After ten years at the helm of UV Insurance, formerly UL Mutual, Christian Mercier will step down by the end of the year.
The President and CEO of the mutual insurance company will leave his position in the coming months with a sense of accomplishment.
“In all humility, I believe I have succeeded in establishing a culture of kindness, trust, and collaboration,” he confided in an interview with the Insurance Portal. “This will be my legacy for future managers.”
And with good reason: the mutual’s latest organizational survey revealed an employee engagement rate of 92%, as reported by the CEO.
From soldier to manager
Nothing seemed to predestine Christian Mercier for a career in insurance, given his 30 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces.
This first chapter of his life influenced how he mobilized his team once he took the helm at UV Insurance. In the military, soldiers quickly understand that they are a team and must work together to achieve common goals. Christian Mercier applied this spirit of camaraderie and mutual support to the mutual insurance company.
“The human dimension and military doctrine I learned in the Forces have been invaluable,” acknowledges the CEO, who received management and leadership training while serving as an infantry officer in the Royal 22nd Regiment. “My understanding of loyalty, integrity, and courage has served me very well.” “
The most valuable asset
A good leader knows how to surround themselves with the right people and trusts them. They guide and motivate them every day.
– Christian Mercier
For the businessman, who holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in defense studies, a good leader isn’t one who holds all the power. Rather, it’s about having a clear vision of the direction to take and knowing how to communicate it clearly to your teams; they are the ones who will steer the ship to safe harbor.
“A good leader knows how to surround themselves with the right people and trusts them,” he asserts. “They guide and motivate them every day.”
Christian Mercier values UV Insurance’s employees and considers them the company’s most valuable asset. That’s why the CEO makes a point of wishing everyone a happy birthday, and also of offering support to those going through difficult times.
“These are gestures that matter,” says Mercier, under whose leadership the company has grown from 90 to 300 employees. When you consider that people are the company's most important resource, you have to take care of them.
This team spirit is key for Mercier who attributes his success to the mutual trust that exists between him and his employees. “I worked with dedicated and very effective people. I believed in them and I showed them that; they repaid me with exceptional performance and a large-scale transformation process.”
A major digital shift
The president and CEO, who will turn 59 next month, is referring here to the significant digital shift undertaken by UV Insurance shortly after his arrival.
This shift notably involved replacing the mutual's asset management system. And to this day, Christian Mercier points out, UV Insurance remains “the only life insurance company in Canada to have completed this end-to-end technological change.”
“Since I knew nothing about insurance when they approached me, it allowed me to question everything,” recalls Mercier. “I brought perspectives and directions that wouldn’t have been considered otherwise, because I didn’t come from the insurance sector.”
Subsequently, the company’s IT systems were also modernized to make them more secure.
These changes implemented under his leadership lead Christian Mercier to believe that UV Insurance is very well positioned for the coming years, and that it even has a head start on many other players in the industry who are slow to modernize.
“Companies that don’t embrace technological transformation will fall behind or face significant security challenges that could slow their growth,” he believes.
He also anticipates increased automation of operations in the insurance sector thanks to advances in artificial intelligence.
“At UV, we’ve already positioned ourselves this way. The board of directors has already approved an investment plan for technological changes over the next few years.”
Insurance for everyone
I hope that in the coming years, all insurance companies will be more inclusive of all social classes, so that everyone has opportunities to build wealth or increase their financial security.
– Christian Mercier
In the last ten years, the insurance industry has been shaken by numerous upheavals. For Christian Mercier, it’s still important to keep people at the heart of the process.
He underlines that these clients are receiving services during one of the most difficult times in their lives.
While inflation has been reducing Canadians' purchasing power for several years, he advocates for greater accessibility to life insurance products.
"Building a better future starts with building a small family nest egg," he says. "As a mutual insurance company, we've made this a top priority, especially since I joined. Our role, our social mission, is to change lives."
"I hope that in the coming years, all insurance companies will be more inclusive of all social classes, so that everyone has opportunities to build wealth or increase their financial security," adds Mercier. "I hope that all Canadians will have the opportunity to meet with an advisor to develop a personal or family plan that meets their financial needs."
A future to shape
Christian Mercier isn’t sure what he’ll do when he closes his office door for the last time, in the relatively near future.
His successor hasn’t been found yet, and a transition period will follow the appointment of the person who will take over.
But then what? He’ll start by taking some time to rest and recharge with his family.
He’ll remain open to opportunities that may come his way.
“I don’t know where I’ll end up,” he says. “Will I sit on a board of directors? Will I become a strategic advisor? Will I offer consulting services? All of that is on the table, so we’ll see in a few months.”
