New CEO for Manitoba government auto insurer

Manitoba Public Insurance has hired Eric Herbelin, a former senior strategist for Zurich Insurance, as its new CEO, effective Jan. 4.

Herbelin worked in Switzerland for Zurich from 2001 through 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile.

MPI announced Herbelin’s appointment Oct. 20. Herbelin replaces Benjamin Graham, whose LinkedIn profile indicates he is now CEO of Manitoba Blue Cross. Graham joined MPI as chief executive officer in 2018 after leaving QBE Insurance, where he had been head of risk for Asia-Pacific.

Herbelin is a French speaker who is originally from Switzerland. He was most recently CEO of Chicago-based Elips Life Insurance Company, which is part of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions.

“Herbelin has led large customer-centric and digital modernization programs that will serve MPI well through its season of transformation,” MPI said in a release.

At Zurich, he held several positions over 15 years, including head of group CEO office from 2013 through 2016 and senior strategist of general insurance from 2011 through 2013, according to Herbelin’s Linkedin profile. He joined Zurich in 2001 as an international project manager.

His education includes an executive MBA from the International Institute for Management in Switzerland, a master’s degree in human systems engineering and an undergraduate degree in business administration and finance from the University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.

MPI is a provincial crown corporation with a monopoly on compulsory auto insurance —  dubbed Autopac — in the province. It has been writing auto insurance for Manitoba motorists since 1971. MPI also handles the province’s driver licensing and vehicle registration.

MPI recorded $1.5 billion in premiums written in 2019-20, up from $1.4 billion in 2018-19. Part of the reason for the uptick is the change in the fiscal year-end from Feb. 28 to March 31, MPI said in its 2019 annual report.

Feature image via iStock.com/JodiJacobson