Headquarters:
Richmond, BC
Year founded:
1998
Number of employees:
140
Phone:
1 866 744 8668
Email:
HR@peakproducts.com
Website:
peakproducts.com/en-ca
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/the-peak-group-of-companies
“We prioritise embracing cutting-edge technologies, creative problem solving and continuous improvement to enhance our premium funding solutions and provide exceptional value to our clients”
Brett Bastow, IQumulate Premium FundinG
Jeff Kinnaird
President and CEO
Dan Kiatipis
Senior Vice President, Sales
James Beckett
Senior Vice President, Supply Chain & Global Procurement
Leadership
Jeff Kinnaird brings over 30 years of leadership experience with a focus on customer experience, innovation, and business growth. He began his career in 1991 with Windsor Plywood, a home improvement retailer, and joined The Home Depot in 1996, where he held multiple leadership roles, including president of The Home Depot’s Canadian business and EVP of merchandising for The Home Depot’s US business.
Kinnaird helped launch Peak in 1999 by placing its first product in-store. He holds an Executive MBA from Queen’s University and has been recognized by the Retail Council of Canada, The Globe and Mail, and Hardlines for his contributions to the retail industry.
President and CEO
Jeff Kinnaird
Dan Kiatipis is a highly respected leader whose commitment to excellence and integrity has made him a trusted advisor to colleagues and customers alike. Since joining Peak in 2005, Kiatipis has been instrumental in driving Peak’s growth and success, developing and launching new product lines, and ensuring Peak Products are well-positioned in the market.
Prior to joining Peak, he spent 13 years as a senior divisional product merchant with Home Depot, where he gained a deep understanding of the retail side of the industry. He is a past Home Depot and Hardware News Merchant of the Year award winner.
Senior Vice President, Sales
Dan Kiatipis
James Beckett possesses a wealth of experience from senior leadership roles at The Home Depot Canada, Canadian Tire, and Staples. Throughout his career, he has led initiatives in merchandising, marketing, product development, and global procurement, driving operational excellence and customer-focused strategies.
At Peak, James leads global supply chain and procurement operations, including manufacturing and distribution across North America.
Senior Vice President, Supply Chain & Global Procurement
James Beckett
BRETT BASTOW, IQUMULATE PREMIUM FUNDINGs
Leadership
Leadership
Craig Lawson
Vice President, Product Development & Quality
Craig Lawson is a highly respected leader known for his great work ethic and passion for innovation. As vice president, product development & quality, he provides Peak’s technical group with leadership and inspiration in numerous areas including product design, product compliance, and quality assurance.
Prior to joining Peak in 2011, Lawson spent 10 years working with Intertek Testing Services, a global product testing and certification company, for which he held senior roles in Canada and Asia. Lawson also spent a decade in steel manufacturing and agricultural research.
Vice President, Product Development & Quality
Craig Lawson
Jean-Marie Pepin
Vice President, North American Logistics & Warehousing
Jean-Marie Pepin joined Peak in 2006. He is an experienced professional whose expertise includes logistics management, warehousing distribution, and manufacturing. As Peak’s vice president for North American logistics and warehousing, Pepin oversees all distribution and manufacturing facilities throughout North America and is responsible for all shipments to Home Depot stores, regional distribution centers, dedicated freight corridors, and Home Depot’s other distribution channels.
Pepin’s outstanding leadership and organizational skills, ability to motivate others, and ability to create processes that are efficient and effective have helped Peak Products increase productivity within a team environment while maintaining safety and quality standards.
Vice President, North American Logistics & Warehousing
Jean-Marie Pepin
Stevens & Associates Lawyers is a leading and trusted employment law firm based in Sydney known for delivering high-quality legal expertise in the area of employment law and industrial relations across Australia, alongside a proven track record of effectively and swiftly resolving a variety of workplace law issues.
In the past year, the firm’s growth has been notable. It has:
• experienced a 213% growth in the number of client matters, increasing from 149 client matters in the 2022 financial year to 390 client matters in the 2023 financial year
• improved its online visibility, leading to over 50 online enquiries each month and a conversion rate of client leads of up to 40%
• significantly expanded the breadth and type of matters that it advises on day to day, which has increased the firm’s skillsets, diversity and resilience
• expanded its community outreach by collaborating with local Sydney venues for client seminars and continuing active participation in a Sydney small/family business group
Stevens & Associates Lawyers has adapted to digital trends by implementing an effective strategy with SEO and web design, resulting in a structural shift that has seen increased representation of employees where the firm previously mainly advised employers.
The firm’s recognition as a “Fast Firm” attests to its momentum in the employment law space.
“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started”
Wayne Tower,
IQumulate Premium Funding
Jenny Wang
Vice President, Finance
Becky Yan
Vice President, Marketing
Sonja Nelsen
CPHR | Vice President, Human Resources
Pam Chhabra
Manager – Residential Strata
Jenny Wang is a Chartered Professional Accountant who joined Peak in 2013 after earning a degree in Business Administration at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University.
