Senior leadership at Foresters
Meet the people who lead our organization every day.
The board of directors and executive team at Foresters Financial are dedicated to helping our members do more of the good they want to do. Their diverse experiences, both professionally and personally, propel our organization forward, fostering a community focused on giving back and enhancing the well-being of its members.
Matt Berman
President and Chief Executive Officer
Matt Berman was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Foresters FinancialTM in January 2024. Since joining Foresters in 2017, Matt has held several leadership roles including, President of the US and Canada Divisions, Chief Distribution Officer and President of our former subsidiary, Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company (FLIAC).
Nici Audhlam-Gardiner
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, United Kingdom
Nici is the Chief Executive of Foresters UK, joining the business in 2022. She has an extensive background in retail insurance and banking, with a focus on working with member-owned businesses that share her values and desire to build financial resilience for everyday families...
Andrea Frossard
Chief Commercial Officer
Andrea Frossard was appointed Chief Commercial Officer at Foresters FinancialTM in October 2024. She leads the Sales, Product Management and Marketing areas to build on the strong functional synergies across North America to deliver profitable growth and optimize results...
Patricia Colavita
SVP and Chief Internal Auditor
Pat Colavita joined Foresters Financial™ in 2007, as AVP Risk Management and was appointed as Vice President and Chief Internal Auditor in 2012. In this position she is responsible for auditing Foresters operations in the US, Canada and the UK...
Mehul Kapadia
Global Chief Information and Operations Officer
Mehul Kapadia was appointed Global Chief Information and Operations Officer at Foresters FinancialTM in January 2024. He previously served as Global Chief Information Officer responsible for leading the Information Technology (IT) organization that supports Foresters business and corporate functions while being a trusted advisor to Foresters executive team on technology matters...
Caroline Rendall
Chief Risk Officer
Caroline Rendall was appointed as Chief Risk Officer, Foresters Financial in July of 2023. Caroline has had increasing levels of responsibility in the organization’s Enterprise Risk Management function over the past eight years and has been instrumental in building and strengthening key elements of our risk framework...
Alvin Sharma
Global Chief Financial Officer
Alvin Sharma was appointed Global Chief Financial Officer at Foresters Financial™ in September, 2018. He has broad financial experience, most recently with Echelon Insurance where he was Chief Financial Officer. He has a wide breadth of experience across a number of areas including corporate finance, investments...
René Zanin
Global Chief Legal, Administrative, and Membership Officer
René oversees legal, human resources, special investigations, and consumer complaint services enterprise-wide including, all aspects of insurance law, litigation management, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate commercial and employment law.
Daniel J. (Dan) Fortin
Chair of the Board
Dan brings board, extensive technology/ transformation, digital marketing and, as a former CEO, profit and loss experience....
Richard P. Hennick
International Fraternal President (IFP), Chair - Fraternal Committee
Richard was a licensed and certified Service Technician Manager with American Opti-Net Inc., a telecommunication infrastructure organization where he worked for 29 years....
Katherine A. (Kathy) Bardswick
Chair – Risk and Investment Committee, Human Capital and Governance Committee
Kathy brings extensive board experience and, as the former CEO of The Cooperators Group Ltd., wide-ranging knowledge of profit and loss, operations, distribution, information technology, and marketing....
Michael C. (Mike) Edge
Fraternal Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Mike is a retired vehicle distribution sub-contractor, specializing in inspecting, collecting and delivering vehicles through Vale Vehicle Movements of Bromsgrove UK, a fleet and vehicle movement and management service....
Shelly A. Herman
Fraternal Committee, Human Capital and Governance Committee
Shelly was an Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) Secretary with Columbia Public Schools, where she held various positions over her 23-year career....
Mike Lombardi
Audit and Compliance Committee, Fraternal Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
With a career spanning forty years in the insurance industry, Mike was an Executive Vice President at Reinsurance Group of America, Managing Principal at Willis Towers Watson, and a Senior Vice President at Prudential Group Assurance....
Janice M. Madon
Chair - Audit and Compliance Committee, Human Capital and Governance Committee
Janice Madon brings extensive global experience in financial services, including insurance, banking, wealth and asset management....
Lynn E. Oldfield
Human Capital and Governance Committee, Fraternal Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Lynn is an inclusive, dynamic, and transformative leader and director with extensive business and leadership accomplishments....
Gino A. Scapillati
Chair - Human Capital and Governance Committee, Audit and Compliance Committee
Gino Scapillati holds extensive global and Canadian national experience in governance, strategy and finance....
