Executive Team
Andy Taylor
Chief Executive Officer
Andy Taylor became President and CEO on July 1, 2020. Andy has been with Gore Mutual for 15 years. Having been the Chief Financial Officer from 2012 to 2020, he has demonstrated outstanding business acumen and leadership. He has been responsible for the finance functions at Gore Mutual including reporting, investments, reinsurance, financing, strategic planning, and analysis and risk management. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with 17 years of insurance industry experience and spent a number of years working on the advisory teams for several multi-national CPA firms before coming to Gore Mutual.
Lyndsay Monk
Chief Financial Officer
Lyndsay is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with over 18 years of professional experience in both industry and public practice. She joined Gore Mutual in 2008 as Internal Auditor and moved into the Finance Department in 2013. Lyndsay is responsible for all strategic finance, capital management, regulatory, reinsurance and investments. She is also responsible for the company’s enterprise risk management program.
Sonia Boyle
Chief People Officer
Sonia has nearly three decades of experience in progressive senior HR roles. Sonia is responsible for leading and transforming the people practices and strategies that will support our growth while creating high-performance leadership and capabilities across our organization. Prior to joining Gore, Sonia held senior HR roles as Vice President, Human Resources at TD Bank Group and Vice President, Human Resources at General Electric.
James Warburton
Chief Information Officer
James joined Gore Mutual in 2022. With nearly two decades of experience, including senior leadership roles as Vice-President of Technology Platforms and Vice-President of Transformation Distribution, James brings a track record of leading high-performing teams and delivering technology and business solutions. As Chief Information Officer, James will lead the Information Technology team through the next phase in the company’s transformation journey—Next Horizon—to become a purpose-driven, digitally led, national insurer.
Suzanne Courtlander
Chief Claims Officer
Suzanne joined Gore Mutual in 2024 and is a member of the Law Society of Canada. Suzanne started her insurance career as an in-house litigation lawyer. Her claims experience spans over 20 years and includes leading legal, fraud, claims transformation, effectiveness, quality assurance and claims operation teams. As a seasoned claims leader, Suzanne has consistently demonstrated the ability to transform and optimize large operational teams achieving operational excellence. As Senior Vice President of Claims, Suzanne will modernize our claims processes and experiences to drive better outcomes and enhance customer and colleague experiences.
Chris Van Kooten
Chief Underwriting Officer
Leadership Team
Natalie Cabri
Vice President, Enterprise Project Management Office
Natalie Cabri is Gore Mutual’s Vice President, Enterprise Project Management Office. Natalie has held several senior leadership roles and brings a wealth of experience managing strategic planning and execution, which will play a key role in leading our business in the next phase of our transformation strategy.
Pablo Dancuart
Vice President, Finance
Pablo is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with extensive leadership and transformation experience and a proven track record of successfully implementing innovative initiatives within the financial services industry. He previously led the finance team at Miway Insurance (South Africa) and the reinsurance team at Zurich Insurance. His role at Gore Mutual is to lead the finance department through our ambitious transformation and beyond.
Michael Friedman
Vice President, Data & Analytics
As Vice President of Data & Analytics at Gore Mutual, Mike leads the Data & Analytics organization in designing the future state of Gore Mutual’s data and analytics architecture, providing the enterprise with high-quality insights that maximize business value. He has extensive experience leading transformational projects in large and small organizations implementing advanced analytical systems. He holds a Master’s degree in Management Analytics, and is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Public Accountant in Canada, as well as a Certified Public Accountant in the US. Mike is an adjunct Professor at Queen’s University, teaching multiple analytics courses.
Kate Hogan
Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Distribution
Kate Hogan is responsible for leading all broker engagement and performance activity nationally, including business development, marketing, digital and analytics. Prior to joining Gore Mutual in 2019, Kate held progressive roles within the insurance industry in both Ontario and Western Canada, working in broker financing, business development and commercial insurance. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Queen’s University and a Masters in Management and Accounting from the Rotman School at the University of Toronto, as well as CPA (CA) and Corporate Finance designations.
Kathleen Kresky
Vice President, Operations
Kathleen is responsible for leading Personal Lines Underwriters in the delivery of exceptional broker service to support achievement of growth and profitability targets.
