Grant Ostir, the Chief Executive Officer of Western Financial Group, leads the company with a deep commitment to purpose-driven leadership and customer-centric innovation. With nearly three decades of experience in the insurance industry, Grant has held key leadership roles, including President & CEO of Western Life and President of Western Financial Group Insurance Solutions.
A Three-Decade Association
Grant has been with Western Financial Group for close to 30 years. He started on the frontlines and worked through a variety of roles across the business, which gave him a clear view of how everything connects, from its people to its customers.
Before stepping into the CEO role, he served as Chief Growth Officer, spearheading strategic initiatives that fueled business expansion and market impact.
Since assuming leadership in January 2025, Grant has unveiled a bold growth strategy aimed at doubling Western’s customer base over the next five years. His approach prioritizes service excellence, customer convenience, and operational innovation, ensuring Western remains at the forefront of the evolving insurance landscape. Under his leadership, the company is shifting towards journey-based teams, aligning operations with how customers prefer to interact—whether digitally, in-branch, or through specialized outbound services.
Earlier in his career, Grant was very focused on execution. Delivering results, meeting targets, and driving progress were always top of mind. Over time, he has learned that how you get there matters just as much as what you achieve. His leadership style now centers around clarity, communication, and trust. I focus on giving people direction and support, then stepping back so they have the space to lead. Creating room for others to grow has become one of the most important parts of how I lead today.
Grant’s leadership philosophy is rooted in clear communication, trust, and empowering teams to excel. His vision for Western Financial Group is not just about growth but about creating a more responsive, customer-focused organization that adapts to industry challenges while maintaining the personal touch that has defined Western for over a century. Recognized for his transformative leadership, Grant was named to Constellation Research’s 2025 AX100, an elite list of executives driving disruptive customer experience initiatives worldwide.
Driving Growth and Innovation
Western serves over a million Canadians with personal, commercial, and specialty insurance. As a leading insurance provider in Canada, it offers a wide range of insurance solutions. With over 100 years of experience, the company is committed to providing expert advice and tailored coverage to meet the unique needs of individuals, families, and businesses.
Western’s services include:
- Personal Insurance
- Home Insurance – Coverage for homeowners, renters, condos, seasonal properties, and mobile homes.
- Auto Insurance – Protection for cars, motorcycles, RVs, boats, and ATVs.
- Life Insurance – Policies designed to secure financial stability for families.
- Financial Services – Includes RRSPs, RESPs, TFSAs, and GICs to help customers plan for their future.
- Business Insurance
- General Liability Insurance – Protection for businesses against legal claims.
- Commercial Property Insurance – Coverage for rental properties, farms, and independent retail businesses.
- Employee Benefits – Insurance solutions for businesses to support their workforce.
- Digital Services: Western Financial Group offers MyWestern, a self-service portal that allows customers to:
- View policies and invoices.
- Submit auto claims online.
- Download e-Pink Slips for proof of insurance.
- Access roadside assistance services.
To achieve the bold growth strategy Grant has set, the company is focused on making insurance more convenient. That means removing friction at every touchpoint. Whether someone is visiting a branch, calling Western’s team, or managing their policy online, the experience should be simple, fast, and intuitive.
Data-Driven Leadership with a People-Centric Approach
Grant Ostir’s leadership philosophy is rooted in data-driven decision-making and people-first strategies. He believes that staying close to both market insights and frontline teams provides the best perspective on what’s working and what needs improvement. Every decision must align with Western Financial Group’s larger strategy, ensuring growth, efficiency, and customer convenience remain top priorities.
At the core of his leadership style is clarity, consistency, and empathy. Grant emphasizes the importance of communicating a clear vision, ensuring employees understand their role in the company’s success. He leads by example, fostering a culture where high expectations are balanced with strong support and accountability. His approach ensures that Western Financial Group remains agile, customer-focused, and positioned for long-term success.