Martin I. Sheerin
Audit and Compliance Committee, Fraternal Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Martin is an accomplished financial executive with extensive experience in the insurance and financial services industries....
Nikki L. Sorum
Audit and Compliance Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Nikki Sorum is a financial services executive with experience in leading and transforming sales distribution, achieving record-breaking sales, and launching innovative customer-centric financial solutions....
Linda J. Seymour
Audit and Compliance Committee, Human Capital and Governance Committee
Linda was appointed Group General Manager, President and CEO of HSBC in September 2020. As CEO, she oversaw the successful sale to RBC in 2024....
Robert W. (Rob) Wight
Audit and Compliance Committee, Fraternal Committee
Rob was a Maintenance Mechanic with O-I Canada for 38 years, before his early retirement....
Cynthia (Cindy) L. Worley
Fraternal Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Cindy was with Central Michigan University for 18 years before joining Foresters Board in 2021....
Nici Audhlam-Gardiner
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, United Kingdom
Nici is the Chief Executive of Foresters UK, joining the business in 2022. She has an extensive background in retail insurance and banking, with a focus on working with member-owned businesses that share her values and desire to build financial resilience for everyday families...
Burçin Arkut
Chief Actuary, United Kingdom
Burçin joined Foresters in 2019 and was appointed as the UK Chief Actuary in 2021. He has over 20 years of life insurance experience across Europe and the UK...
Andrew Frame
Chief Finance Officer & Executive Director, United Kingdom
Andrew joined Foresters in 2022. He has over 20 years of experience in a variety of financial leadership roles and professional services...
Mick Franklin
Chief Distribution Officer, United Kingdom
Mick joined Foresters Financial in 2001. He has over 30 years of experience within the Financial Services advice and distribution sector...
Sarah Folland
Chief Digital & Information Officer, United Kingdom
Sarah joined Foresters Financial in 2012 and has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. She started her career at Lloyds TSB in a customer facing environment before moving to iPipeline, as a Business Analyst, to develop her passion for projects...
Elizabeth Johnston
Chief Risk Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, United Kingdom
Elizabeth joined Foresters in 2015. She has over 20 years of experience across a broad range of industry segments; latterly specialising in financial services...
Liz Michel
Chief Customer Officer, United Kingdom
Liz joined Foresters in February 2023. She brings over 20 years of experience in a variety of customer and marketing roles...
Philip Vickers
Chief People Officer, United Kingdom
Phil joined Foresters in April 2025, having spent the previous 18 years in the Retail sector. During this time...
Emmy Labovitch
Independent Chair & Non-Executive Director, United Kingdom
Emmy has held a variety of international roles in investment management and was a member of the executive committees of Fortis Investments and UBP Asset Management. Until 2018, she was a Senior Policy Adviser at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)...
Alastair Clarkson
Independent Non-Executive Director & Chair of the Audit & Compliance Committee, United Kingdom
Alastair Clarkson has been a director of Forester Life Limited since December 2021. He is a qualified actuary and Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary with over 30 years’ experience in the life insurance industry with...
Andrew Frame
Chief Finance Officer & Executive Director, United Kingdom
Andrew joined Foresters in 2022. He has over 20 years of experience in a variety of financial leadership roles and professional services...
Nici Audhlam-Gardiner
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, United Kingdom
Nici is the Chief Executive of Foresters UK, joining the business in 2022. She has an extensive background in retail insurance and banking, with a focus on working with member-owned businesses that share her values and desire to build financial resilience for everyday families...
Jon Taylor
Independent Non-Executive Director & Chair of the Risk & Investment Committee, United Kingdom
Jon joined the Board of Forester Life Limited in December 2021, taking the additional role of Chair of the Risk and Investment Committee in 2024.
Jon is also the Independent Chair of the Board of atomos Financial Planning Limited...
Steven Wichary
Independent Non-Executive Director, United Kingdom
Steven joined the board of Forester Life Limited in October 2024.
Steven is an experienced business leader who comes to Foresters with a rounded knowledge of sales, marketing and customer service, following a successful career in consumer goods sector spanning more than 30 years.
René Zanin
Global Chief Legal, Administrative, and Membership Officer
René oversees legal, human resources, special investigations, and consumer complaint services enterprise-wide including, all aspects of insurance law, litigation management, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate commercial and employment law.
412580 CAN/US/UK (03/24)