Our Leadership Team

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Our Executive Team

Our executive leadership team is committed to growing our business in Canada. They draw upon their collective experience to develop and deliver the best possible products and service to customers, solid leadership for our employees, and strategic partnerships with brokers. It’s their passion for promoting an environment of collaboration and innovation throughout our company that helps to set us apart as a leader in our industry.

Rowan Saunders

President and Chief Executive Officer

Rowan is on a mission to build a foundation for future success and profitability at Economical, fuelled by bold growth strategies and a commitment to innovation.

Rowan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from York University, as well as a Canadian Risk Management designation, and is a Fellow of the Insurance Institute of Canada. His extensive background includes nearly 30 years of international P&C industry experience, holding progressive positions in the areas of underwriting, marketing, sales, finance, and twelve years as a seasoned CEO.

He is a past Chairman and current member of the Board of Directors of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, and a member of the Board of Directors of Equitable Group Inc., where he participates as a member of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committees. Rowan also serves as a member of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario's (FSCO) CEO Advisory Committee and is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and the Board of Directors of Facility Association.

Rowan believes you get out of life what you put into it — a philosophy that fosters his passion for operational excellence in the industry.

Innes Dey

Chief Strategy Officer

Innes Dey

Senior Vice-President and Chief Strategy Officer

Innes owns our corporate strategy and firmly stands behind our mission, vision, and values as he steers Economical in the right direction. He is committed to keeping the conversation focused on what matters for our company and our future.

Innes began his career with a Bachelor of Science from Western University and a law degree from Queens. He gained strategic knowledge, industry experience, and mergers and acquisitions expertise in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, and is especially proud of his work in leading Economical toward a successful demutualization.

Innes is energized by the start-up vibe at Economical, and is inspired by how innovation is spreading throughout the company. He keeps our lofty goals in mind as he guides the organization on the path to success.

Roger Dunbar

Senior Vice-President of Sonnet

Roger Dunbar

Senior Vice-President of Sonnet

With a strong background in digital innovation and a focus on customer experience, Roger is no stranger to effecting positive change for consumers — and results for the companies that serve them. From his experience evolving digital innovation at autoTRADER to leading Ancestry.ca to launching the Globe & Mail Report on Business online, Roger has a passion for driving success.

Roger has an MBA from the Rotman School of Business and an undergraduate business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.

As a self-identified “educated optimist,” he’s enthusiastic about the opportunity to establish Sonnet as the leading digital insurer in Canada, driving industry innovation and delivering value to Economical.

Linda Goss

Chief Actuary

Linda Goss

Senior Vice-President and Chief Actuary

As a 30-year veteran in the property and casualty industry, Linda brings her best every day knowing that success comes from hard work. As the leader of a team of actuaries who monitor and maintain the financial strength and stability of Economical, she firmly believes that challenges can always be conquered.

Linda has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto and is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, Chartered Secretaries of Canada, and Casualty Actuarial Society.

Consistently answering to the reality of the ever-changing insurance industry is something that Linda and her team thrive on. She encourages her team to incorporate our vision and values every day to manage risk and forecasting, and to ensure our reserves can pay claims today — and 20 years down the road.

Kelley Irwin

Chief Information Officer

Kelley Irwin

Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer

A champion of innovation and skilled strategist, Kelley brings a wealth of technology and shared services experience to our business. With more than 25 years in senior leadership roles within the financial services industry, Kelley is known for leading highly engaged technology teams to drive greater efficiencies and improve customer experiences through technical solutions.

Kelley holds a Diploma in Computer Science from Fanshawe College, a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Western University, and is a graduate of the Executive Education program at Harvard Business School. Her career includes posts as Vice-President and Chief Information Officer, Corporate Technology at TD Bank Group, Senior Vice-President, Technology at Symcor and Vice-President, Global IT Services at Sun Life Financial.

An avid blogger and dedicated martial artist, Kelley is motivated by the opportunity to help Economical continue to transform the business and inspired to be a part of a company that anticipates and actively addresses the changing needs of customers.

Alice Keung

Chief Transformation Officer

Alice Keung

Senior Vice-President and Chief Transformation Officer

With more than 25 years of senior leadership experience, Alice is the driving force behind implementing leading-edge technologies at Economical. She’s excited about our bold vision and is passionate about embracing new innovations and processes that will take Economical to the next level.

Alice has an MBA from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University and was recognized twice as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network.

Alice and her team take our values to heart. Having delivered a best-in-class digital experience for Canadians through Sonnet, they're working hard to replace a number of complex broker systems — transforming the way we work, and supporting long-term growth opportunities for our broker partners.

