ICMIF member The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company and its employees are marking the company’s 125th anniversary by providing CA$700,000 to local community organisations in Canada and the United States. These charitable funds come in addition to the CA$3.5 million Wawanesa has already committed to its community partners for 2021.
“As a mutual insurer we strive to be a positive force in the community,” said Wawanesa’s President and CEO, Jeff Goy. “It’s how our company started in 1896, with 20 farmers who came together to help each other out so no one would be left behind if disaster struck. This commitment to looking after one another has always been at the heart of our culture – and always will be. It’s one way of appreciating what our customers, broker partners, communities and employees have contributed to our success over so many decades together.”
Wawanesa employees were given the opportunity to determine how the CA$700,000 would be distributed among organisations in communities where the company operates:
- All Wawanesa employees were given CA$125 to provide to a charity of their choosing, resulting in CA$500,000 provided to thousands of charities across Canada and the US.
- All Wawanesa employees were also asked to nominate one charitable organisation in their community to receive 1 of 16 donations of CA$12,500. Employees then voted on which organisation they wanted to receive a donation, resulting in CA$200,000 donated to 16 charitable organisations.
“From our humble prairie beginnings 125 years ago to a modern, vibrant, multi-national insurer, I’m proud we’ve held strong to our Canadian-owned-and-operated roots and that going forward our success enables us to provide even greater support for our communities,” said Wawanesa’s President of Canadian P&C Operations, Carol Jardine. “Together with Canada’s independent insurance brokers, we will continue to be there to protect the assets of families and businesses, helping to create a stronger tomorrow.”
Over the past 125 years Wawanesa has grown into a diversified mutual insurer, serving the property, casualty and life insurance needs of over two million policyholders in Canada and the US. Recently, the company surpassed CA$4 billion in annual premium, completed a decade-long transformation of its core technology platform, and was honoured to receive top industry customer service recognitions, such as #1 in personal property claims satisfaction in InsurPoll’s 2021 survey as well as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Auto Insurers in California” from J.D. Power for the second year in a row. Wawanesa has also been recognised as a Top Employer in North America by the human resources consultancy, Kincentric.
