Willis Canada gets new head of financial institutions practice

Willis North America has appointed Roger Hacala as senior vice president and Financial Institutions Practice Leader for Willis Canada.

In his new role, Hacala will oversee the Financial Institutions Practice within Willis’s Canada region, which has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal. In addition to being responsible for business development, client engagement and talent development, he will work closely with Willis’s Global Financial Institutions Group. Hacala will report to Kevin McMurray, managing partner at Willis of Canada.

Willis’ Financial Institutions Group features more than 80 insurance and risk professionals across its global platform focused exclusively on the risk management needs of the financial services industry. The group serves financial institutions of all sizes including banks, hedge funds, asset managers, insurance companies, mortgage lenders and advisers.

Prior to joining Willis, Hacala served as senior vice president of coporate risk at Trisura Guarantee Insurance Company. Hacala has also held prominent roles at Arthur J. Gallagher and Travelers.

“We are thrilled to welcome Roger to Willis and for him to coordinate our strategy and resources as we build out our Financial Institutions Practice across Canada,” McMurray commented in the announcement. “His deep industry expertise and strong track record of success delivering value through innovative solutions will be critical in helping Willis’s Financial Institutions clients mange the changing regulatory pressures and uncertainty of the economic landscape. Under Roger’s leadership, I am confident we will expand our presence in the Canadian marketplace while continuing to deliver cutting edge risk management solutions.”