Initially joining Gore Mutual in 2017, in 2019 Kathleen established the Transformation Office to lead the largest transformation in the organization’s history. Kathleen has extensive operational leadership and change management experience in transforming operations through all aspects of people, process and technology. She holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto and P.Eng. certification.
Gaby Polanco-Sorto
Vice President and Head, Purpose and Sustainability
Gaby joined Gore Mutual in 2021. With more than 15 years in progressive roles within corporate responsibility, sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, she will lead the next evolution of Gore Mutual’s Purpose Strategy. Gaby has an MBA from Schulich School of Business and completed her undergrad in Political Science from University of British Columbia. She is also a lecturer in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at the University of Toronto.
Amir Rahmani
Chief Risk Officer
With CPA (CMA) and CRA designations, Amir is an experienced risk management professional who leads Gore Mutual’s Enterprise Risk Management function. In this role, he oversees the timely identification, assessment and mitigation of all organizational risks. Prior to joining Gore Mutual, Amir held multiple leadership roles at CST Savings, Home Trust Company and GE Capital.
Jason Ramgoolam
Vice President, People
Jason joined Gore Mutual in 2020 and plays a key role in the development and delivery of our people strategy. He has over a decade of leadership experience across a number of human resources disciplines including cultural integration, change management, HR technology strategy, talent acquisition and project execution. Prior to coming to Gore Mutual, Jason held leadership roles at Wealthsimple, Element Fleet Management and GE.
Sonya Stark
Chief Compliance Officer
Sonya is responsible for corporate governance, regulatory compliance, legal affairs, board affairs and administrative operations at Gore Mutual. She is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of governance, compliance, legal and corporate secretarial experience with multinational publicly-traded companies. In addition to her senior management positions, Sonya has served on the board of the Canadian Society of Corporate Secretaries (now Governance Professionals of Canada) and is currently a member, and on the boards of various consumer products, software and mining companies. She loves learning and has a broad educational background including corporate law, business administration and foreign languages.
Deborah Upton
Vice President, Corporate Actuarial
Deb is an Actuary with over 15 years of experience in the insurance industry. She joined Gore Mutual in 2015 and is responsible for insurance pricing and other actuarial activities across all lines of business. Deb is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.
Shane Mannion
Vice President, Engineering
As the Vice President of Engineering at Gore Mutual, Shane spearheads the advancement of technological solutions. With almost three decades of experience, Shane is a seasoned leader in Software Engineering & DevOps, honed during his 18-year tenure at Aviva Insurance. He also serves as an instructor of the DevOps Toolchain in Practice module within York University School of Continuing Studies DevOps certificate program. Shane holds a Master of Science degree in Applied Computing for Technologists from Technological University Dublin, further enriching his expertise and contributions to the field.
Diane Young
Chief Investment Officer
Diane holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Guelph and has extensive experience partnering with institutional investors, including pension funds, P&C insurers, endowments, and foundations. She also holds a designation as a Chartered Financial Analyst. Diane brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the fixed income asset class and plays a crucial role in aligning Gore Mutual’s investment strategies to our long-term goals.
Board of Directors
Neil Parkinson
Chair of the Board
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2016 and appointed as Chair in 2021, Neil Parkinson is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and a holder of the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Director designation. He has over 40 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industries, and has been a frequent writer and speaker on insurance, governance and regulatory issues. He was a partner in KPMG LLP from 1988 until his retirement in 2016, and was national leader of the firm’s insurance practice from 2004 to 2015. He also chaired the Insurance Auditors Advisory Committee to the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.
Andy Taylor
Chief Executive Officer
Andy Taylor became President and CEO on July 1, 2020. Andy has been with Gore Mutual for 15 years. Having been the Chief Financial Officer from 2012 to 2020, he has demonstrated outstanding business acumen and leadership. He has been responsible for the finance functions at Gore Mutual including reporting, investments, reinsurance, financing, strategic planning, and analysis and risk management. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with 17 years of insurance industry experience and spent a number of years working on the advisory teams for several multi-national CPA firms before coming to Gore Mutual.
