Economical Insurance has announced that Michael Gagnier, the company’s senior vice-president and chief information officer, has stepped down from his position to “pursue other endeavors,” effective immediately.
 
Gagnier was appointed to the role in 2012, when Economical issued a new executive organizational structure that emphasized faster decision-making and strategy deployment.
 
At the time, the carrier said that he would oversee “leadership and direction to the IT work stream of the business transformation program.” Prior to this role, he served as executive vice president, sales with MD Financial Management in Ottawa.
 
"We thank Michael for his leadership over the past three years as senior vice-president and chief information officer and wish him success in the future," Karen Gavan, president and CEO of Economical Insurance, said in a statement. "We appreciate Michael's contributions to the company, most notably leading our IT transformation project."
 
No permanent successor has been named, but starting today, Alice Keung will serve as interim chief information officer. Keung has previously acted as chief operating officer for eHealth Ontario, as well as senior vice president and chief information officer for National Bank of Canada and Air Canada.
 
A two-time winner of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, Keung can offer expertise in technological transformation, creating governance frameworks and productive team-building.