The Empire Life Insurance Co. Tuesday announced the appointment of Mark Sylvia as president and chief executive officer of the Kingston, Ont.-based wealth and financial security company, effective June 2.
Sylvia will succeed Les Herr, who will be stepping down as CEO at the end of May.
“Mr. Sylvia has an impressive track record of leading and growing mid-sized and specialty insurance companies in Canada by focusing on service, simplicity and strategic partnerships,” says Duncan Jackman, chairman and CEO and president of Toronto-based E-L Financial Corp. Ltd. (TSX:ELF.PR.F), Empire Life’s parent company.
Sylvia comes to Empire Life from his current role as president of Clarity Underwriting Managers Inc., an insurance consultancy firm he founded in 2010.
From 1999 to 2010, he served as CEO of Echelon General Insurance Co., president & chief operating officer of Trent Health Insurance Service Corp. and Canadian Insurance Marketing Inc., all of which were affiliated companies of EGI Financial Holdings Inc. From 1988 until 1999, Sylvia was president and CEO of Hartford Life Insurance Co. of Canada.
Sylvia is a Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (1979) of the Insurance Institute of Canada, and a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (1994) of the Life Office Management Association Inc., and is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Society for Risk Analysis.