In January 2023, the leader who spent nearly two decades steering British Columbia's public auto insurer, Nicolas Jimenez, announced he would carry the same chief executive role to BC Ferries, a move announced from Victoria. His departure marks a passage from one public institution that was pulled back from financial distress to another that is struggling to keep its vessels and crews in step with the people who depend on them. The question hanging over the change is whether skills built in one public service can steady another, and that answer will show itself not in announcements but on the
ICBC President Nicolas Jimenez Departs for Top Job at BC Ferries
A change leader moves from a repaired insurer to a ferry service short-staffed
Mark
So the head of ICBC is moving to BC Ferries. Why does that matter beyond a job change?
Mimi
Because of what he's leaving behind. ICBC's board chair credits him with a "remarkable transformation" of the insurer, and rates are now frozen until March 2025.
Mark
That's a long way from where the insurer started.
Mimi
Right. When the NDP took office, David Eby, then attorney general, called its finances a "dumpster fire." Reforms like the no-fault model came afterward.
Luke
Careful, though. The praise is coming from ICBC's own board chair and from Joy MacPhail, who is now at BC Ferries. These are statements in news releases, not independent assessments.
Mimi
Fair. But the rate freeze through March 2025 is a concrete outcome, and so is the shift to no-fault.
Mark
And MacPhail is a link between the two organizations?
Mimi
Yes. She left ICBC as chair in June last year to lead the BC Ferries board, and now Jimenez is following her.
Luke
Does the reporting say the reforms alone caused the financial recovery? It says they allowed the rate freeze, but it doesn't give numbers.
Mimi
No figures on finances are given. We also don't know his start date.
Mark
What is he walking into?
Mimi
Persistent staffing shortages that have forced ferry cancellations and delays.
Luke
And whether insurance reform experience carries over to that problem is untested. The reporting doesn't say.
Il Polso
- ICBC's longtime president and CEO is leaving after nearly 20 years, creating an immediate leadership gap at the public insurer.
- BC Ferries is wrestling with persistent staffing shortages that have forced cancellations and delays for travellers.
- Jimenez is credited with structural reforms, including a no-fault insurance model, that restored ICBC's finances and enabled rate freezes until March 2025.
- His new post places him under former ICBC board chair Joy MacPhail, who now leads the BC Ferries board, and the sailing schedule will reveal whether his approach works.
In January 2023, the leader who spent nearly two decades steering British Columbia's public auto insurer, Nicolas Jimenez, announced he would carry the same chief executive role to BC Ferries, a move announced from Victoria. His departure marks a passage from one public institution that was pulled back from financial distress to another that is struggling to keep its vessels and crews in step with the people who depend on them. The question hanging over the change is whether skills built in one public service can steady another, and that answer will show itself not in announcements but on the ferry schedule itself.
On January 17, 2023, the Insurance Corporation of B.C. announced that its president and CEO, Nicolas Jimenez, is leaving after almost twenty years to take the same top job at BC Ferries. The news came from Victoria, and board chair Catherine Holt praised what she called a "remarkable transformation" of the public auto insurer during his tenure.
The weight of that transformation is easier to see against where ICBC stood when David Eby, then attorney general, called its finances a "dumpster fire." A series of reforms, including a move to no-fault insurance, brought the corporation back to health and made it possible to freeze rates until March 2025.
The new role follows a familiar path. Joy MacPhail left ICBC's board last June to lead the board at BC Ferries, and Jimenez will now work under her. She described him as a "change leader" with a deep commitment to financial accountability and affordable rates.
He arrives at a hard moment. Staffing shortages have persisted at the ferry service, causing cancellations and delays. The announcement did not say how he plans to tackle the problem or when he will start, but his handling of those shortages will be among the first measures of his leadership.
On January 17, 2023, the Insurance Corporation of B.C. announced in a news release that its president and CEO, Nicolas Jimenez, is leaving to take the same job at BC Ferries. The announcement came from Victoria.
Jimenez has been with ICBC for almost 20 years. The corporation's board chair, Catherine Holt, credited him with many contributions during that time, including what she called a "remarkable transformation" of the public auto insurer.
The scale of that change is clearer against where the insurer stood when the NDP took office. David Eby, then the attorney general, described its finances as a "dumpster fire." Since then, a series of reforms, among them a move to a no-fault insurance model, have put ICBC in a position to freeze rates until March 2025.
The move to BC Ferries also follows a path someone else has already taken. Joy MacPhail, who had been ICBC's board chair, left in June of last year to lead the board at BC Ferries. Jimenez will now work under her leadership at the ferry service.
MacPhail commented in a news release on the incoming CEO. She called Jimenez a "change leader" with a proven track record of success, and described him as customer focused, with a deep commitment to financial accountability and rate affordability. She said he led structural reforms that returned the insurance corporation to financial health, which in turn allowed it to deliver more affordable insurance to customers.
He arrives at BC Ferries at a difficult moment. Staffing shortages at the ferry service have persisted, forcing cancellations and delays. The source reporting does not say how Jimenez plans to approach the problem or when he will begin in the role.
How he handles those shortages will be among the first tests of his leadership at BC Ferries, and the place to watch is the sailing schedule.
Citazioni salienti
He is customer focused with a deep commitment to financial accountability and rate affordability.— Joy MacPhail, BC Ferries board chair
Jimenez made many contributions, including the "remarkable transformation" of the public auto insurer.— Catherine Holt, ICBC board chair
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Politics & Governance