Profile
At the helm of Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC) since 2017, Catherine Gaulton has built a leadership model rooted in shared accountability and system-wide impact. With a background spanning nursing, corporate law, and healthcare governance, she brings depth and perspective to Canada’s healthcare insurance sector, earning her recognition as one of Insurance Business Canada’s Elite Women for 2026.
Gaulton joined HIROC as CEO and attorney-in-fact after serving as vice president of quality and system performance and chief legal officer at the Nova Scotia Health Authority. There, she led patient safety, accreditation, infection prevention and control, clinical risk, legal, privacy, strategic planning, enterprise risk, and emergency preparedness programs.
A registered nurse and practising lawyer in Ontario and Nova Scotia, with earlier legal practice in British Columbia, she carries a system-level understanding of healthcare liability, governance, and safety. She also serves on several boards, including Pallium Canada and Healthcare Collaborative Benefits, and chairs the HIROC Foundation.
Gaulton has described herself as always keen to learn, allowing curiosity to guide her decisions. Each move has been weighed against two questions: would it allow her to make a difference, and would she be learning something new?
One of her most significant professional milestones was the transition from nursing into corporate and business law. Nursing had been encouraged early on as a suitable path for a caring and academically strong “girl”. She valued the experience and what it taught her about service and responsibility.
Moving into law required ambition and energy that were not always received in the same way from colleagues. Gaulton views that leap and the contribution of both careers to her progression as a major achievement. Just as important, she measures success by never leaving a role on negative terms and ensuring that each transition carries meaning and contributes more.
4711 Yonge St, North York, ON M2N 7E4
416 733 2773
communications@hiroc.com
linkedin.com/in/catherine-gaulton-8baa93150
hiroc.com
Catherine Gaulton
Chief Executive Officer
Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC)
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Bio
Milestones
Profile
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Bio
Milestones
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Bio
Milestones
2002–2010
2005–2015
2014–2015
2015–2017
Present
2002–2005: Senior Solicitor at Nova Scotia Department of Justice
2010: Awarded the Progress Club Women of Excellence Award
2002–2010
Vice President, Performance Excellence and General Counsel at Capital District Health Authority
2005–2015
Co-Lead for Quality, Patient Safety, Risk, Performance, and Accountability in the Transition Project for the Nova Scotia District Health Authority
2014–2015
Vice President, Quality and System Performance and Chief Legal Officer at Nova Scotia Health Authority
2015–2017
CEO at HIROC since 2017
Present
Milestones
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
As a founding member of WOW! (Women. Opportunity. Winning.), an employee resource group created for all women of Ryan Specialty, Phillips Topping has long championed for women in the industry.
“It’s very important to set an example and to not only inspire but mentor other females,” she adds.
In addition to her sharp marketing eye, the key to Phillips Topping’s success lies in her high-energy approach and positive attitude.
“As the leader of a team, it’s important to motivate and encourage your team members. People work very hard and do their best and it’s important to recognize these efforts. For my career overall, my attitude has been one of curiosity. The more you can learn, the better you’ll understand the business, and then the deeper your knowledge will become, making you a better team member.”
Chief underwriting officer of executive risk at Chubb
President of financial insurance solutions at Kemper
Chief underwriting officer at Axis Capital
CEO of global Insurance at Endurance
CEO of global Insurance at Sompo International
As CEO, her central challenge is shaping collective leadership. She asks how the shared leadership efforts at HIROC can contribute more than the sum of individual efforts, particularly when those she leads are high performers in their own right. It is, she acknowledges, a good problem to have.
“I am inspired every day by my female peers,” Gaulton says. “My optimistic and determined approach to life, truly a sense that most things are possible, along with my curiosity, interest in learning, and focus on relationships and building on the strength of what we collectively bring to an issue, may be what sets me apart.”
Working in a sector where assumptions about credibility persist, she has encountered moments when ambition and drive were not always welcomed. When faced with those assumptions, she invested in her expertise and focused on results. She also challenges the narrow image of what leadership in insurance looks like. Women balancing family and career, she argues, bring a skill set the industry would benefit from recognizing more fully.
Being named an Elite Woman carries responsibility. “Women frequently feed back to me that seeing me in leadership gives them hope that they can also do this,” she says. “With this in mind, I take my role as an example for others very seriously.”
The legacy Gaulton hopes to leave is measured in balance and contribution. She wants to be known for devotion to family and friends, commitment to colleagues and their success, and the quality of service delivered to clients.
“Women frequently feed back to me that seeing me in leadership gives them hope that they can also do this”
Catherine Gaulton,
Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC)
“I am inspired every day by my female peers”
Catherine Gaulton,
Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC)
“I’ve always believed that if you love what you do, you’ll never settle, and that attitude has guided every decision I’ve made”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“My strongest professional quality is my ability to build trust and long-term relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“My strongest professional quality is my ability to build trust and long-term relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“I’ve always believed that if you love what you do, you’ll never settle, and that attitude has guided every decision I’ve made”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
