National Business Development Account Executive, Canada West

Markel; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Markel Canada seeks a Business Development Account Executive (BDAE), Canada West, to drive sustainable growth. You will build broker relationships across Western Canada, execute territory plans, and align opportunities with Markel’s underwriting appetite and market priorities.

As a trusted advisor to broker partners, you will collaborate with underwriting, product and marketing teams, deliver timely CRM updates, and support initiatives that raise brand awareness and market presence across Canada.

Qualifications

• Substantial sales, business development, relationship management experience.
• Proven success building broker relationships and achieving growth.
• Strong consultative selling, pipeline management, and customer engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop territory-based business development plans across Western Canada.
• Build and maintain executive-level broker relationships.
• Conduct broker reviews to identify growth opportunities and objectives.
• Generate and qualify new business opportunities aligned with underwriting appetite.

Skills

Sales experience

Relationship management

Consultative selling

CRM proficiency

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Tools

CRM systems (Dynamics)

Job description

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, the Business Development Account Executive (BDAE), Canada West is a key member of the Business Development & Marketing Team (BDMT). The BDAE, Canada West will assist in building a more agile and effective sales and marketing capability that will underpin long-term sustainable and profitable growth for Markel Canada. This role reflects Markel’s increasing focus on the customer and its move away from providing products on a purely transactional basis, toward solution-oriented relationships.
A key member of the Canadian BDMT which oversees and leads Sales & Marketing activities across Markel Canada, the BDAE, Canada West, will work closely with the SVP, Sales & Marketing as other senior Field Leadership Team (FLT) leads to drive the significant growth ambitions for the Canadian market. This will include leveraging data and market insights to proactively identify and target customers and effectively building the customer journey with a focus on customer experience.

The Opportunity:

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, the Business Development Account Executive (BDAE), Canada West is a key member of Markel Canada’s Business Development & Marketing Team (BDMT). The role is responsible for executing business development and distribution strategies that drive sustainable, profitable growth across Western Canada through strong broker engagement, market intelligence, data-driven opportunity identification, and exceptional customer experiences.

Acting as a trusted advisor to broker partners and an ambassador for the Markel brand, the BDAE plays a critical role in strengthening market presence, generating new business opportunities aligned with Markel’s risk appetite, and supporting the organization’s long-term growth strategy.

What you’ll be doing:

Sales, Distribution and Relationship Management

• Develop and execute territory-based business development plans that support Markel Canada’s growth objectives across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
• Build, maintain and strengthen executive-level relationships within a designated portfolio of key broker partners, acting as a trusted advisor and primary Markel representative.
• Conduct regular broker reviews to evaluate relationship health, identify growth opportunities, and support mutual business objectives.
• Actively generate and qualify new business opportunities that align with Markel Canada’s underwriting appetite and strategic priorities.
• Partner with underwriting teams to facilitate broker engagement, increase submission flow, and support profitable premium growth.
• Clearly communicate Markel’s value proposition, product capabilities, market position, and strategic priorities to internal and external stakeholders.
• Represent Markel at broker meetings, industry conferences, client events, and trade shows to enhance brand awareness and market presence.

Strategic Growth and Market Development

• Leverage market intelligence, portfolio analysis, and customer insights to identify emerging opportunities, growth sectors, and new customer segments.
• Support the development and execution of national sales and marketing initiatives that increase brand awareness and market penetration.
• Collaborate with leadership and product specialists to contribute to strategic planning, distribution segmentation, and growth initiatives.
• Monitor competitive activity and market trends, identifying opportunities to strengthen Markel’s market positioning and competitive advantage.

CRM, Pipeline Management and Reporting

• Maintain accurate and timely information within Markel’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform to support visibility, forecasting, and business planning.
• Manage sales pipeline activity, broker engagement tracking, and opportunity reporting to drive accountability and performance.
• Deliver accurate three-month new business forecasts and provide meaningful insights on broker activity, market conditions, and growth opportunities.
• Identify process improvement opportunities and collaborate with technology and business teams to enhance sales effectiveness and data quality.

Product, Marketing and Business Support

• Partner with marketing and product leaders to develop client-facing sales and marketing materials that support business objectives.
• Ensure broker-facing product information accurately reflects current underwriting appetite, product strategy, and market positioning.
• Support the launch of new products, services, territories, and distribution initiatives across Canada.
• Champion The Markel Style by demonstrating collaboration, accountability, inclusivity, professionalism, and a customer-first mindset in all interactions.

What You Will Bring to the Role

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Experience

The successful candidate will possess:

• Substantial relevant sales, business development, relationship management, or distribution experience within insurance, financial services, or a comparable business-to-business environment.
• Proven success developing strategic client or broker relationships and achieving measurable growth objectives.
• Strong understanding of consultative selling, business development, pipeline management, and customer engagement practices.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence effectively at all levels.
• Strong analytical and commercial acumen, with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and make informed business recommendations.
• Experience working with CRM platforms and utilizing data to manage customer relationships and sales opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences and embodying Markel’s values and culture.

Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Experience working with commercial insurance broker distribution channels.
• Knowledge of specialty insurance products and underwriting principles.
• Experience developing sales presentations, marketing content, or business proposals.
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM or similar customer relationship management systems.
• Familiarity with artificial intelligence, digital enablement tools, and data-driven knowledge platforms.

Our Values

We’re all about people

• Empowering them, supporting them, and helping protect what matters most to them.
• We put people first and stay true to our word because we believe in the power of relationships and doing what’s right.

We win together

• We work as a team, exchanging ideas, supporting each other, and respecting everyone’s opinion.
• Because together we know we can achieve great things.

We strive for better

• We aspire to lead and win in all that we do.
• Aiming for excellence and finding a better way of doing things is up to us all.

We enjoy the everyday

• We are dedicated to our work, but we always keep a sense of humour and leave our egos at the door.

We think further

• We are committed to building a legacy and making decisions that leave a lasting impact on our customers, partners, employees, and communities.

Additional Information

This role is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, operating within a hybrid work arrangement requiring a minimum of three days per week in the office. Regular travel throughout Western Canada is required, with occasional travel to Toronto and other Canadian locations as business needs dictate.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also supportive of candidates looking for flexible working patterns.

We are committed to ensuring an accessible recruitment process and will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process where required.

Pay information:

$80k - $110k

This salary range reflects the expected base compensation for the role across Canada. Placement within the range will depend on a number of factors, including experience, qualifications, and the scope of responsibilities. As part of our commitment to transparency and supporting our people, we share this range in good faith and in accordance with applicable legislation.

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.

Our recruitment process may use artificial intelligence tools to assistwith tasks such as initial resume screening, interview scheduling and candidate matching. While AI enhances our efficiency, human oversight remainsintegral to the final decision-making process to ensure fairness and mitigate potential biases.

This posting reflects an existing vacancy within our organization.