The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) has appointed Barbara Bellissimo to a three-year term on its board of directors.

Currently the board chair for Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation, Bellissimo is the former senior vice president of Desjardins – a role she served in for five years. She has also held several roles at State Farm Insurance, including as chief agent and senior vice president for Canada, operations vice president for life and health, and vice president of operations in Canada.

Bellissimo is also a former chair of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and is a past board member for the Insurance Bureau of Canada. She holds an Officers, Partners and Directors designation from IFSE Institute and an FCIP designation from Insurance Institute of Canada.

"Barbara is a high calibre leader who will bring significant insights to the Board as FSRA aims to enhance consumer choice, and promote innovation and competition in the auto insurance marketplace," said FSRA chair Joanne De Laurentiis.