Western Financial CEO to retire, successor appointed 

Western Financial Group CEO Kenny Nicholls has announced he will retire at the end of the year after 30 years in the financial services industry. 

The brokerage’s chief growth officer, Grant Ostir, will become the new CEO on Jan. 1, 2025, Western Financial said in a press release Thursday. 

Nicholls has been with Western for 13 years. Before being named CEO, Nicholls was chief financial and risk officer from 2011 to 2016. He also spent 17 years at Desjardins prior to joining the brokerage, as well as five years as an auditor with Deloitte & Touche in Montreal, specializing in financial institutions, Western says on its website. 

“It’s been a true honour to lead the team at Western during my tenure as CEO,” Nicholls says in the release. “We have built a solid foundation and commitment to care for our people, our partners, our communities and our customers, something I feel very passionate about… 

“While I’ll miss our teams and the great work we’re doing, I am confident in Grant’s leadership to continue to build on our success.” 

Nicholls will continue his role as CEO until Dec. 31, 2024, working closely with Ostir to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Ostir’s successor will be announced in due course, Western said in a LinkedIn post. 

As the current chief growth officer, Ostir provides overall strategic leadership to support all three of Western’s customer development channels — branch, centralized and e-commerce. This includes personal and commercial lines, financial services and employee benefits. 

Ostir started at Western more than two decades ago as a sales representative. “Since that time, Grant has successfully developed and implemented several group insurance programs with various associations across Canada,” the brokerage says on its website. 

“Grant’s extensive experience and proven track record in driving sales and growth strategies position him to lead our next phase of development,” says Evan Johnston, executive vice president of strategy and related businesses at Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company. “We’re confident under Grant’s leadership, Western will continue to thrive and achieve new milestones.”  

Western is a subsidiary of Trimont Financial Ltd., which itself is a subsidiary of Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company. Headquartered in High River, Alta., Western has a team of more than 2,400 people in more than 200 communities across Canada.  

 

Images courtesy of Western Financial Group