Letter from the President, Matthew Harwood
Greetings from the WETT National Board! My name is Matthew Harwood, and I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share some of the latest updates taking place at our organization, as well as some of our goals for the next year.
In 1997, I started working on the loss prevention side of the insurance industry, completing inspections. After almost three decades in the vendor world servicing the largest insurers across Canada, I moved to the insurance side and became a Manager of Prevention at Wawanesa in 2023.
In 2019, I was first appointed to WETT National Board, and served as Treasurer for the past two years. Then, at the June 2024 board meetings, I became the new WETT President for a two-year term.
So, I think you could say that I’ve got a bit of experience from both the inspection side – writing reports and inspecting – as well as being on the consumer-end of the reports – reviewing and helping underwriters to accept the reports provided by WETT-certified professionals.
I’m looking forward to using this experience to help WETT evolve over the next two years.
New Management Company:
As you know, WETT National uses a management company along with the volunteer board to care for the needs of courses, certification, and initiatives to move our organization forward. In September, we transitioned from partnering with Funnel to a new company, Managing Matters. Please be patient with us as we try to get through this as smoothly as possible.
After over 20 years of serving our organization, we are sad to see Funnel go. Many of you have been assisted by Peter, Evonne, and the rest of the team over the years, and we will miss them. We would like to thank them for their many years of diligent service to help us grow to where we are today.
We are excited to work with Managing Matters, who have already shown a wide range of skillsets that will help us as we work towards our goals. Rudi Genovese will be our new Executive Manager, and has a lot of trade experience that will help him to understand and meet our needs.
You will also get to see or talk to Sarah Mackenzie who will be overseeing some of the board and committee meeting and Heitor Purcino who will be scheduling courses, as well as handling certification and education. There are a number of other members of the team who will be assisting, including those who will be responsible for planning events, helping with technology, and managing our communications.
Upcoming Year:
This year as President, my goal is to help us progress to the next level. I believe that this can be done by good communication between all, and working together as a board to listen to and address your needs as members.
Communication: As a board, we serve at your pleasure. None of the board members can dictate policy, and our goals should be your goals. To help with that, we have implemented a new plan to make sure there is clear communication between all board members and affiliate boards, so that everyone knows what is happening.
As you may know, each of the four affiliates has a representative on the National board to advocate for your needs. So, to make sure you are heard, a section of the board meeting will now be dedicated to hearing from the affiliate representatives.
Furthermore, all WETT National board meeting minutes will be circulated to the affiliate board members to bring awareness to new developments. This communication will ensure that whether you are talking to someone from the office, a board member, or an affiliate board member, the same information will be passed on to you.
Strategic Focus: In the near future, a subsection of the board will be tasked with working with Managing Matters to prepare a strategic plan for WETT going forwards. This will allow us to progress and put the effort where it’s most beneficial. Once this plan is prepared, it will be brought to the full board for approval and action.
Some of the key things we are exploring as part of that strategy include:
Communication with the insurance companies and understanding their needs
Investigating development of an app to make filling out reports easier
Updating and streamlining the WETT forms to address comments from members
Providing additional training opportunities and skill-development programs
Researching government grants that could help expedite our growth
Seeking collaborative opportunities with similar organizations
Updating courses to meet current needs and technologies
Educating all stakeholders in the inspection, sweeping, and installation industry on the requirements of WETT certification
Increasing organizational awareness by attending various industry events
Planning special events that incentivize member attendance
In Summary:
We look forward to sharing with you the developments we have achieved at the 2025 AGM in Penticton, BC. There are many exciting plans for that event, including a tour of a manufacturer, a visit to a winery, new educational opportunities, and exhibitors that will make it a remarkable event.
I believe we are at a great place in our organizational development where we can make true, meaningful change for our members, but also for the industry. I am looking forward to this journey with you! Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Matthew Harwood
President