c h r i s t o p h e r
r e D c L i f f e
President and
ceo, Bc BeneFits
age: 29
the story: Getting sued
by a multinational corpora-
tion might not be the ideal
way to start a new business,
but looking back, Christopher
Redcliffe says the experience
made him stronger. "When
you're cornered into a situa-
tion where there really isn't
anywhere to go, it's that fight
or flight moment."
Vancouver-born Redcliffe
began working for his father
Norman's insurance com-
pany, Redcliffe Investments,
while studying economics
at the University of Victoria.
When the company was
sold to insurance giant
HUB
International in 2008, Nor-
man retired, but his son took
a job with
HUB. Redcliffe soon
realized he didn't like being
"a cog in the wheel" of a large
corporation, however, and
in June 2012 left to form BC
Benefits: a small firm special-
izing in group benefits and
the same attention-to-client
experience that had been the
cornerstone of his father's
business.
When several clients
asked to follow Redcliffe, he
didn't think the multibillion-
dollar
HUB would object to
the loss of the relatively small
portfolio. He was wrong.
HUB
rejected his initial offer to
buy his clients' books, and
the company applied for an
injunction to bar the then
26-year-old from practising
insurance for two years.
Several agonizing—and
expensive—months later, a
judge rejected the applica-
tion, and the two parties
settled out of court for what
Redcliffe calls a "fair" sum. It
was a harrowing ordeal, and
not one Redcliffe would rec-
ommend, but it solidified his
resolve to follow his gut and
build a company that he felt
would better serve clients.
"They were waiting for me to
step up to the plate."
Markers oF success:
Nearly two years in, BC
Benefits boasts a perma-
nent staff of three with up
to 50 consultants available
to advise clients; revenues
have more than doubled, and
client retention rates are 100
per cent.
—J.B.
bcbusiness.ca april 2015 BCBusiness 51
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