The Insurance Institute of Canada has named Conestoga Insurance graduate Caesar Martini winner of the 2015 Frank Dougan Prize. The award recognizes the top graduating student from a full-time insurance program in Canada.
The Institute is a national not-for-profit education and professional development organization that represents more than 39,000 members. It administers the Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) and Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) designation programs for the general insurance industry.
Martini was named winner after the Institute reviewed the grades of the top two graduating Insurance students from each full-time program across Canada. Martini, who graduated in 2015 with an average of 95.9% over the course of his two-year program and honours in 8 of his 9 CIP courses, finished ahead of the other students under consideration. He will be presented with a plaque and an award in the amount of $500 by the Conestoga chapter of the Institute.
Glenn Planert, coordinator of Conestoga’s Insurance programs described Martini as an “incredible student” who was a multiple award winner at the college. Martini won the Economical Insurance Business scholarship in both his first and second year, with prize amounts totalling $7,000. He received the Insurance Institute of Ontario - Conestoga Chapter Award and was also the recipient of the 2014 John E. Lowes Insurance Education Fund, also sponsored by the Insurance Institute of Ontario.
In addition to being named to the President’s Honour List at Conestoga, Martini participated on the organizing committee for Conestoga’s High School Insurance Day and served as an Insurance tutor in the college’s Learning Commons.
Martini credits his success to Conestoga’s program design and its instructors: “The college does a really good job of preparing you for the Insurance Institute's CIP exams and the courses are geared towards helping you pass them. The CIP course material is heavy, but the instructors made it understandable; they have industry experience and that makes a difference.”
Martini also said Conestoga permits its students to write the Institute’s CIP exams in place of final exams, which he found helpful.
Conestoga’s two-year Insurance - Property and Casualty program prepares students for successful careers as insurance professionals and includes studies in all areas of property and casualty coverage: agency claims, underwriting, marketing and management. Students have the opportunity to gain nine of the ten credits required for the CIP designation from the Insurance Institute of Canada.
“Conestoga’s Insurance program stands out from other institutions,” said Dave Smiderle, chair of Conestoga’s School of Business. “We are well-connected to the region’s insurance sector so our students benefit from paid co-op placements with local industry partners. Those placements often turn into full-time employment; right now this program has a 100 per cent graduate employment rate.”
For more information, visit the Insurance - Property and Casual program page