Phil Gaunce

As COO, Phil manages the overall operations of Gallagher Canada and acts as the main point of communication between the Executive Committee and operations. In addition to being COO, Phil serves as President of the Eastern region. Prior to his regional presidency, Phil played a key role at Bell & Grant, where he'd only been for five years when appointed CEO in 1995 and which was acquired by Gallagher in 2014. Prior to joining the insurance industry, Phil was an Audit Manager for KPMG from 1987 – 1990.

Phil served on the Board of Governors at Saint Mary's University from 2011 to 2014 and was a board member at the IWK Health Centre and the IWK Foundation during the years 2001-2012. Phil currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Halifax Moosehead Hockey Club and has been involved since the formation of the team in 1994. Phil has also been a board member and audit committee member for RediShred Capital Corp. since October, 2006.

Phil is a member of Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia as well as the Insurance Broker Association of Nova Scotia.

A graduate of St. Mary's University in Halifax, with a Bachelor of Commerce, Phil went on to obtain his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation in 1986 and later his Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) designation in 1993. Along with his Insurance Accreditations, he is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) under the Canadian Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants.

Phil remains hands-on with some key clients for the Halifax Office and has an open door policy, so in the event that any client wishes to have his ear, he is ready and able to listen and in the event of a situation, will ultimately find a solution.

Phil loves to ski with his wife and three sons (and hopefully his grandsons within the next couple of years), enjoys spending time at the cottage, golfing, boating bicycling and travelling.