Philip Mather

Chief Financial Officer & President of Economical Financial

Philip Mather

Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, President of Economical Financial

Phil leads our Finance, Corporate Development, Investments, Procurement, Corporate Services and Reinsurance teams. He provides critical support for a range of strategic initiatives, including demutualization and the significant investment we're making in our infrastructure and distribution platforms. He continues to lead efforts to enhance Economical's public company readiness and the development of our mergers and acquisition strategy and associated investments. He actively manages a number of key external stakeholder relationships, including financial advisors, regulatory bodies, and rating agencies.

Tom Reikman

Chief Distribution Officer

Tom Reikman

Senior Vice-President and Chief Distribution Officer

Tom drives our broker distribution strategy across Canada, leading a dedicated sales and distribution team that identifies growth, marketing, and innovation strategies, and takes action to strengthen and expand the broker business. For Tom, it’s all about taking our combined experience and knowledge to a whole new level of success.

Tom is a Chartered Insurance Professional and has an Honours Bachelor of Science from Western University and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. Known as our road warrior, he’s passionate about being the face of Economical and is always on the go building strong relationships with our employees, broker partners, and customers across Canada.

As a 27-year veteran in the insurance industry, 25 of those years in senior leadership positions in P&C, Tom credits the challenge of building Economical into the leading insurer of the future as what keeps him engaged. With his dedicated team, he’s confident that we’re poised for great things to come in the years ahead.

Fabian Richenberger

Executive Vice-President, Commercial Insurance

Fabian Richenberger

Executive Vice-President, Commercial Insurance

Fabian believes success starts with having a passion to deliver a great experience every time our customers and brokers interact with us. He’s eager to work with our broker partners to provide compelling solutions and outstanding service for the long-term benefit and success of our commercial customers.

Fabian holds an Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, as well as a Federal Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Business School of Zurich. Having held senior leadership positions in insurance and financial services in Canada, the US, and Europe, he has gained a deep understanding of both the Canadian and international insurance marketplace.

Fabian is well known for his ability to develop close and trusted working relationships with brokers and customers — skills he enjoys putting to work while continuing to build a best-in-class team for our commercial insurance business.

Michael Shostak

Chief Marketing Officer

Michael Shostak

Senior Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer

Michael is on a mission, passionately pursuing a new and exciting focus on customers and creating a brand experience that will help put Economical at the forefront of the industry. Challenging the status quo is his specialty, and his extensive leadership experience at some of the largest advertising agencies in the world has prepared him well for this endeavor.

Michael holds an honours Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and Psychology from York University, and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. He admits that it’s the crossover between creativity and business — human behaviour and marketing — that keeps him engaged.

Michael was drawn to Economical because of our commitment to innovation and putting customers first. Going forward, Michael sees Economical as setting the industry standard in customer experience — connecting with customers and building our brand into something durable and differentiating. And he’s happy to lead the way there.

Louise Taylor Green

Chief Human Resources Officer

Louise Taylor Green

Senior Vice-President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Louise makes people a priority and is devoted to unlocking potential in each and every one of our team members. She takes pride in her team’s ongoing accomplishments and pursuit of continuous improvement. Cultivating an innovative and engaging workplace in the property and casualty industry energizes Louise and the HR team.

Louise holds a Human Resources certificate from McMaster University, an MBA from Athabasca University, and is a Certified Human Resources Leader and Executive. With her strong background in evidence-based coaching, she mentors and manages teams that learn, grow, and live our values.

Louise is motivated by our ambitious goals, and will continue to use her diverse leadership experience to help our team to put customers first.

Our Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors leads with vision and integrity. They’re actively engaged in the development of our strategic direction, and they oversee the executive leadership team responsible for executing on that strategy. In a period of such dynamic growth for Economical, it’s the diverse talent, experience, and guidance of our directors that positions us well for long-term success.

John Bowey

Board Chair

John was appointed Board Chair in January 2016 and previously held the position of Vice-Chair. He is also Chair of the Special Committee on Demutualization. John is a retired partner of Deloitte LLP, where he held a number of leadership roles including Chairman of the Board for Deloitte Canada and member of Deloitte’s global Board of Directors. He currently serves on a number of corporate and non-profit boards including Wilfrid Laurier University, where he is the Chair of the Board of Governors, and Brick Brewing Co. Limited. He has been involved with many local charitable organizations over the years, including Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Opportunity International, Cambridge Big Brothers, the Cambridge Family Crisis Shelter, Victoria Order of Nurses (VON), and the Sunbeam Centre.

John has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Colby College and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University. He’s also a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Elizabeth Del Bianco

Betty joined our board in 2013 and chairs the Human Resources and Compensation Committee. She’s currently Chief Legal and Administrative Officer for Celestica Inc., a Canadian-based innovative supply chain solutions company with global operations. Prior to that, she served 10 years as Senior Counsel with Bell Canada. Betty has a strong track record in executive compensation, public company compliance, securities, and mergers and acquisitions. She is a member of the Dean's Advisory Committee for the Faculty of Law at Queen's University and a member of Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ Hall of Fame.

