A career spent inside one of British Columbia's public institutions has reached a turning point, as Nicolas Jimenez prepares to carry his leadership from the insurer that shaped much of his working life to the ferry operator that keeps the coast connected. The move follows a path already trodden by a former ICBC chair, a reminder that public service in this province often travels between the same few institutions. What he brings is a record of reform, a shift that many credited with restoring financial footing to a once-troubled insurer. Whether those lessons carry across the water to a servic
ICBC President Nicolas Jimenez Departs to Lead BC Ferries Amid Staffing Strain
Close to two decades at ICBC, and now a ferry system short of staff
Mark
So the head of ICBC is becoming head of BC Ferries. Why is that notable?
Mimi
Partly because of the pattern. Joy MacPhail left as ICBC chair for the BC Ferries board in June 2022, and now Jimenez follows her.
Mark
And he's leaving a place he's been for almost 20 years.
Mimi
Yes, and the board chair credits him with a "remarkable transformation" of the insurer.
Luke
That's the board chair talking about her own organization's chief executive. It's a fair account of what ICBC believes, not an independent audit.
Mark
What's the concrete evidence, then?
Mimi
Rates are frozen until March 2025, and the insurer moved to a no-fault model. Eby once called the finances a "dumpster fire."
Luke
Worth noting the release attributes the reforms to the organization and the government broadly. How much is Jimenez personally is something MacPhail asserts, and the story doesn't test it.
Mark
What does he face at BC Ferries?
Mimi
Staffing shortages that keep causing cancellations and delays.
Luke
And we don't know his plan, his start date, or whether insurance reform experience helps with crewing a fleet. That's unanswered.
El Pulso
- ICBC's chief executive is leaving after nearly two decades to take the same top job at BC Ferries.
- The move mirrors a recent departure, as former ICBC chair Joy MacPhail moved to lead the ferry board last June.
- Staffing shortages at BC Ferries keep forcing sailing cancellations and delays for travellers who depend on the service.
- His credited success, a no-fault insurance model and rate freezes through March 2025, now faces a harder test on the water.
- The reporting does not yet say how he plans to fix the crew shortage or when he will take the helm.
A career spent inside one of British Columbia's public institutions has reached a turning point, as Nicolas Jimenez prepares to carry his leadership from the insurer that shaped much of his working life to the ferry operator that keeps the coast connected. The move follows a path already trodden by a former ICBC chair, a reminder that public service in this province often travels between the same few institutions. What he brings is a record of reform, a shift that many credited with restoring financial footing to a once-troubled insurer. Whether those lessons carry across the water to a service struggling to find enough people to sail its routes remains the open question.
After almost twenty years at the Insurance Corporation of B.C., Nicolas Jimenez is leaving to become CEO of BC Ferries, the same title he now holds at the public auto insurer. ICBC's board chair, Catherine Holt, announced the move in a news release on January 17, 2023, praising what she called a remarkable transformation of the insurer.
That transformation started from a deep hole. When the NDP took office, then attorney general David Eby called the insurer's finances a dumpster fire. Reforms followed, most notably a shift to a no-fault insurance model, and they have allowed ICBC to freeze rates until March 2025.
Jimenez is not the first to make this crossing. Joy MacPhail left the ICBC chair's seat last June to lead the BC Ferries board, and now the insurer's chief executive is following her. MacPhail described him as a change leader who is customer focused and committed to financial accountability and affordability.
His new job comes with urgent pressure. Persistent staffing shortages have forced cancellations and delays on the ferries. The announcement does not say how he plans to tackle that problem or when he will begin.
The man who spent close to two decades at the Insurance Corporation of B.C., and who ended up running it, is moving to a different public institution on the coast. Nicolas Jimenez, ICBC's president and CEO, is leaving to take the same title at BC Ferries. The insurer announced the move in a news release on Jan. 17, 2023.
The release says Jimenez has been with ICBC for almost 20 years. Catherine Holt, the insurer's board chair, credited him with many contributions during that time, among them what she called a "remarkable transformation" of the public auto insurer.
That transformation began from a low point. When the NDP took office, David Eby, then the attorney general, described the insurer's finances as a "dumpster fire." Reforms since then have changed the picture. The most significant was a move to a no-fault insurance model. The reforms have allowed ICBC to freeze rates until March 2025.
The path Jimenez is taking has been walked recently by someone else. Joy MacPhail left her post as ICBC's chair in June of last year to take over the board at BC Ferries. Now the insurer's chief executive is following her there.
MacPhail also spoke in a news release, describing Jimenez as a "change leader" with a proven record of success. She said he is customer focused, with a deep commitment to financial accountability and rate affordability. In her account, he led structural reforms that returned ICBC to financial health, which in turn let it offer more affordable insurance to customers.
The job he is walking into carries its own pressure. Staffing shortages at BC Ferries have persisted, and they have forced sailing cancellations and delays. The reporting does not say how Jimenez intends to address that, or when he will start.
What to watch is whether the skills credited to him at ICBC, structural reform and financial discipline, translate to a ferry service whose most visible problem right now is not enough people to run its sailings.
Citas Notables
Jimenez is a "change leader" with a proven track record of success.— Joy MacPhail, BC Ferries board chair
Jimenez contributed to a "remarkable transformation" of the public auto insurer.— Catherine Holt, ICBC board chair
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en Toronto Star ↗
Politics & Governance