Derek Houle

Derek Houle serves as Appointed Actuary at Manulife Financial Corporation, a statutory role for federally regulated Canadian insurers that requires providing an opinion on the adequacy of the company's policy liabilities and reporting to the board. He holds this position temporarily until Chief Actuary Sinéad O'Connor completes her Canadian FCIA accreditation, effective October 12, 2026.

Houle holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and is a Fellow of both the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. At various points in his career, he has served as Chief Actuary for Manulife's Canadian Division, Chief Financial Officer for the Individual Insurance organization, and head of the Individual Insurance Pricing team.

Career history

• Head of Canadian Legacy and Inforce Management at Manulife — mandated to optimize financial performance of older Insurance and Annuity business blocks
• Corporate Development at Manulife — led several sell-side initiatives related to North American Legacy business and was heavily involved in the Canadian purchase and integration of the Standard Life business
• Chief Actuary of Manulife's Canadian Division — managed actuarial operations for the Canadian division
• Chief Financial Officer, Individual Insurance, Canada — directed financial operations for the individual insurance segment
• KPMG Chicago — involved in audits and M&A work for large multinational insurers

What Derek Houle could bring to his role as Appointed Actuary: Houle brings deep expertise in actuarial management, legacy business optimization, and capital management from over two decades at Manulife. His prior experience as Chief Actuary of the Canadian Division and his background in M&A and institutional integration position him to effectively oversee policy liabilities and provide rigorous board-level actuarial opinion during this transition period. His familiarity with Manulife's Canadian operations and his fellowship credentials make him well-suited to fulfill this critical statutory responsibility.