Western Financial Group's board of directors has appointed Paul Taylor to be president and CEO, effective July 6.

taylor_paul_articleIn his new role, Taylor will oversee the company's network of insurance brokerages and will lead all of its business units including Western Financial Group Insurance Solutions, Western Financial Insurance Company (Petsecure) and Western Life Assurance Company.

Until recently Taylor had been present of TransAlta's US business operations. Prior to this he was president and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), and he has also served as Chief of Staff to the Premier of British Columbia and as British Columbia's Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary to the BC Treasury Board.

"We are excited to have Mr. Taylor join the Western team. He is a proven leader, and is a great fit with Western's values of truthfulness, fairness, value and loyalty. He is the right choice to help Western continue to be a leader in the Canadian insurance industry," says Scott Tannas, vice chairman and founder of Western Financial Group. "Mr. Taylor's prior roles give him the expertise and perspective to lead Western to a successful future and I look forward to working alongside him."