Wang began her journey at Peak as an accounting assistant and has held progressively more senior positions at Peak. She currently oversees finance, accounting, analytics, and payroll.
Vice President, Finance
Jenny Wang
Becky Yan, an award-winning marketing leader with over 20 years in home renovation and building products. She is known for blending data-driven insights with marketing strategy to lead successful campaigns for top brands like American Standard, Dulux, RYOBI, and RIDGID.
Yan believes that loyalty and market share are earned through delivering quality, durable products, and exceptional customer experiences, whether for DIYers or professionals across categories like plumbing, paint, or power tools – emphasizing long-term value as the key to sustained success.
Vice President, Marketing
Becky Yan
A passionate HR leader, Nelsen brings a unique blend of HR and operations experience across retail, corporate, and franchise environments to her role at Peak, including expertise in employee relations, ethical practice, conflict resolution, relationship management, coaching, and full-cycle recruiting. After beginning her HR career with another home improvement retailer in 1996, she joined The Home Depot Canada in 2001 as the HR Manager at one of its highest-volume locations. While there, she won the coveted HR Manager of the Year award, which honours The Home Depot’s top human resources manager in Canada.
CPHR | Vice President, Human Resources
Sonja Nelsen
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Commercial Manager
Stephen McMillan
One culmination of these efforts has been the real-world, needs-based IQEdge solution. A one-stop online quoting tool designed for both the Australian and New Zealand markets, IQEdge delivers quotes in under 60 seconds. Plus, the solution offers quote comparison and quote versioning capabilities, enabling users to review vital historical and financial data in a single page view.
IQEdge can streamline and automate application processing, underwriting document verification and payment collection, cutting the need for manual labour and minimising processing errors. A digital “self-service” platform, IQEdge, reduces the need for customer and administrative support. Meanwhile, borrowers can access their accounts, make payments and manage their policies independently and through sales and support teams, which are always available for further assistance.
“We’ve created a quality platform that simplifies the quoting process yet amplifies the customer experience,” says Gordon. “It’s a real game changer.” IQumulate offers an online digital quoting tool to clients. The best-in-market solution enables IQumulate to tailor funding offerings to brokers that align with their prefered distribution channel.
Read on
IB Top Brokerages
Award Winner
Award Winner
THE PEAK GROUP OF COMPANIES
SPECIAL REPORT
Home
Bio
Read on
Award Winner
SPECIAL REPORT
Home
Bio
Read on
Award Winner
SPECIAL REPORT
Home
Bio
Medal
Strata cover
Brokers’ Pick
Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Turnaround time – claims
BDM support
Broker communication, training and development
Overall service level
BDM support
BDM support
Medal
Overall service level
Broker communication, training and development
BDM support
Turnaround time – claims
Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Brokers’ Pick
Strata cover
What does IQumulate have in mind for the future?
“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started,” says Wayne Tower, CEO. “Through continuous engagement with our clients, partners, marketplace and industry, we will listen to the needs as they arise and position our business to be agile and respond to changes as they occur.
“Faster decision-making innovations such as AI-powered decision support systems can expedite the underwriting and approval process, leading to quicker responses to clients. This can improve client satisfaction and potentially attract more business, with the potential to allow IQumulate to capture a larger market share, whilst continuing to deliver service excellence to clients.”
“As forward-thinkers with a digital and ‘do it better’ mindset, we collectively and proactively look to learn and improve on our customer experience for our clients, paving the way for successful business outcomes for our clients and our business in the coming years ahead.
“We’re excited for the future and look forward to what’s on the horizon.”
IQumulate invests in education and people, which are vital to attracting new business and talent to the company.
“We have long tenures for several of our key staff, including some in leadership positions, and this sound working knowledge of our business, practices and industry provides great insights and a wealth of experience to offer our clients,” says Bastow. “Our new head of sales, Graeme Gordon, formerly manager for New Zealand, joins us in Australia to drive our sales strategy and lead our team to successful outcomes for our clients and our business. We look forward to great things ahead with Graeme as he continues to be active and present in the New Zealand market as well as building sound working relationships and new connections in Australia.”
Clients can also expect a lot from working with IQumulate.
“Through active engagement with our trusted broker network, IQumulate provides relevant information, education and training content,” says Graeme Gordon, head of sales. “Our clients can expect IQumulate to support their business in several ways, providing an understanding of what premium funding solutions are available and how IQumulate can spread the cost of insurance and help borrowers get the right level of insurance cover to free up their cash flow for other expenses or business growth opportunities. Premium funding is often considered a tool for those who simply cannot afford to pay their premiums in full. While this is certainly a significant driver for many, it is also successfully used by profitable companies who use premium funding to manage their cash flows more wisely or better manage their liquidity.”
IQumulate invests in education and people, which are vital to attracting new business and talent to the company.
