New Wawanesa CEO, Evan Johnston, announces organizational changes and executive team appointments
Winnipeg, MB – On January 1, Evan Johnston became The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company's (Wawanesa) 10th President & CEO in its 128-year history. Today, Johnston announced his new executive leadership team:
- Kimberly Palatnick, SVP, Chief Personal Lines Officer
- Anna McCrindell, SVP, Chief Commercial Lines Officer
- Jocelyne Prefontaine, SVP, Chief Claims and Life Co. Officer
- Randy Dhillon, SVP, Chief Distribution & Regional Operations Officer
- Grant Ostir, CEO, Western Financial Group
- Mike Brisebois, SVP, Chief Strategy & Corporate Actuarial Officer
- James Bond, SVP, Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer
- Gord Dowhan, SVP, Chief Financial Officer
- Lisa Osachoff, SVP, Chief People & Culture Officer
- Tracy Riley, SVP, Chief Technology & Analytics Officer
“As Wawanesa’s new President and CEO, my commitment is to take action that strengthens our company and maximizes the great talent we have across Wawanesa,” said Evan Johnston, President & CEO. “We are a strong company today. The changes we’re making are intended to help Wawanesa be more competitive and market focused while delivering better results.”
Kimberly Palatnick and Randy Dhillon are new additions to the executive team, Johnston said, and are great examples of the bench strength within Wawanesa. They each bring 20 years experience to their roles in leading a wide variety of functions. In addition, Graham Haigh will retire this summer after a distinguished 16-year career as a Wawanesa executive.
As part of the organizational shift, Wawanesa has evolved its operating structure to be more effective and efficient to deliver better results. In the place of its East/West business structure, the company will operate through four lines of business: Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, Wawanesa Life and Western Financial Group.
Said Johnston: “Wawanesa is Canada’s largest P&C mutual. We’ve had a storied and successful past, but we have an even bigger future in front of us in making a difference in the lives of Canadians. We’re looking forward to continuing that tradition while playing to win in a changing insurance industry.”
About The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1896, is one of Canada’s largest mutual insurers, with over $3.5 billion in annual revenue and assets of $10 billion. Wawanesa Mutual, with its National Headquarters in Winnipeg, is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance products and services throughout Canada, and Western Financial Group, which distributes personal and business insurance across Canada. Wawanesa proudly serves more than 1.7 million members in Canada. The company actively gives back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating more than $3.5 million annually to charitable organizations, including over $2 million annually in support of people on the front lines of climate change. Learn more at wawanesa.com
For more information:
Jackie De Pape Hornick
Director, Communications & Community Impact
The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
media@wawanesa.com