Farouk Ahamed
Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2011, Farouk Ahamed is President of ADF Invescap Inc., a corporate finance advisory firm. He was a partner of Ernst & Young LLP until 1995 and Senior Vice President of Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance Inc. until 2009. He’s a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Certified Director of the Institute of Corporate Directors. He is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University and served as a member and Chair of the Board of Governors for the academic institution. He has also volunteered with a number of organizations including Freeport Hospital, the Social Planning Council of Kitchener Waterloo and United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and graduated from the Kellogg School of Management Ernst & Young Executive Education Program, the Harvard Business School Ernst & Young Executive Education Program and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Registered Broker Series 7 and 63.
Susan Black
Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2014, Dr. Susan Black has over 30 years of human resource and executive experience in the financial and professional services industries. She is the President and CEO of the Conference Board of Canada, the country’s largest not-for-profit research organization. She previously held the position of Senior Vice President, People, leading Human Resources at Holt Renfrew Limited. She was a member of Intact Financial Corporation’s executive team, serving as the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, and was also Managing Director of Crossbar Group Inc. She holds a BA from Yale University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Ph.D in organizational studies from York University.
Max Blouw
Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2017, Dr. Max Blouw was President and Vice Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University, and was also Professor of Biology at the university. He has contributed to the leadership of the postsecondary system as a member of the governing body of Universities Canada and as Chair of the University Advisory Group to Industry Canada. Since 2019, he has served as President of Research Universities Council of British Columbia and has also held lead roles in numerous organizations and has served on many boards, including three universities. He holds a Ph.D in Biology from the University of New Brunswick as well as an M.Sc. Zoology and B.Sc. Zoology from the University of Manitoba. He is also an Institute of Corporate Directors Certified Director.
Randall J. Howard
Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2009, Randall Howard is Chair of the Investment Committee. He is currently President of Middlebrook Corporation and General Partner at Verdexus Inc. He is also Chair of lotum Inc., ExpertFile, Powernoodle Inc., and Chalk.com Education Inc. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Coreworx Inc. from 2004 to 2006. He is a Member of Innovation Guelph, Roseneath Theatre Company, Elora Environment Centre, Centre Wellington Community Foundation, and Golden Triangle Angelnet. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Mathematics in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo.
Carol Hunter
Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2017, Carol Hunter is a Chartered Director and was awarded with the Gil Bennett Gold Standard Award, which is granted to the top graduating student of the Directors College. She is a strategic leader with over 30 years of experience in the co-operative, mutual and financial sectors. She has a successful professional record of leading member, board, delegate and government relations, corporate citizenship and reputation, and stakeholder communications. She has served as Executive Director of the Canadian Co-operative Association, and Executive Vice President of Member Relations and Corporate Affairs at The Co-operators Group. She holds a Masters in Information and Library Sciences from Western University and a BA from Queen’s University.
Dave Revell
Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2022, Dave Revell is an experienced board director and senior executive with thirty-five years of experience in the financial services, telecommunications and information technology sectors. Most recently, Dave was Executive Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer for CIBC. Prior to joining CIBC, Dave was Senior Vice President at BMO Financial Group and prior to that, Rogers Communications. Dave is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and Management Science. He has completed Executive Leadership programs at the Kellogg School of Management where he earned an ICD.D. designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Anne-Marie Vanier
Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2020, Anne-Marie Vanier has over 30 years of experience as an actuary and executive in the insurance industry and has served on several industry committees. She has served as Consulting Actuary for Gore Mutual since June 2019. She was Chief Property and Casualty Actuary of RBC Group Risk Management Insurance before becoming VP and Appointed Actuary. She was also Executive Director and Chief Actuary of Aviva Canada. She is Chair of the Rainbow Railroad Risk Management Committee and Trustee of the Foundation of the George Hull Centre for Children and Families, having served as Chair of its board of directors. Anne-Marie Vanier is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and of the Casualty Actuarial Society and has received a Chartered Director designation from the Directors College, an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University and a Bachelor of Actuarial Science from Laval University.
Karen Wensley
Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2014, Karen Wensley is a private consultant, providing HR-related services including executive coaching and facilitation, and the author of the book The Power of Personal Branding for Career Success. She serves on the board of Trillium Health Partners and Amref Health Africa in Canada. She is also a Lecturer on Business Ethics at the University of Waterloo. Before her retirement, Karen was a Partner at Ernst & Young with overall responsibility for the HR functions of Ernst & Young Canada. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan, an MA from the University of Illinois, an MBA from McMaster University, and is a holder of the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation.