Rose St Louis has joined as Canada Life’s first chief customer officer, while Sean Christian has been appointed as permanent chief operating officer.
Emma Watkins (pictured), chief executive of Canada Life in the UK, said the appointments reflected the company’s “absolute commitment” to putting customers first always.
“Rose will bring together our customer insight, experience and engagement into a single, powerful focus on delivering better outcomes for the 3.3 million customers and adviser partners who rely on us. At the same time, Sean’s leadership of our operations function will ensure we continue to evolve how we work and strengthen the foundations that support our growth,” she said.
Christian has served as interim chief operating officer since June 2025.
St Louis joins Canada Life from Lloyds Banking Group, where she most recently served as protection director and the CEO of life insurance business Cavendish Online. Prior to this, she held senior distribution and commercial roles at KPMG and Zurich Insurance.
A pivotal time
St Louis said she was delighted to be joining Canada Life “at such a pivotal time”.
She added: “My focus is simple: to put the needs of customers and advisers at the heart of every decision we make – deepening our understanding of what matters most to them, raising the bar across every interaction, and delivering experiences that genuinely make a difference.
“I look forward to working with colleagues across the organisation to challenge the status quo, accelerate our progress, and strengthen a culture where great customer and adviser outcomes define our success.”
Christian added: “As interim chief operating officer, I’ve seen first-hand the impact we can make when we simplify how we work and stay relentlessly focused on the needs of our customers and adviser partners. I’m delighted to take on the role permanently and to continue strengthening our operational foundations, so we can deliver consistently better experiences while supporting the business’ ongoing growth.
“In parallel, I’m also pleased to continue leading our wealth business and supporting the adviser relationships I’ve served for more than 20 years at Canada Life.”
Canada Life recently appointed two other staff members to newly created roles, with Kris Black joining as head of annuities and Alice Watson as head of home finance last month.
The company also launched a lifetime mortgage with a discounted rate in return for borrowers committing to regular monthly interest payments.
