Headquarters: Lindsay, ON
Year founded: 2014 (Mutual originated in the 1800s)
Leadership: Tim Shauf, president and CEO; Enrico Mastrangeli, vice-president of distribution and member innovation; Garth Winterton, vice-president of operations; Jennifer Baziuk, vice-president of transformation and strategic delivery; Caroline Gaffney, vice-president of talent; Suveera Hopton, vice-president of finance and risk
The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group is an amalgamation of three mutual insurers that began in the late 1800s to help farmers protect their property from fire. Over the decades, insurance products were added and evolved to meet the needs of members. Two things remained constant: a value of personal service and human interaction and a passion for working with like-minded people.
The name ‘The Commonwell’ represents the relationship between the company; its brokers, agents and policyholders; and the common ground they share in Ontario. Like the ‘common well’ of the past that bonded members of the community with a social gathering place and a source of sustenance, The Commonwell embodies support for the communities it serves. To date, The Commonwell’s Create A Ripple Effect (C.A.R.E.) Program has donated more than $3 million to local organizations, supporting community resilience with investment in health, children and food security.
To best serve its broker partners, The Commonwell has significantly driven enhancements focused on the ease of doing business – both in technology and in decision-making processes. One example is the company’s COVID-19 response, which involved sending every member household $100 to use to as needed or pay it forward if they were in a position to do so. The effort was a way to help further build community and involved no extra work for the company’s broker partners.
“We consistently enhance our contact and response abilities to better service calls and remain consistent in our approach to business,” says Tim Shauf, president and CEO of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group. “To continue to excel and meet the needs of our clients, we strive to stay the course and look for new and creative ways to stay connected and be responsive – both with regard to COVID-19 and our day-to-day operations.”
