Rowan Saunders joined Definity Financial Corporation’s predecessor, Economical Mutual Insurance Company, as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2016.
In the fourth quarter of 2021, the landmark demutualization of Economical and initial public offering of Definity was successfully completed. This was the largest Canadian IPO of 2021 and one of the largest in Canadian history. Definity’s common shares are listed on the TSX and comprise part of the S&P / TSX Composite Index.
Definity Financial Corporation is the parent company to some of Canada’s most long-standing and innovative property and casualty insurance companies, including Economical Insurance, Sonnet Insurance, Family Insurance Solutions, and Petline Insurance.
Rowan’s extensive background includes over 35 years of international P&C industry experience in the areas of underwriting, marketing, sales, group insurance, broker networks and finance, as well as 12 years as President and CEO of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada.
He is the past Chairman, a current member of the board of directors, and Chair of the audit committee of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, a member of the boards of EQB Inc. and its related Canadian bank, and a member of the Business Council of Canada. Rowan is a past member of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario’s CEO Advisory Committee, the board of directors of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, and the board of directors of Facility Association. He holds a BA from York University, as well as a Canadian Risk Management designation, and is a Fellow of the Insurance Institute of Canada. Rowan serves as Executive Sponsor of Definity’s inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) governance structure and as Mentor to the IDEA Advisory Committee’s Chair.