Heidi Sevcik to retire; Andy Taylor appointed as successor
Cambridge, ON (Mar. 2, 2020) – Gore Mutual today announced that President and CEO Heidi Sevcik has decided to retire from the company. Andy Taylor has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2020, and Paul Jackson has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, effective March 2, 2020.
Sevcik has been with Gore Mutual for over 26 years and has spent the past six years as President and CEO. During her tenure, the company has grown premiums by over 30% and increased its surplus by 25% in a challenging time for the industry. She successfully repositioned Gore Mutual as a modern mutual with investments in broker distribution, pricing sophistication, technology and people.
Taylor has been with Gore Mutual for 15 years and has held the position of Chief Financial Officer since 2012 responsible for strategic finance, investments, reinsurance and risk management. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and spent a number of years working on the advisory teams for several multi-national CPA firms before coming to Gore Mutual. Under Sevcik’s leadership, Taylor has worked alongside Jackson to develop the company’s ambitious long-term strategic plan, Project Next Horizon.
Jackson has been with Gore Mutual for six years responsible for marketing and distribution. He is appointed to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer to integrate broker and retail distribution, underwriting, pricing and claims to support a pan-enterprise approach to operating and transforming the insurance business.
In addition to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Gore Mutual today announced two further senior executive appointments. Lyndsay Monk has been promoted to the position of Chief Financial Officer effective March 2, 2020 and Jas Dhindsa is joining the company as Chief Technology and Data Officer effective March 16, 2020.
Also joining the company are two new executives reporting to Paul Jackson. Gavin Brown-Jowett is appointed Vice President of Personal Lines & SME Transformation and Leszek Bialy is appointed Vice President of Mid-Market Commercial. In addition, Lori Bader has been promoted to the position of Vice President of Broker Distribution.
Gore Mutual Board Chair Farouk Ahamed said: “The Board is delighted to appoint Andy Taylor to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Having worked closely with the Board for many years, Andy has a deep understanding of our business and the industry. The appointment of Paul Jackson to Chief Operating Officer along with the additional executive changes create a strengthened leadership team to support the company’s ambitious strategy.”
Heidi Sevcik said: “We have created a strong foundation for the future and today we are at the start of an incredible transformation of our company. Now feels like the ideal time to transition the leadership and I have every confidence in the new team.”
Andy Taylor said: “I am honoured to lead Gore Mutual as we launch our Next Horizon strategy to become a purpose-driven, digitally led national insurer. In addition to the complete transformation of our core business, we will also focus on strategic programs including alternate capital models for mutual insurance companies and the expansion of our retail business.”
Paul Jackson said: “I’m delighted to take on the role of Chief Operating Officer at a pivotal time in the transformation of our company. Over the next few years, I look forward to working with our brokers and business partners to transform our core business through investments in a world class operating model and modern technology solutions.”
Lyndsay Monk said: “Gore Mutual has produced outstanding results over the past five years and our strong 2019 performance further strengthened our balance sheet, positioning the company well for the next phase of our transformation.”
Jas Dhindsa said: “I’m excited to accept the position of Chief Technology and Data Officer as Gore Mutual announces a fresh new vision for technology and data on our way to becoming a national digitally led insurer.”
About Gore Mutual
Founded in 1839, Gore Mutual is Canada’s oldest property and casualty insurer, with over $475M in premiums and over $1.1BN in assets. Based in Cambridge, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia, this Canadian-owned and operated mutual company employs over 400 people and is known for its investment in people, technology and innovation. Gore Mutual was voted the #1 insurance company by the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) in 2014, certified as a 2018 Best Workplace Canada and named a 2019 Best Workplace in Financial Services and Insurance. The Gore Mutual Foundation strengthens Canadian communities by supporting local initiatives and has donated more than $10M to over 650 charities over the past 20 years. Learn more at goremutual.ca.
SOURCE: Gore Mutual
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