Foresters Financial President/CEO James Boyle To Retire In February 2022 – InsuranceNewsNet

InsuranceNewsNet — Your Industry. One Source.™

Sign in
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home Now reading Life Insurance
Topics
    • Life Insurance
    • Annuity News
    • Health/Employee Benefits
    • Property and Casualty
    • Advisor News
    • Washington Wire
    • Regulation News
    • Sponsored Content
    • Webinars
    • Monthly Focus
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
  • Free Newsletters
Sign in or register to be an INNsider.
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
  • Free Newsletters
  • Insider
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Staff
  • Contact
  • Newsletters

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Life Insurance
Life Insurance RSS Get our newsletter
Order Prints
September 16, 2021 Life Insurance No comments
Share
Share
Tweet
Email

Foresters Financial President/CEO James Boyle To Retire In February 2022

By Press Release

Dan Fortin, Chairman of Foresters Financial, announced today Foresters Financial President and Chief Executive Officer James Boyle's intention to retire February 2022, coinciding with the fourth quarter board meetings.

Louis Gagnon, currently Chief Operating Officer, will succeed Mr. Boyle as President and Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2022 and will join the board upon Mr. Boyle’s retirement.

“On behalf of the Foresters Financial Board of Directors, I would like to thank Jim for his leadership and dedication to our Purpose,” said Mr. Fortin. He accomplished a great deal in his tenure as our CEO and positioned Foresters well for continued success going forward. Jim’s leadership helped re-invigorate our identity as a purpose-driven company, focused on serving the life insurance needs of working families across North America and the UK. Authoring the Strength of Purpose 150 strategic plan, he led the team in executing key transactions to best align with our mission. The outcome is evidenced in our excellent business results and our membership engagement has never be healthier.

Mr. Boyle led the organization through the pandemic by making it easier for independent agents to conduct business in a non-face-to-face manner and receive quick underwriting decisions through non-medical and accelerated underwriting, the insurer said in a news release.

He was committed to the safety of employees and members while re-engineering the company for the difficult environment of COVID-19. Year-over-year North American sales are up 31% through the first six months of this year, following a 19% increase in sales in 2020. UK sales were adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 but are up 188% through the first six months of 2021.

We are delighted to announce Louis Gagnon as Jim’s successor,” said Mr. Fortin. “Our Board was thorough in our search for the right successor to Jim. Louis had a very successful career at Mercer where he started as a young actuary over 30 years ago. Louis is purpose-driven and a servant leader making him a perfect fit for Foresters.”

“I am certain Louis is the right person at the right time for Foresters,” said Mr. Boyle. “He has quickly embraced our culture and he is a strong advocate of our purpose to enrich the wellbeing of our members and their communities. He has worked closely with the leadership team and developed relationships and teamwork critical for his success. And especially important to me, Louis values our employees as much as I do. I look forward to working with Louis and our Executive Team to ensure a smooth transition between now and year end.”

Mr. Gagnon joined Foresters earlier this year after a 30+ year career with Mercer. After starting with Mercer in Montreal, Mr. Gagnon’s many roles took him and his family to Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Toronto and New York City. He was Mercer’s Canada CEO from 2015 to 2018. Most recently he was President, US & Canada Region, for Mercer where he was responsible for leading 5,000+ employees across the US and Canada.

“I am honoured to be selected by the Board to lead Foresters Financial. I look forward to working with our Executive Committee and our great team of employees to serve our members, support our independent agents and sales partners, and build on the strong culture we have at Foresters. I will continue Jim’s dedication to our Purpose, and will champion an inclusive and diverse culture and build a sustainable business.”

About Foresters Financial
Foresters Financial is redefining the life insurance and individual savings industry across the U.S., Canada and UK by enriching the lives, communities, and overall well-being of its members. Agents and members alike appreciate the turnkey-decisioned product offerings and end-to-end digitized processes that make it easy to get life insurance without traditional medical exams. State-of-the-art mobile tools help agents deliver tailored plans to prospective and current members. Dedicated to its members’ well-being, Foresters offers a suite of member benefits(1) and is redefining the conventional life insurance model, bringing improved financial security and overall wellness to everyday North American families. Foresters recently merged with Canada Protection Plan to become a leading life insurance distributor in Canada. Foresters Financial is the trade name for The Independent Order of Foresters, the oldest non-denominational fraternal benefit society. For 20 straight years, The Independent Order of Foresters has received an “A” (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best(2).

