GUELPH, ON, Feb. 8, 2018 /CNW/ - The Co-operators today announced the retirement of Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Bruce West, effective June 1, 2018.

West joined The Co-operators in 2007 as CFO, and over the past 11 years has made significant contributions including the implementation of the organization's innovative approach to sustainable investing through which he further developed an impact investing strategy. With a reputation for challenging the conventional and raising the standard, he has a penchant for asking the difficult questions, and built a team with that same commitment and vision.

"Under Bruce's guidance, we recognized substantial increases in the sophistication and efficiency in areas such as enterprise risk, portfolio and capital management, as well as staff development and succession planning," says Rob Wesseling, president and CEO, The Co-operators. "I'm confident we'll continue to reap the benefits of his leadership for years to come. We thank Bruce for the impactful and enduring contributions he has made to our industry, our organization and its people."

West distinguished himself as an exemplary leader and mentor, innovator and catalyst for sustainable reporting. During his tenure he championed fresh thinking through his leadership and oversight of the financial management, strategic planning, and corporate development functions for The Co-operators.

In December 2017, his professional achievements were recognized when he was awarded the prestigious Fellow designation by the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Ontario. He is also a founding member of the Canadian chapter of Accounting 4 Sustainability's CFO Leadership Network, a member of the Financial Executives International Canada (FEI Canada), sits on the Dean's Advisory Council at the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, and is an Honouree of the School of Accounting and Finance at the University of Waterloo.

About The Co-operators:
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $48 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products.  The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is listed among the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt and Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. For more information, visit www.cooperators.ca.

SOURCE The Co-operators