Last month, President and CEO of Canadian ICMIF member Beneva, Jean-François Chalifoux, and Chair of the Board, Jean St-Gelais, were jointly announced as Financial Personalities of the Year at a digital award ceremony for the Top des leaders de l’industrie financière du Québec awards.

This was the first time that Finance et Investissement (FI), the French-language sister publication of Investment Executive, had chosen two leaders to receive its top honour. The Top des leaders de l’industrie financière du Québec awards – formerly known as the Top 25 ranking – underwent a name change this year to better reflect the evolving nature of the Quebec’s financial industry.

The jury praised the vision, openness, daring and will of Jean-François Chalifoux and Jean St-Gelais, for overseeing the creation of the largest mutual insurance company in Canada in July 2020 through the merger of La Capitale and SSQ Insurance. Beneva’s leaders sought to leverage the company’s competent employees, mutualist values, solid finances and diverse expertise into a strong, national brand.

“We salute this important achievement,” the jury members stated. “The new entity, which will keep its head office in Quebec, will be able to compete with other large pan-Canadian groups. They achieved this merger while continuing to have excellent results.”

Each year, industry leaders make invaluable contributions to Quebec’s financial sector, and this event honours their achievements. FI’s awards are divided into five categories, and the Financial Personalities of the Year were selected from among the winners in each of the categories. Jean-François Chalifoux and Jean St-Gelais were recognised in the life and health insurer category.

When announcing the new Beneva brand in December 2020, Jean-François Chalifoux said “Beneva is based on more than 75 years of experience with recognized and reliable expertise in insurance and financial services. Creating Beneva gives ourselves the means to grow on a national scale, while returning insurance to its essence: people looking out for people. We are very proud of the work done for our members and customers since the union of our two companies was announced last January. The Beneva unveiling makes the union and vision of the new identity concrete,”

Beneva employs over 5,000 dedicated employees. Its human approach is rooted in mutualist values that are shared by all its employees. With over CAD 20 billion in assets under management, Beneva positions itself as a major player in the insurance and financial services industry.

Pictured: Jean St-Gelais, Chair of the Board, and Jean-François Chalifoux, President and CEO, Beneva.