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, 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...
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. The former president of IBM Canada, he has worked in the technology industry for more than 35 years, with 15 years of global leadership...
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. He brings a strong understanding of and affinity for Foresters purpose, honed over his years as a volunteer and leader within the member network system...
Katherine A. (Kathy) Bardswick
Human Capital and Governance Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Kathy brings extensive board experience and, as the former CEO of a purpose-driven organization, wide-ranging knowledge of profit and loss, operations, distribution, information technology, and marketing. With a career spanning nearly four decades with The Cooperators Group Ltd., Kathy stepped down as its President and CEO in 2016...
Sonia A. Baxendale
Human Capital and Governance Committee, Audit and Compliance Committee
Sonia Baxendale was appointed President and CEO of the Global Risk Institute (GRI) in January 2019, the premier organization defining thought leadership in risk management for the financial industry globally. From July 2017 to January 2018, Sonia served as Co-Interim President and CEO of Foresters Financial™...
Michael C. (Mike) Edge
Fraternal Committee, Human Capital and Governance 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. As Foresters longest-serving Regional President, he has been an integral member of the Fraternal Consultation Group...
Shelly A Herman
Fraternal Committee, Audit and Compliance Committee
Shelly is an Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) Secretary with Columbia Public Schools, where she has held various positions for the past 23 years. With Foresters, her extensive volunteer experience spans over 46 years and received the Foresters Leadership Award....
Mike Lombardi
Human Capital and Governance 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 Madon
Audit and Compliance Committee, Fraternal Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Janice Madon brings extensive global experience in financial services, including insurance, banking, wealth and asset management. She is a Senior Advisor to Brookfield Asset Management and sits on the Board of Appleby College....
Gino Scapillati
Audit and Compliance Committee, Human Capital and Governance Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Gino Scapillati holds extensive global and Canadian national experience in governance, strategy and finance. An innovative thought leader on technology enablement and its role in business strategy and talent optimization, he has advised some of Canada’s top executives and corporate directors....
Michael (Mike) P. Stramaglia
Risk and Investment, Audit and Compliance Committee
Mike is a professional corporate director and President and founder of Matrisc Advisory Group Inc., a risk management consulting company. He served as Co- Interim President and CEO of Foresters Financial™ from July 2017 to January 2018....
Wendy A. Watson
Audit and Compliance Committee, Human Capital and Governance Committee
Wendy has over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, retiring in 2009 from State Street as Executive Vice President, Global Services where she led the company’s initiative to advance all aspects of cost leadership worldwide...
Linda A. Davis Watters
Human Capital and Governance Committee, Fraternal Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Linda brings extensive state, national and international regulatory leadership experience to her role....
Robert W. (Rob) Wight
Audit and Compliance Committee, Fraternal Committee
Rob was a Maintenance Mechanic with O-I Canada for 38 years, before retiring in 2006. His extensive volunteer experience with Foresters includes positions at both the Branch and Regional levels. He served as Regional President for 11 years in Canada. In 2013, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award...
Cynthia (Cindy) L. Worley
Fraternal Committee, Risk and Investment Committee
Cindy currently supports students working towards their Masters and Bachelors degrees as well as certificate programs at Central Michigan University; particularly focused on active duty military, their families, and veterans....
Board committees
Four standing Committees support our Board of Directors in its stewardship of Foresters Financial. From time to time, ad hoc or temporary committees are formed such as the Nominating Committee and the Constitution Committee, which are constituted in advance of each International Assembly, or are a committee to manage a special project, or acquisition. The Board can form other committees on a standing or ad hoc basis as necessary in order to fulfill its stewardship responsibilities.
The composition for each of the Board committees are as follows:
Audit and Compliance Committee
Janice M. Madon, Chair
Sonia A. Baxendale
Shelly A. Herman
Gino A. Scapillati
Michael P. Stramaglia
Wendy A. Watson
Robert W. Wight
Human Capital and Governance Committee
Linda A. Davis Watters, Chair
Katherine A. Bardswick
Sonia A. Baxendale
Michael C. Edge
Michael Lombardi
Gino A. Scapillati
Wendy A. Watson
Fraternal Committee
Richard P. Hennick, Chair
Linda A. Davis Watters
Shelly A. Herman
Michael C. Edge
Janice M. Madon
Robert W. Wight
Cynthia L. Worley
Risk and Investment Committee
Katherine A. Bardswick, Chair
Linda A. Davis Watters
Janice M. Madon
Michael Lombardi
Gino A. Scapillati
Michael P. Stramaglia
Cynthia L. Worley
412580 CAN/US/UK (03/24)