Voices of P&C Women | Catherine Roe | CNA Canada  

Catherine Roe, President, Chief Agent, CNA Canada

After more than three decades across claims, brokerage, and executive leadership, Catherine Roe, president and chief agent at CNA Canada brings a rare, end-to-end perspective to Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry.

And yet, when an executive leadership role recently came open at CNA Canada, she hesitated.

“I have a wide range of experience, a strong track record, good perspective, and am strategic,” she tells Canadian Underwriter. “And yet, when I was approached about the role, I hesitated, because I thought, ‘Well, I haven’t been in underwriting in 20 years.’”

The pause was brief, she adds. “As we peeled the onion, I realized, ‘Oh, it’s not about writing guidelines, because that’s not what I’m here to do.’ It’s about leading a team and being strategic and helping to evolve the culture and build an even stronger, more scalable business. That I can do.”

Her own experience is an example of how women in the property and casualty insurance industry need to overcome self-doubt and “trust ourselves,” Roe says.

“I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors over my career, and they have driven me to recognize my strengths and push myself to step up — but it’s taken time. At the end of the day, it’s up to us to become who we want to be.”

She counsels women in the P&C industry to cultivate the relationships, networks, and the education and certifications they need. And then, “when opportunities come up, put your hand up, even if you’re not 100% sure.” she counsels women in the P&C industry.

“I know that’s such a common theme, and people say it all the time, but it’s so true. You talk to a man, and he’ll say, ‘Oh, I can do that.’ And you talk to many women, and there’s still that hesitation.”

Roe started in the industry by “accident,” she says. But she’s built a solid career background by putting her hand up and tackling all kinds of opportunities, experiences, and roles within the P&C industry. She wouldn’t change a thing, even the challenges,” she tells CU. “It’s all part of the learning process.”

After graduating from the University of Washington with a BA in English Literature, Roe says she worked in an insurance subsidiary within a bank straight out of school. In the early 1990s, a friend of hers joined State Farm and asked if she wanted to become a claims adjuster.

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“I started on the auto claims side and then went into handling property losses, including construction defect claims across Washington State during the mid-1990s.” Roe says. She progressed to leading a satellite office and managing a growing team.

She then worked for a structural engineering firm, which is how she was introduced to FM Global (now FM), while still in Seattle. As a dual Canadian-American citizen, she moved to Toronto in 2003 and joined FM Global, which took her into the underwriting and account management side of the industry.

After her daughter was born, she again put her hand up for a new challenge — this time joining the broker side. She became a senior vice president at Marsh, and subsequently joined Aon, where she started in the construction group.

Not long after joining Aon, she was offered the opportunity to lead the Toronto real estate practice — the start of 13 years at Aon and various leadership roles. She ultimately worked her way up to become an executive vice president and central region leader for Aon in Canada.

In November 2025, she joined CNA Canada as their president and chief agent.

Even as her career took shape across different functions and leadership roles, Roe’s focus on building meaningful connections with people remains central.

“My favourite part of our industry is the people,” she says. “Not growing up in Toronto, I’ve been fortunate to have created an amazing network — an extended family — many from the industry.

“I’m committed to working alongside people and will ‘get my hands dirty’ to ensure each person understands how they fit into the value chain of our organization. Everyone has a role and creating that belonging and understanding has been a consistent goal of mine throughout my entire career.”

She believes that her focus on culture, and her willingness to take that next step even when she wasn’t 100% sure she was ready — complemented by a few nudges from mentors and friends over the years — has provided her with wide-ranging, fun experiences, and growth opportunities.

“I can say, never a dull moment,” she says.

David Gambrill

David has twice served as Canadian Underwriter’s senior editor, both from 2005 to 2012, and again from 2017 to the present.