“We have long tenures for several of our key staff, including some in leadership positions, and this sound working knowledge of our business, practices and industry provides great insights and a wealth of experience to offer our clients,” says Bastow. “Our new head of sales, Graeme Gordon, formerly manager for New Zealand, joins us in Australia to drive our sales strategy and lead our team to successful outcomes for our clients and our business. We look forward to great things ahead with Graeme as he continues to be active and present in the New Zealand market as well as building sound working relationships and new connections in Australia.”
Clients can also expect a lot from working with IQumulate.
“Through active engagement with our trusted broker network, IQumulate provides relevant information, education and training content,” says Graeme Gordon, head of sales. “Our clients can expect IQumulate to support their business in several ways, providing an understanding of what premium funding solutions are available and how IQumulate can spread the cost of insurance and help borrowers get the right level of insurance cover to free up their cash flow for other expenses or business growth opportunities. Premium funding is often considered a tool for those who simply cannot afford to pay their premiums in full. While this is certainly a significant driver for many, it is also successfully used by profitable companies who use premium funding to manage their cash flows more wisely or better manage their liquidity.”
What does IQumulate have in mind for the future?
“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started,” says Wayne Tower, CEO. “Through continuous engagement with our clients, partners, marketplace and industry, we will listen to the needs as they arise and position our business to be agile and respond to changes as they occur.
“Faster decision-making innovations such as AI-powered decision support systems can expedite the underwriting and approval process, leading to quicker responses to clients. This can improve client satisfaction and potentially attract more business, creating a competitive advantage with the potential to allow IQumulate to command premium pricing or capture a larger market share.
“As forward-thinkers with a digital and ‘do it better’ mindset, we collectively and proactively look to learn and improve on our customer experience for our clients, paving the way for successful business outcomes for our clients and our business in the coming years ahead.
“We’re excited for the future and look forward to what’s on the horizon.”
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Product Manager
Claire Watson
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Commercial Manager
Stephen McMillan
Claire Watson
Product Manager
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Product Manager
Claire Watson
Claire Watson
Product Manager
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Product Manager
Claire Watson
“Our training empowers professionals to return to work with enhanced confidence, practical tools, and a deeper understanding of their workplace dynamics”
Alison Darling,
Queen’s University IRC
“We offer both in-person and virtual formats, removing barriers related to geography, cost, or scheduling, while maintaining the high standards of quality for which Queen’s IRC is known”
Alison Darling,
Queen’s University IRC
Ivan Verescuk
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Shaun O’Brien
Head of Underwriting
Emily Walker
Head of Strata and Development
Rex Oakman
Head of Operations and Risk
Sandy Newton
Head of Underwriting
Andrew Mitchell
Manager – NSW
Michael Prokopis
Manager – Southern Region
Pam Chhabra
Manager – Residential Strata
Jeffrey Valdivia
Manager – Commercial Strata
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
The Peak Group of Companies is a leader in home improvement, supplying a vast array of innovative products throughout Canada and the United States.
Peak is a highly valued, strategic partner of Home Depot. Its unique business platform perfectly aligns with Home Depot's do-it-yourself and professional customer, and our best-in-class products are offered throughout Home Depot’s massive retail network.
Peak's greatest strength is its people – a team of remarkably talented, vibrant, and competitive individuals. Quick to act and passionate to win, the Peak team continuously drives the company's growth, which in turn continuously provides individual career growth. This formula for success is entrenched in Peak’s culture, where innovation is encouraged, talent and teamwork are celebrated, and results and success are rewarded.
A unique differentiator is the IRC’s Labour Relations programming, which brings together union and management perspectives in a neutral, respectful space. Participants also benefit from digital badges and customizable certificates that recognize and validate professional achievements.
Other programs, such as Building and Leading Teams and Managing Workplace Conflicts, support healthier communication, which in turn reduces interpersonal friction and lowers absenteeism and turnover.
Strategic partnerships, a client-centric approach, and forward-thinking innovation contribute to IRC’s status as a trusted partner in workforce development. Its 96 percent satisfaction rate and rising demand for custom programs (a 60 percent increase over two years) underscore its market leadership and commitment to excellence.
Another of Queen’s IRC’s impactful strategies has been its commitment to future-proofing professional development. The organization has overhauled 60 percent of its curriculum, introduced programs like Workplace Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and leveraged data from over 300 professionals in its 2025 HR Trends Report to guide its evolution. Dual-delivery models and learning via webinars ensure accessibility and sustained engagement.
Organizations and individuals engaging with Queen’s IRC see tangible results:
improved leadership capabilities
enhanced conflict resolution
stronger team cohesion
better labour-management relations
Winning industry accolades, such as being recognized in Canadian HR Reporter’s Readers’ Choice 2025 list, only compounds Queen’s IRC’s resolve to innovate. With a legacy of excellence and a bold vision for the future, the organization continues to empower HR professionals to thrive.
Darling reflects, “With our clients and participants as partners, we will continue creating meaningful, relevant, and high-impact learning experiences that strengthen workplaces across Canada and beyond.”
