Canadian Underwriter
News

William H. McGannon Foundation founding father passes away


August 27, 2015   by Canadian Underwriter


Print this page Share

The Calgary-based William H. McGannon Foundation announced on Thursday that founding father Bill McGannon passed away peacefully on Aug. 26 at the age of 79 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

“Bill left behind a legacy for all of us to follow,” William H. McGannon Foundation president Joe Restoule said in an email. “We were blessed to have him as a friend, mentor and/or business partner and we are left profoundly saddened by this loss.”

Information from the foundation’s website said that it was established following the release of a study by the RIMS Canada Council in 1999 that evaluated the need for a Canadian organization to support risk management education and advance the profession of risk management in Canada. The foundation, which has been granted charitable status, was established to provide resources in the form of scholarships, research grants and student involvement to advance risk management by way of education, research, mentorship and work experience programs.

 In this photo from the November 1998 issue of Canadian Underwriter magazine: Bill McGannon, the recently retired risk management guru of NOVA Corp.  is presented the 1998 Don Stuart Award for outstanding contributions to the field of risk management at the 1998 Canadian Risk Management Conference in Calgary, Alberta.The long term goal of the foundation is to establish chairs of insurance and risk management at major universities across Canada.

According to the website, McGannon, who was born in Morrisburg, Ont. on Nov. 5, 1935, was one of the first risk managers in Canada to set up a full service risk management department with loss prevention services and statistical support at NOVA Chemical Corporation in Alberta in 1979. He retired from that position in 1998 and consulted in the profession. McGannon also frequently lectured at the University of Calgary where he was instrumental in setting up the Chair of Risk Management and served as ‘Executive in Residence’ from 1998-2000.

In photo above, from the November 1998 issue of Canadian Underwriter magazine: Bill McGannon, risk management guru of NOVA Chemical Corporation is presented the 1998 Donald M. Stuart Award for outstanding contributions to the field of risk management at the 1998 Canadian Risk Management Conference held in Calgary, Alberta. Read the full article here at CU80Years.com.


Print this page Share

Have your say:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*