Wawanesa appoints two industry veterans to new leadership roles

Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company has changed the leadership structure of its Canadian operations with the appointment of industry professionals Anna McCrindell and Graham Haigh to senior vice president and chief operating officer roles.

As SVP & COO – East, McCrindell will lead Wawanesa’s Ontario, Quebec and Maritimes regions, while continuing to be responsible for commercial operations and products nationally, the mutual insurer said in a press release Thursday. Haigh as SVP & COO – West will lead Wawanesa’s Alberta, B.C. and central Canada regions, while continuing to be responsible for business development and broker relations functions nationally.

The creation of the two regional operations “will further align our operations to different geographic opportunities while allowing us to provide more support for unique regional needs,” said Wawanesa president and CEO Jeff Goy in the release.

McCrindell and Haigh bring decades of insurance industry experience to their roles.

McCrindell is a fellow chartered insurance professional (FCIP) with more than 30 years of progressive commercial underwriting and leadership experience gained through roles with global and Canadian organizations.

Haigh has led multiple portfolios at Wawanesa for the past 13 years, following senior leadership roles at two other Canadian insurers. Most recently, he served as Wawanesa’s chief marketing officer.

“He has a deep understanding of the insurance needs of western Canada,” Wawanesa said, adding that Haigh holds his FCIP and CAIB (Canadian accredited insurance broker) designations.

Wawanesa also announced Jocelyne Prefontaine as SVP & COO of the insurer’s life operations.

Wawanesa, Canada’s sixth largest P&C insurer, had more than $3.79 billion in net premiums written in 2021, according to Canadian Underwriter’s 2022 Stats Guide, using data supplied by MSA Research.

Feature image by iStock.com/Peshkova