KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Jim Ruta BA, RHU, EPC President, Advisorcraft Media

Jim Ruta wrote over 100 lives in his first year as a life insurance agent at age 22. He joined management at 25 and led one of Canada’s largest life insurance agencies with 250 agents by age 40.

Today, he helps transform life insurance agents from MDRT aspirants to Top of the Table qualifiers and beyond. His clients include industry icon Van Mueller of Milwaukee and Sim Gakhar of Toronto.

President of Advisorcraft Media, and principal of SOLIS, the School of Life Insurance Selling, Jim has spoken 4 times at the MDRT Annual Meeting including the Main Platform. He has written 4 best selling books and is a regular columnist in industry magazines. Jim produces a free weekly coaching video on Facebook Live @jwruta. He is the co-founder, producer, and host of The Canada Sales Congress the largest 1-day life insurance sales event for advisors in North America.

Advisorcraft Media is under contract with The MDRT Academy for advisor development content and with MDRT Global Services for leadership in recruiting, selection, and development strategies. They produce, promote, and distribute world-class life insurance agent training and development in virtual and live events.

What you don’t know about Jim… He spent the first 6 months of his life in hospital, suspected of polio and recovered through the power of prayer. He is a classically trained violinist; a trained Emergency Medical Technician; a Licensed Private Pilot, and a former Alpine Ski Instructor.

Jim’s crusade is to preserve, promote and propel the noble profession of selling life insurance.

MODERATOR

Ali Ghiassi Vice-President of Industry Affairs and Government Relations at Canada Life

Ali Ghiassi is Vice-President of Industry Affairs and Government Relations at Canada Life where he leads the national public policy team. He has extensive experience in government and regulatory affairs having served for nearly 10 years as a senior advisor in the Ontario government including as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Finance between 2014-18.

At Finance, Ali was responsible for the design, development and delivery of four provincial budgets and led Ontario’s 2016 negotiations with the federal and provincial governments to enhance the Canada Pension Plan. Prior to this, Ali was Vice-President, General Counsel and Public Affairs at Mohawk College. He has taught politics at McMaster University and has been a guest lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto. Ali previously practiced international law in Toronto and at the World Bank in Washington DC.