Betty holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from Queen's University, and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University. She also holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is called to the bar in Ontario and New York.

Jay Forbes

Jay joined our board in 2017, bringing with him extensive leadership experience with private and public companies across multiple industries. He’s known for delivering exceptional results in financial performance, customer focus, and shareholder value.

Most recently, Jay was President and CEO of Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS) where he transformed and refreshed the brand before negotiating an agreement with Bell Canada Enterprises to purchase MTS for $3.9 billion. He’s been a board member at MTS since 2015 and has served as a member of the board at Aliant Inc. and Stratos Global Corporation, past director at The Conference Board of Canada and The Shaw Festival, and past governor of Dalhousie University, the Saint John Hospital Foundation, and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

Jay is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University. He has completed the ICD.D course from the Institute of Corporate Directors, as well as post-graduate work in leadership and financial management at many institutions, including Harvard University, Duke University, and the Center for Creative Leadership.

Dan Fortin

Dan joined our board in 2014 and chairs the Strategic Initiatives Committee. He is a former President of IBM Canada with more than 35 years of experience in the technology industry, and 15 years of leadership experience globally. He guided a team of 18,000 employees at IBM to help Canadian organizations use technology to transform their businesses and realize their full potential. In the past, Dan served on the board of World Vision Canada and The Conference Board of Canada, and was Campaign Chair for the United Way Toronto. He’s currently active with the Carleton Board of Governors.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, as well as an honourary doctorate from Carleton University. He also holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Barbara Fraser

Barbara joined our board in 2013 and chairs the Corporate Governance Committee. She’s a corporate director with extensive C-suite experience in management and marketing with leading global companies in the financial services industry, including American Express and Citigroup, and in the consumer products industry with Procter and Gamble. Before retiring in 2006, Barbara held a number of leadership positions with American Express, based in New York, including Global President, Travelers Cheques & Prepaid Services; EVP, Products; SVP, Global Brand Strategy; CMO of American Express Financial Advisors (Ameriprise); and CEO of IDS Life Insurance.

Barbara currently serves on the board of MD Life Insurance Company. She’s also an Emeritus member of the Advisory Board of the Ivey Business School at Western University, where she graduated with an Honours Business Administration degree and received the Ivey Distinguished Service Award in 2011.

Dick Freeborough

Dick joined our board in 2012 and chairs the Audit Committee. He brings considerable insurance industry experience, financial expertise, and more than a decade of board leadership. He retired from KPMG LLP in 2004, after 39 years of financial services practice, during which time he was the KPMG Canadian Practice Lead for insurance business. He’s currently a member of the board and Audit Committee Chair at RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada.

Dick is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Gerald Hooper

Gerry joined our board in 1999 and is currently chair of the Investment Committee. As Board Chair for 11 years, he led our company through many pivotal milestones in the demutualization process. Gerry was at Schneider Foods for a distinguished 19-year career where he last served as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, as well as a member of the board at Schneider Corporation.

Following the acquisition of Schneider Foods in 2003, Gerry was Executive Vice-President of Maple Leaf Foods until his retirement in 2005. From 1975 to 1986 he was a partner at what is now KPMG. He is actively involved in Kitchener-Waterloo community boards and committees. Gerry attended programs in effective board leadership at the Directors College of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.

Micheál J. Kelly, PhD

Micheál joined our board in 2015. Currently, he’s dean of the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, and was previously a professor of Strategy and International Business and dean of the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. He previously held a post as an executive in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. His academic research has been published by a number of leading journals, and he was awarded The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for his contribution to business education in Canada.

Micheál is a former Chairman of the Canadian Federation of Business School Deans and former member of the Board of Governors of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business school’s honour society. He also serves on the boards of Waterloo North Hydro and the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA).

Micheál holds a Bachelor of Arts from Assumption College in Massachusetts, an MA from the University of Ottawa, and a Ph.D. from Carleton University.

Rowan Saunders

Rowan is the President and CEO of Economical and joined the board in 2016. He’s on a mission to build a foundation for future success and profitability at Economical, fuelled by bold growth strategies and a commitment to innovation.

Michael Stramaglia

Michael joined our board in 2010 and chairs the Risk Review Committee. An actuary and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst, Michael is the President and founder of Matrisc Advisory Group Inc., a risk management consulting firm. He also holds the role of Executive in Residence at the Global Risk Institute.

Michael brings years of experience in executive management positions, including Chief Risk Officer and Executive Vice-President of Investments at Sun Life Financial, and Chief Investment Officer and Executive Vice-President of Reinsurance at Clarica Life Insurance Company, President and CEO of Zurich Life Insurance Company of Canada, and President and COO of Zurich Financial Services Ltd.'s consolidated Canadian life and P&C insurance operations. Michael is on the boards of Foresters Financial, Equitable Bank, Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada, and Temple Insurance Company.

Michael holds an Honours Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.