada’s premier incubator and accelerators, Launch Academy. Ultimately, Dane has aligned himself with an array of service providers, framing Informa as more than a run-of-the-mill benefits shop. Informa truly seeks to add value to their clients by leaning on these service providers and making connections for their clients that will enhance their respective business.
Informa’s viewpoint, now and into the future, is that a benefits plan, an individualized one, should set the tone for your organization. It helps answer the question “how do I want to support my employees?” A customized plan not only protects the physical health of your staff, but their mental health as well. A benefits plan speaks to the mission of your company, and further establishes the type of culture that you want to exemplify.