1. Member benefits described assumes Foresters membership. Foresters Financial member benefits are non-contractual, subject to benefit specific eligibility requirements, definitions and limitations and may be changed or cancelled without notice or are no longer available.
2. The A.M. Best ratings assigned on July 29, 2021 reflect overall strength and claims-paying ability of The Independent Order of Foresters (IOF). An “A” (Excellent) rating is assigned to companies that have a strong ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders and have, on balance, excellent balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile when compared to the standards established by A.M. Best Company. A.M. Best assigns ratings from A++ to F, A++ and A+ being superior ratings and A and A- being excellent ratings. In assigning the ratings for IOF, A.M. Best stated that the rating outlook is "stable", which means it is unlikely to change in the near future. See ambest.com for our latest ratings.

Older

COVID-19 Vaccination Status Has No Bearing On A Life Insurance Claim: ACLI

Newer

3 Tips To Clear The Lead Conversion Hurdle

Advisor News

  • Fidelity: retirement savers look long term, continue to save despite headwinds
  • Sometimes debt could be a helpful tool
  • Debt consolidation becomes more attractive
  • 31% of retirees say continued inflation would motivate them to rejoin the workforce
  • Inflation Reduction Act may have little impact on inflation
More Advisor News

Annuity News

  • Global Atlantic announces $10B group annuity reinsurance deal with Equitable
  • Colorado adopts new annuity sales regulations
  • National Western Life introduces new fixed indexed annuity, NWL New Frontiers
  • Jackson National announces second quarter 2022 results
  • Brighthouse Financial adds to Shield Level annuity suite with new product
More Annuity News

Health/Employee Benefits News

  • America’s Essential Hospitals praise new law, urge more funding
  • Retired teachers oppose $9M in STRS Ohio pension staff bonuses
  • Higher out-of-pocket patient bills are hitting hospitals hard
  • Best’s Commentary: Inflation Reduction Act will benefit U.S. health insurers
  • Virginia Obamacare rates set to fall next year
More Health/Employee Benefits News

Property and Casualty News

  • CSAA Insurance Group and Rick Astley partner on surprise ad campaign
  • Colorado fire victims finding too little insurance coverage
  • Insurance rates will not rise due to newOregon wildfire risk map, state regulators say
  • KBRA research: Florida insurers facing storms on many fronts
  • Weston, UPC policyholders have 60 days to place policies with Louisiana Citizens
More Property and Casualty News

- Presented By -

How to Write For InsuranceNewsNet

Find out how you can submit content for publishing on our website.
View Guidelines

FEATURED OFFERS

Get Linked INN to your industry Connect with INN on LinkedIn to be first on all the news and insights that matter to your industry.

Press ReleasesAll press releases

  • Ibexis Life & Annuity Insurance Company Launches Innovative Fixed Annuity
  • National Western Life introduces newest fixed indexed annuity, NWL® New Frontiers
  • CybeReady Supports Security Defenses with CISO Toolkit
  • Life and Disability Income Insurance Products from MassMutual Now Available on iPipeline®’s End-to-End Digital Platform
  • Business on the Go with The Crump Mobile App
Add your Press Release >

Topics

  • Life Insurance
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits
  • Property and Casualty
  • Advisor News
  • Washington Wire
  • Regulation News
  • Sponsored Content
  • Webinars
  • Monthly Focus

Top Sections

  • Life Insurance
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits News
  • Property and Casualty News
  • AdvisorNews
  • Washington Wire
  • Insurance Webinars

Our Company

  • About
  • Editorial Staff
  • Magazine
  • Write for INN
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Sign up for our FREE e-Newsletter!

Get breaking news, exclusive stories, and money- making insights straight into your inbox.

select Newsletter Options
Facebook Linkedin Twitter
© 2022 InsuranceNewsNet.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • AdvisorNews

Sign in with your INNsider Account

Not registered? Become an INNsider.