Hugh has an honours degree in actuarial mathematics from the University of Western Ontario. He qualified as a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries in 1970. During 31 years with a major global insurance company, he held a variety of senior management positions including head of underwriting and risk management, chief financial officer, chief actuary, and business unit head.
Hugh entered the insurance industry in 1968 and began working in the field of property casualty insurance. His actuarial responsibilities covered all aspects of traditional actuarial work.
He has developed particular expertise in the fields of underwriting policy development, risk management and performance management for insurers, capital allocation, and mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and restructuring. He joined Eckler Ltd. in 1999 and became a Principal in the firm in 2000.
Hugh has also been active in the committee work of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and as a vice president, secretary-treasurer and member of the Board. He has been previously involved in the Financial Reporting Committee, the Property Casualty Committee, the Committee on Review, the Committee on Emerging Issues, the Editorial Committee and the Committee on the Appointed Actuary, as well as the Crawford Task Force, the Practice Standards Council, and the Public Policy Committee.