Colum Ward is an experienced Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ post-qualification experience in senior finance, strategy and operations roles within the regulated financial services sector. He is currently Head of Strategy and Business Performance for Canada Life Group in Europe, where he leads cross-segment strategic initiatives and oversees governance and regulatory programmes, including sustainability and corporate reporting developments under CSRD.
From 2010 to 2022, Colum held executive responsibility for finance and operations at Canada Life Reinsurance in Dublin, serving as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations. In that capacity, he led major transformation initiatives encompassing corporate restructurings, the establishment of actuarial operations, and the implementation of new systems and performance frameworks to support business growth. He is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Canada Life International Reinsurance Company Limited (Bermuda) and has over a decade of regulated board experience. Earlier in his career, he held senior finance roles with The Imagine Insurance Group and trained with KPMG.
A graduate of DCU, Colum holds BA in Accounting and Finance as well as an MBS in Accounting. His professional experience is complemented by formal governance qualifications, including a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors, and a Diploma in Sustainability Reporting from Chartered Accountants Ireland. He has also contributed to the not-for-profit sector as a Director and Treasurer