Wawanesa names new VP of Ontario for P&C operations

Susan Williams-Bonet is Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company’s new vice president of Ontario for the company’s P&C operations.

She takes over for Josie Porto, who retires this year following a distinguished 36-year career with Wawanesa.

“Together with our broker partners, we want to serve more Ontario businesses, farms and families,” Carol Jardine, Wawanesa’s president of Canadian P&C operations, said of the appointment. “Susan is well-respected across Ontario, and the right person to build on our recent successes.”

Wawanesa’s strategy for growth in Ontario is underpinned by building on its broker-carrier digital connectivity capabilities, the company observed in a release. For example, it has developed a suite of application programming interfaces (APIs) to connect broker management systems (BMS) with carriers’ back-end systems. It is also working on ways to make small commercial insurance easier to quote, bind and renew.

Company plans for 2023 include the launch of a revamped farm insurance product next year. It has recently launched a new suite of personal property products designed to help people make their homes more energy efficient and more resilient to climate change.

“I’m honoured that Susan has chosen Wawanesa, and she’s doing so at an exciting time,” added Jardine. “Her history of working with mutual companies means she knows the unique value mutuals offer. She will be a strong advocate for us and our broker partners in Ontario.”

Williams-Bonet started as a project manager at Economical in 2002 and has held a series of progressive executive positions for Economical since then. Most recently, she was assistant vice president of sales and distribution at Definity Financial Group.

She holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business, as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University.