Melanie Jeannotte named national president of Gallagher Benefits Services Canada
Insurance and HR consulting firm Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has appointed Melanie Jeannotte in the newly created role of national president of its Gallagher Benefit Services (Canada) Group Inc. The role's creation is the result of strong merger-driven growth in past years.
Gallagher’s benefits consulting offering was significantly augmented over the past year through an aggressive M&A strategy. The second half of 2018 saw the firm bolster its benefits and retirement offering with the acquisition of a number of Canadian consultancies, including Winnipeg’s Belton Boisselle, Ottawa’s Leystone Insurance & Financial, and Toronto’s Accompass.
The Illinois-based firm’s benefits & HR consulting offering incorporates a total employee well-being framework, spanning executive, group, and voluntary benefits solutions, retirement plan consulting, compensation, performance management, and communications and workplace culture programs. Gallagher has 24 locations across Canada, with offices in 35 countries.
"We are proud to be locally grown and globally known,” Leslie Lemenager, president of Gallagher's International Employee Benefits Consulting and Brokerage, said. “Our business in Canada has reached a size where it is important to evolve our management structure to scale for the future.”
Jeannotte joined the firm in 2015 as area president for Western Canada in the benefits and HR consulting practice. Prior to that, she spent nearly nine years as managing partner of Calgary-based benefits consultancy Vital Benefits Inc., which was acquired by Gallagher in 2015.
An expert in the area of benefits and pension consulting, Jeannotte is a regular speaker and commentator on benefits trends and business practices. She was named one of Calgary’s "Top 40 Under 40" in 2012 and was also recognized by Advantage Magazine as one of Canada’s leading female entrepreneurs.
“Given Melanie's leadership skills and expertise in growing businesses, naming her to this new role of national president for GBS Canada will enable us to continue to expand our client-service capabilities across Canada," Lemenager added.
"I'm excited for this new opportunity and to be a part of GBS Canada's tremendous growth story. I feel fortunate to work alongside some of the best consulting experts across the country," Jeannotte said. "Together, we have unlimited opportunity to help employers of all sizes manage their benefits and HR programs more strategically to reward and attract the talent they need to grow while benefiting their balance sheets."
