Van Bakel now CEO of Crawford Canada

Pat Van Bakel will take the reins of Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. as its new president and chief executive officer. Succeeding John Sharoun, Van Bakel will be responsible for all facets of the Canadian organization, including all services supplied to the Canadian property and casualty insurance market, notes a statement from Crawford & Company. Crawford & Company (Canada) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Crawford & Company in Atlanta.

In other company news, Crawford & Company announced July 3 that the management and adjusting team of Horizon Adjusters Ltd. has agreed to join Crawford’s Canadian operations effective Aug. 1. Bea Boutcher, president of Grande Prairie, Alta.-based Horizon, her team of five all-lines adjusters and a support staff team will all be joining Crawford Canada. The group has more than 60 years of combined experience in handling all lines of insurance claims in northern Alberta and northern British Columbia, according to a statement from Crawford.