Transformative Growth Strategy
In January 2025, Grant set a clear and ambitious goal to double Western’s customer base within five years. Everything the team is currently doing supports that vision. Western’s strategy is built on three main pillars:
- Convenience: making insurance faster, easier, and more intuitive for customers
- Operational discipline: streamlining how we work and removing unnecessary complexity
- Scalable growth: expanding in a way that strengthens our brand and creates long-term value
“At the center of it all is a shift to a truly customer-centric model. We’re designing our business around how customers want to engage with us, not how we’ve traditionally operated. Whether someone wants to connect in person, online, or by phone, our job is to meet them where they are and make the experience seamless,” says Grant.
Scaling Personal Service Through Innovation and Tradition
Western Financial Group stands out in the Canadian insurance industry by combining personalized service with scalable efficiency. A key initiative driving this transformation is the shift from traditional departmental structures to customer journey-based teams. By organizing work around critical customer experiences, such as policy purchases, coverage updates, and claims assistance, the company has streamlined operations, reduced complexity, and enhanced responsiveness.
Balancing tradition with innovation, Western remains deeply connected to its guiding principles and community roots while modernizing every aspect of its business. The company’s approach to innovation is not about moving away from tradition, but rather building on it to deliver faster, more convenient, and highly relevant services. This strategy ensures that Western Financial Group continues to evolve while maintaining the trust and reliability that have defined its legacy.
Community Commitment and Customer-Centric Innovation
Western Financial Group remains deeply rooted in its community-first philosophy, supporting grassroots initiatives through the Western Communities Foundation. This commitment extends beyond philanthropy—it shapes how the company interacts with customers. By leveraging real-time feedback and service metrics, Western ensures continuous improvement, striving to be better tomorrow than today.
Navigating the evolving insurance landscape, Western recognizes the challenge of balancing digital convenience with human connection. Customers demand quick answers, seamless access, and reliable digital solutions, yet still value personalized service when it matters most. The companies that thrive will be those that master both—delivering efficiency without sacrificing the trust and care that define exceptional customer experiences. Western Financial Group is committed to leading this transformation, ensuring its services remain responsive, relevant, and deeply customer-focused.
Customer-centricity, believes Grant, starts with how we structure the business. We build around the customer, not around internal departments. That means organizing teams around key moments in the customer journey and designing processes that support what customers actually need. We also listen constantly, take feedback seriously, and make it easy for customers to reach us on their terms. Customer focus isn’t a buzzword here. It’s part of our day-to-day.
Technology and Trust
At Western Financial Group, technology is more than just a tool—it’s a driver of transformation. The company leverages digital advancements to streamline services, reduce turnaround times, and enhance personalization, ensuring that insurance feels simpler and more accessible for customers. The focus remains on technology that delivers real value, making interactions more convenient while maintaining the human touch.
Equally critical is cybersecurity, a cornerstone of Western’s commitment to customer trust and data protection. The company has invested in robust security systems, regular audits, and ongoing employee training to stay ahead of emerging threats. Western understands that cybersecurity isn’t just about defense—it’s about ensuring customers feel confident that their information is safeguarded. By combining cutting-edge technology with a steadfast commitment to security, Western Financial Group is shaping the future of insurance with innovation, reliability, and customer-first solutions.
Personalization, Simplicity, and Seamless Integration
The Canadian insurance industry is undergoing a major transformation, driven by personalization, real-time service, and seamless integration into everyday life. Grant observes that customers increasingly expect coverage that adapts to their routines, requiring minimal effort to manage. He feels the future belongs to companies that prioritize flexibility and convenience, ensuring insurance is not just a necessity but an effortless part of daily life.
A key trend shaping the market is the demand for simplicity. Customers want instant access to quotes, policy changes, and support without unnecessary complexity. At the same time, digital security, data privacy, and regulatory compliance are becoming more critical than ever. The industry is also shifting toward more flexible, personalized coverage options, an area where Western Financial Group is making significant investments to stay ahead of evolving customer expectations. By embracing innovation and customer-centric strategies, Western is positioning itself at the forefront of this transformation.
“Our goal is clear. We want to double our customer base in five years. But it’s not just about numbers. It’s about doing it the right way by building a company that’s easy to work with, trusted in every interaction, and known for delivering value. For me personally, I want to lead with purpose and leave behind a culture of performance, service, and continuous improvement,” concludes Grant.
