Lynn MacLean

Chair

Lynn joined Heartland’s Board of Directors in 2021, as a result of the merger with Kings Mutual. Prior to that, she was on the board of Pictou Mutual which merged with Kings in 2016. Holding a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Dalhousie University, Associate of Education from the Nova Scotia Teachers’ College, and Master of Education (Administration) from St. Mary’s University, Lynn advanced from teacher to high school principal to sub-system supervisor over her thirty-one-year tenure.   Lynn was raised on a dairy/hog farm and continues to support rural communities and their organizations.  In addition to her roles with Kings and Heartland Mutuals, she also has held leadership positions in 4-H, Women’s Institutes (provincial and national), as well as in several local organizations. In 2020 Lynn earned the OMIA Director certification and in 2023 she earned the Professional Director certification. Also, in 2023 she was awarded an Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for her work in education and contributions to the community.

 

Gayle Whittamore

Vice Chair

Gayle Whittamore joined Heartland’s Board of Directors on May 7, 2020, and was elected Board Vice Chair in 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto.  She is a Human Resource veteran with experience in professional and leadership roles with a diversified portfolio of skills across many Human Resources competencies. She has held several senior positions with IBM, The Hospital for Sick Children, Sun Life and within the mutual insurance industry. Gayle has spent her married life on a fruit and vegetable farm in Markham Ontario. Now retired, she and Mike are avid outdoor enthusiasts.

Geoff Bishop

Director

Geoff is the President of Bishop Farms Limited. He has extensive experience in the dairy and farming industry. Geoff holds a Nova Scotia Agricultural College Degree with a Farming Technology Diploma and a Minor in Business. He was the recipient of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers Program in 2013 and has been serving on The Kings Mutual Insurance Company Board since 2007. Additionally, he holds memberships/directorships with West Nova Agro Commodities, Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia, Agropur, Holstein Canada and the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.

Graeme McPhail

Director

Graeme joined the Heartland Board in 2022.  Graeme is a lawyer with broad strategic, legal, governance, transaction and regulatory expertise and has served on several business and not-for-profit boards.  He worked at Rogers Communications for over 30 years in several senior positions, finishing his career as Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer and Corporate Secretary and member of the Executive Leadership Team. Previously, Graeme was a business lawyer with WeirFoulds in Toronto. He holds degrees in economics/political science and law. Since retiring in 2021, Graeme has spent much of his time on his farm in Mulmur Ontario.

Larry Binning

Director

Larry was elected to the Board of Oxford Mutual (now Heartland Farm Mutual) in March 2013 and served as Board Chair from 2020 to 2023. Growing up in Perth County on a small family farm, he then obtained his Hon. BSc. in 1976 from the University of Waterloo.  He spent the next 30 years working in the food processing industry, beginning as a plant microbiologist and quickly becoming a key executive at Cuddy Food Products, Cold Springs Farm, and Maple Leaf Foods. Larry was heavily involved in national industry associations, including the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council.

Louis Durocher

Director

Louis Durocher was appointed President & CEO of Heartland in July 2018. With 30 years of experience, he is a highly accomplished senior leader in the property and casualty insurance sector. His passion revolves around troubleshooting and fixing unprofitable operations. As such, with the help of a newly formed executive team, he turned around Heartland’s results within 18 months, returning the organization to profitability and shaving six points from the expense ratio. He subsequently led the successful implementation of the full suite of Guidewire Centers, including state-of-art functionality commonly seen with large stock companies, positioning Heartland one step ahead of the rest of the mutual community. Now residing in the Waterloo Region, Louis relates enthusiastically to the values of Heartland with our focus on client and community relationships. An actuary by profession, Louis held several senior executive positions during his career, including Chief Risk Officer, Chief Actuary and SVP National Commercial Lines & Reinsurance for Aviva Canada, as well as VP Actuarial and Chief Operating Officer for Economical in Quebec. Throughout his career, he has served on various committees for the Insurance Bureau of Canada and other industry boards.

Mary Kelly

Director

Mary Kelly joined Heartland’s Board of Directors on May 7, 2020, and is a Professor of Finance and Chair of Insurance at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada. Previously, she taught at the University of Calgary and worked as an actuary before entering academia. Mary holds an undergraduate degree in statistics and a Master’s degree in actuarial science, both from the University of Waterloo and a doctorate in finance from the University of British Columbia. She has completed the Canadian Risk Manager designation and is an active member of the American Risk and Insurance Association and the Southern Risk and Insurance Association. She has consulted for several organizations including the Insurance Institute of Canada, the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the Ministry of Finance for Ontario, and the Ministry of Finance for Alberta.

Nancy McCuaig

Director

Nancy McCuaig was appointed to the Board in August 2023. Nancy has been a Senior Vice President in charge of Technology, and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at IGM Financial Inc. (a member of the Power Corporation of Canada group) since 2014.

Nancy has over 20 years of enterprise information technology experience having held executive and leadership-level positions in the financial services, insurance, and gaming industries. As a senior information technology executive, she is recognized as an agent of change with leadership and delivery of major projects to Canadian, European and U.S. financial services institutions. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Manitoba and achieved the Certified Information Services Security Professional (CISSP) designation from ISC2.

