Our Team
With the hours required to serve our clients in the fashion they deserve, it is imperative for our team to have a space that facilitates long days.
John Vickerstaff, CAIB
Office: 604-629-5892
Cell: 604-916-0152
E-mail: jvickerstaff@networkbis.com
Over his 20-year career as a leader in sales and marketing, John has held senior and executive positions with multinational industry leaders including The Pacific Newspaper Group (publishers of The Vancouver Sun and The Province). John holds a BA in Economics and Business from Simon Fraser University and currently serves on several local boards including his current role as Governor of the Better Business Bureau for BC. With John now in the insurance industry, he sees this career path as a return to his roots, stating, “I grew up beside the insurance industry and have actively maintained contacts and relationships. It’s like coming home.” John looks forward to putting his complete focus on the Insurance Industry, innovative bond solutions for developers and the growth and success of Network Bonding.
A father of three, John enjoys the challenge of managing the balance of work and family. Summers weekends are spent at Sakinaw Lake on the Sunshine Coast. Winters are all about stealing a weekend or two with his family; and skiing at their family cabin in Big White. John believes BC’s West Coast lifestyle is about blending a passion for your work and family with the best backyard in the world.
Andrew Knight
Office: 604-629-5891
Cell: 604-690-4152
E-mail: aknight@networkbis.com
Andrew Knight started his Insurance Career with ICBC nearly 30 years ago. After 10 years with ICBC, he joined the company side as an adjuster for two large Canadian Underwriters. His passion for people and building strong relationships found him joining the brokerage side of the business specializing in commercial insurance.
After 18 years working for large corporate brokerage groups, Andrew really wanted to find a home for his clients where he could focus on commercial insurance and service all areas of the client relationship, from underwriting to claims management. He found this opportunity with the Network Bonding and Insurance Team.
Andrew’s specialties in insurance include realty (apartment buildings and strata buildings), construction contractors and commercial manufacturers, but he is also well versed in auto, fleet coverage and personal lines. Andrew believes his experience as an adjuster and a broker has given him a unique opportunity to see all sides of the Client/broker/underwriter insurance relationship which he has found to be extremely beneficial to both the clients and the underwriters. “Having strong relationships with both the insurance companies and the clients is paramount to success in my role as a broker.” Andrew says.
When Andrew is not at the office, you will find him down at his place in Birch Bay with family and friends or on the golf course.
Gilbert Kimani, CPA, CA, BBA (Hons)
Office: 604-629-5895
Cell: 778-828-8323
E-mail: gkimani@networkbis.com
During his undergraduate studies at Simon Fraser University, Gilbert worked part-time for one of the largest insurance agencies in the Lower Mainland and got an interest in the insurance business. Upon graduation, with an Honours Degree in Accounting, he articled with Deloitte LLP where he received his Chartered Accountant designation and later joined the hospitality industry as Finance Projects Manager at the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in Vancouver & Whistler. Insurance seemed to be a calling for Gilbert, perhaps unknowingly to him was the impression both his father and mother had on him, both of whom had worked in the insurance industry in Kenya, his birth country.
In October of 2017, Gilbert joined the Network family and holds the role of Finance & Operations Manager. Among the many roles he plays at the office, his joy comes from streamlining processes with the aim of having efficient and effective processes. In addition to this, Gilbert is interested in the surety bonding business and the energy sector of the business given his experience in the mining and renewable energy space during his articling time as a CPA, CA.
If not at Network, you will find Gilbert playing soccer, hear him on air hosting the African Vibes program on radio on Sunday evenings or at Power Math, his tutoring and mentoring centre in Delbrook, North Vancouver. “I derive great fulfillment from my students’ successes especially at this stage in their lives, which breeds great confidence”.
Ron Dekanich
Originally starting his career in the banking business, Ron became involved in the insurance industry in 1976. He began working as an underwriter with a large national company, moving on to become a licensed insurance and bond broker in 1979. Over the years Ron has developed his skills and knowledge of insurance and bonding while working with some of the largest insurance carriers in the world. After attaining almost 30 years of experience in the field, Ron founded Network Bonding & Insurance Services in 2001. Heading up a knowledgeable and experienced staff of insurance professionals, Ron continues to strive to perfect Network’s capabilities in providing affordable and reliable insurance for his customers, with a service level that sets Network apart from others in the industry.
In Ron’s 34-year career, he has written all lines of insurance and is considered by many to be the go-to industry resource for design/build construction, road builders and large development projects. Ron is a family-oriented individual who is a terrific role model for the Network team. Anyone who meets Ron quickly finds out his priorities are family, surety, insurance, hockey, and fishing – not necessarily in that order but family is first.