Independent Financial Brokers of Canada (IFB) has announced the composition of its new board of directors, following the organization’s 2013 annual meeting of members on Wednesday.
At the meeting, held in Toronto, John Dargie was re-elected to a third term as president and chairman of the association.
Scott Findlay, partner with Abbotsford, B.C.-based Valley-Wide Financial Corp., has been elected vice chairman, and Doug Biehn, president and CEO of Humboldt, Sask.-based Viking Wealth Management, was elected to the position of treasurer and secretary.
Several other board vacancies were also filled at the meeting. David Brittain of Medicine Hat, Alta. joins the IFB board as director for Alberta, and Marie Jose Comtois of McMasterville, Que. has been elected to a three-year term as director for Quebec.
In addition, returning to the IFB board after a two-year absence is former IFB president Merlin Chouinard, president of Sentinel Financial Group in Saskatoon, Sask.
Other board members include: Murray Coulter, of Toronto; Scott Low, of Vancouver; Richard Mototsune, of Oakville, Ont.; and Sharon Piper, of Whitby, Ont.
In addressing the assembled members, Dargie highlighted a variety of regulatory and compliance challenges facing independent advisors. He said it is a major concern for the organization that life insurance companies have been reducing the number of life insurance products available to brokers and their clients.
Dargie said IFB would continue to advocate on behalf of advisors to ensure that the independent distribution channel remains a viable option for consumers.