Paul Broadhead

Director

Paul Broadhead joined the Board in 2009 and was Chair from 2017 to 2020. Paul’s primary focus outside of Heartland Farm Mutual Inc. Inc. is as an advisor to small and medium-sized business owners through his company Blackfriar Group Inc. He has a keen interest in the role of corporate director and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). He was part of a charter group of ICD members who developed a regional chapter to serve boards in southwestern Ontario.

Ruphina Kaulback

Director

Ruphina joined the Board in 2018.  She is a partner in Baker Tilly Nova Scotia Inc. and advises businesses on Canadian taxes, including estate planning, succession planning, corporate reorganization, mergers, and acquisitions, and appeals.   Ruphina holds the CPA designation.  She has worked on several profit and non-profit boards, served with community and business organizations, and lectured at Acadia University as a part-time professor.  Ruphina provides presentations to professional and business groups.  She has published articles on various tax subjects.

Louis Durocher

President and Chief Executive Officer

Louis Durocher was appointed President & CEO of Heartland in July 2018. With 30 years of experience, he is a highly accomplished senior leader in the property and casualty insurance sector. His passion revolves around troubleshooting and fixing unprofitable operations. As such, with the help of a newly formed executive team, he turned around Heartland’s results within 18 months, returning the organization to profitability and shaving six points from the expense ratio. He subsequently led the successful implementation of the full suite of Guidewire Centers, including state-of-art functionality commonly seen with large stock companies, positioning Heartland one step ahead of the rest of the mutual community. Now residing in Waterloo Region, Louis relates enthusiastically to the values of Heartland with our focus on client and community relationships. An actuary by profession, Louis held several senior executive positions during his career, including Chief Risk Officer, Chief Actuary and SVP National Commercial Lines & Reinsurance for Aviva Canada, as well as VP Actuarial and Chief Operating Officer for Economical in Quebec. Throughout his career, he has served on various committees for the Insurance Bureau of Canada and other industry boards.

Michele Falkins

Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Risk Officer

Michele joined Heartland Farm Mutual Inc. as their Vice President and CFO in July 2018 and was recently appointed as CRO in July 2019.   Michele is a CPA, CA with 30 years of leadership experience in financial services, technology, manufacturing and distribution. She is an energetic leader who is skilled in strategy, accounting, pricing and financial planning & analysis. Prior to joining Heartland, she was employed as the Global CFO for Commercial Distribution Finance, a division of Wells Fargo Bank.  Earlier, Michele held various financial roles at GE Capital and Celestica Inc. where she demonstrated her ability to drive key projects and act as a strategic partner.

Derrick Ajmo

Vice President, Claims

With over 25 years of experience in insurance, and with a particular career focus on claims management, Derrick joins us from DSB Claims Inc, where he has been leading all claims operations of this independent adjusting firm. Derrick is an experienced claims leader with a track record of implementing cultural change and driving positive customer relations, broker relations, and employee engagement results.

Derrick brings leadership experience from organizations such as Wawanesa, Intact, and Axa. Derrick holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a CIP designation and is fluent in French.

Marcel Badertscher

Vice President, Human Resources

Marcel Badertscher joined Heartland Mutual Insurance in April 2022 as Vice President, Human Resources. Marcel is a Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE) with over 30 years of experience in Human Resources. He has helped organizations improve people performance, manage change, shape culture, and develop the organization.

Collaborating with key stakeholders as a strategic business partner on initiatives focused on people, culture, and organizational development, Marcel has improved organizational performance through strategic talent management measures. Marcel’s background includes a wide variety of service-centric industries including retail and hospitality, tourism, business consulting, and consumer packaged goods. Most recently, Marcel was responsible for Human Resources in a professional regulatory body. Marcel has also been actively involved in the advancement of the profession by volunteering in organizations’ HR committees of the board, acting as a mentor in the Human Resources Professional Association, and teaching a variety of HR courses in HR management programs

Carla Moorehead

Vice President, Underwriting

Carla has over 25 years of experience in the property & casualty insurance industry. Her career began as a licensed insurance broker and transitioned into underwriting, where she previously worked with regional mutuals and a large national insurer. Carla also gained valuable experience and insight while working with a Canadian re-insurer. Carla’s career progressed into several leadership roles, most recently as Heartland’s Farm Underwriting Manager, where she blended her technical skills with her natural leadership qualities. She is a proven leader of change, a strategic thinker and is passionate about our business.

Gordon Murray

Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Maritime Operations

Gordon has 40 years of experience in the property & casualty insurance industry and has held senior leadership positions with large insurers over this period. With his extensive background in management and business development, Gordon brings the right blend of experience and innovative ideas to the Nova Scotia marketplace and Heartland. His primary mandate will be to materially grow the Nova Scotia operation with the introduction of automobile insurance, alongside new efficient technology.

Rob Rice

Vice President of Business Development, Marketing & Communications

David Service

Chief Information Officer and Vice President of IT

David comes to Heartland with a wealth of experience as an IT leader who has expertise in financial services and the tech sector. Most recently, David was the Acting CIO at 407 ETR, where he spent a significant portion of his career. There, he led a large IT team and was responsible for the delivery, operations, and support of technical solutions and services. He has also managed projects from small-scale right through to enterprise-wide transformation.

As a strategic leader, David has contributed to the formation of mission and vision statements; however, he equally enjoys contributing directly to the organization through hands-on work. David brings a focus on innovation, digital transformation, mobile services, and cost optimizations to Heartland. David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a diploma in Computer Science.