Billyard Insurance Group (BIG) has appointed Susan James as chief financial officer.
James brings more than 20 years of senior financial leadership experience in the P&C sector, most recently as CFO of the Allstate Canada Group. In that role, she oversaw financial reporting, business planning, investment accounting, reserving, tax and expense management, and helped align financial strategy with business performance across the organization.
Before joining Allstate Canada, she held progressively senior roles at Desjardins and State Farm and began her career at KPMG, giving her experience across public accounting, financial control and insurance‑specific finance and capital management.
James joins BIG against a backdrop of sustained consolidation and investment in the Canadian broker channel. Brokers and independent agents now control a majority of P&C distribution in Canada, and well‑capitalized consolidators — including insurer‑owned platforms and private‑equity‑backed groups — continue to pursue acquisitions to gain scale, extend geographic reach and access new clients, even as deal volumes have cooled from recent peaks.
For BIG, which has leaned heavily on technology‑enabled organic growth and branch partnerships rather than headline‑grabbing acquisitions, James’s experience at large carrier groups brings a complementary perspective. It gives the brokerage a finance chief who understands how insurers deploy capital, assess volatility and evaluate distribution partners in a more concentrated and competitive Canadian P&C market.
Her governance credentials also align with increased regulatory and stakeholder focus on broker conduct, transparency and financial resilience, particularly as brokers expand across multiple provinces and adopt more complex ownership and financing structures.
“BIG has built something remarkable — a high‑growth brokerage with a genuine culture of excellence and a clear vision for where it’s headed,” James said. “I’m excited to join the team at this stage of the journey and to help enhance the financial foundation that will support BIG’s continued growth and long‑term success.”
Headquartered in Ontario, BIG has been one of Canada’s fastest‑growing brokerages in recent years. The firm now operates 87 branches across four provinces and partners with more than 30 insurers, positioning itself as a national brokerage platform built around broker‑led branch offices and centralized technology.
The brokerage has been recognized multiple times as one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies and has received industry awards for digital innovation, reflecting a strategy that combines branch entrepreneurship with investment in digital tools and data‑driven sales and service.
James’s appointment is intended to deepen the financial leadership supporting that strategy, adding greater operational discipline, rigor and strategic oversight as the organization scales.
“Scaling a company like BIG requires more than momentum — it requires the discipline and strategic clarity to drive long‑term results. Susan brings exactly that. Her track record in the P&C insurance industry speaks for itself, and I know she will play an integral role in how we continue to build BIG. I’m thrilled to welcome her to our leadership team,” said Stephen Billyard, CEO of Billyard Insurance Group.
