2018 Aspire Awards Rep of the Year

The next generation of insurance industry leaders in Nova Scotia continues to evolve, including Andy DeCoste.

Andy is a self-directed learner. He loves tinkering with new problems and researching innovative solutions. And in addition to his natural curiosity, he also understands the power of working alongside a coach or mentor to set goals and monitor progress.

With close to a decade of experience in business development, he is a great support for brokers day to day. And over the past few years, Andy has become a key resource for digital marketing at Aviva. Both of his roles draw on his background in information systems and his passion for technology.

Andy feels there are good reasons to be excited about the future of Atlantic Canada. One is that the expansion of Volta Labs makes it the largest start-up hub in the country outside of the Toronto-Waterloo corridor.

This year Andy was awarded the Insurance Broker Association of Nova Scotia’s Aspire Award for Insurance Company Rep of the Year. I caught up with him in May to talk about the award.

INTERVIEWER

Congrats on the Aspire Award!

DECOSTE

Thanks! It’s wonderful just to be nominated. Brokers have to submit a business case for why you should win—so I’m really flattered.

INTERVIEWER

What kinds of things are you doing with brokers these days that you’re finding exciting?

DECOSTE

Currently I’m in dual role for Aviva. First and foremost I’m a member of the business development team. I work with brokers like AA Munro across Atlantic Canada and, in a nutshell, my job is to make sure that you’re equipped with the proper tools and knowledge of Aviva, in order to be able to confidently and effectively present Aviva as an option to a customer. I’ve been a member of this team for almost nine years now.

INTERVIEWER

Confidence is key.

DECOSTE

Absolutely. A few years back I also became a member of the digital marketing team. I look after the Atlantic region and I get to work with brokers that run the gamut of not even being close to being in the digital space to some that are surprisingly advanced, and everything in the middle. It’s very interesting and rewarding to be able to give suggestions and feedback that, as a broker, may be something you have not thought of before.

INTERVIEWER

Sounds like a lot.

DECOSTE

It has been a rollercoaster so far—a lot of fun!

INTERVIEWER

What’s on the go at home at the moment?

DECOSTE

I love hockey, so I’m watching the playoffs. I’m always glad when the Bruins make it [laughs]. I’m also the captain of a coed softball team. Our team has fifteen people, so that’s my Monday nights in the summer. It’s great to get together with friends, get some activity in. My wife and I have also had the travel bug for awhile. Most recently we were able to explore Amsterdam, Berlin, and Scotland!

INTERVIEWER

What’s the name of your softball team?

DECOSTE

We’re the Hellfish. Anyone who watches the Simpsons will know that Abe Simpson was in an army unit called the Flying Hellfish. We adapted their logo to have him smoking a cigar and holding a baseball bat over his shoulder.

INTERVIEWER

Nice!

DECOSTE

It’s been quite a hit. If we go out for a quick drink after a game, we’ve actually had people taking pictures with the jerseys. And that humour goes along the team. Big Simpsons fans and you know, just a bunch of nerds out playing some softball [laughs].

INTERVIEWER

Sounds like a good time.

DECOSTE

I played a lot of competitive ball growing up. But then, as you finish high school and move into university, a lot of that falls by the wayside, unfortunately, so it’s nice to get back into it as an adult.

INTERVIEWER

Yeah.

DECOSTE

Up until just up recently, I was still big into table tennis, actually. At one point I was the top ranked junior player in the province. And I was the first alternate for Team Nova Scotia playing for the Canadian National championships.

INTERVIEWER

Wow!

DECOSTE

So I still play. And my wife and I also love to go to movies. As a comic book movie fan it’s been a special few years for movies. But it’s softball season now, so I’ve been in planning mode for about a month, making sure the Hellfish are all set to go for the year.

INTERVIEWER

Who do you follow in the major league?

DECOSTE

Definitely a Jays fan. And, as weird as this sounds, I also like the Red Sox. I know they’re bitter rivals. But I tend to be a New England area fan for sports, starting with the Bruins. I like the Patriots as well. But Jays first and foremost.

INTERVIEWER

Do you have any thoughts on why awards like the Aspire Insurance Rep of the Year are important for our industry?

DECOSTE

I do love that they have these award announcements in the newspapers, in the Chronicle Herald, and whatnot. It gives some recognition to our industry and shows that people are really doing a good job, in spite of public perception around insurance, which can be negative.

INTERVIEWER

Yes, a “grudge purchase.”

DECOSTE

Exactly. A lot of people would rather buy the new iPhone versus pay for auto insurance.

INTERVIEWER

Sure.

DECOSTE

And that’s just the way it is. It’s usually at the bottom of the list for priorities, unfortunately. Even though insuring your home, which is arguably the biggest asset you’ll ever have in your life—if not for insurance, if your home were to burn down, your life would be in ruins, for the most part. I didn’t think like that until I got into the industry. Now I realize the value of insurance and I wish more people did too. So I think awards like this and promoting the CAIB  and CIP graduates every year is really important. It helps improve the image of the industry at large. And in terms of education within the industry, I hope that someone can look at me and say, “Wow, Andy won an award. I’ve worked with him before and I do similar things and I’m as good as him,” or “I’m better than him,” or whatever they want to think and say to themselves, “Well, why not me?” So hopefully it’s something that other people can strive for as well.

INTERVIEWER

What are you striving for at the moment? I guess the bigger question is what are some of the things that you want to get better at and what are some of the things that you think the industry can be better at?

DECOSTE

Good question. That’s a very good question, actually. There’s a lot I want to get better at [laughs]. There’s a lot. Digital marketing knowledge is definitely one. Compared to a lot of the things I do, that’s one thing where I really have to stay current on it. I can’t wait two years and decide to take another course. As you know yourself, any time you get a chance to read a blog or listen to a podcast or read an article or a book, you have to take that chance to do it.

INTERVIEWER

There’s certainly a lot of research.

DECOSTE

That’s definitely one area where I want keep improving and keeping up to date. Also the financial side. I’ve always been interested in math, finance, accounting and just numbers in general. And with my current role, it allows me to dive a bit into that as well. You can never be too strong in that area. Now, the industry as a whole … We have to keep working to improve our reputation. It doesn’t help that the prices keep going up every year. It’s unfortunate that the most people don’t understand what goes into pricing and how companies are having to pay out increasingly large claims alongside all their normal operating expenses.

INTERVIEWER

Climate change is affecting the industry a lot.

DECOSTE

Absolutely. I also think we could do a better job at promoting the wealth of knowledge that’s in the industry. I think we’re an older industry, in terms of staff. I know for Aviva, if I look at our personal lines underwriting team, it’s nothing to see somebody with 30 years of experience. So we have to get better at promoting the amount of knowledge we have, and we really have to be better in promoting all the different avenues and all the different careers you can have within insurance in order to attract the next generation of people into the industry. I think we need to get into universities and work with them to give basic courses in insurance. Or even into high schools. I think that’s a big area that we’re lacking in right now.

INTERVIEWER

Yes. Just as a concept. I don’t remember anything in my high school accounting course about insurance. The idea of financial literacy was simply about how to balance a budget. Not necessarily what are the risks for your money when you’re out living your life.

DECOSTE

Absolutely. And even if we could possibly get out there and show them the industry, like at career days, you know?

INTERVIEWER

Yes!

DECOSTE

If you’re an accountant, you can work in insurance. If you’re an actuary, you can work in insurance. If you’re a sales person, if you’re a digital marketer—there’s just so many different paths once you come in. If you enter the door an underwriter, ten years later you could be working in almost any discipline, all within insurance.