Manitoba Public Insurance appoints new interim president

Manitoba’s Crown-owned auto insurance provider has appointed a new interim president and CEO.

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) announced Marnie Kacher would replace Eric Herbelin at the helm “effective immediately.”

Kacher was most recently vice-president and COO of MPI.

“In this role, she has had broad oversight of MPI’s Operations division, including all four of its lines of business,” Ward Keith, chair of MPI’s board of directors, said in a statement. “She is well respected by staff and stakeholders, and brings a welcome perspective on how MPI can continue to deliver value for the benefit of all Manitobans.”

MPI says the board of directors will begin recruiting a permanent president and CEO.

The move was welcomed by Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen, the minister responsible for MPI.

“MPI is an important Crown corporation and I want to thank Marnie Kacher for taking on this new leadership role as it transitions from the former president and CEO,” said Goertzen.

“With more than a decade of experience as a senior leader at MPI, most recently serving as vice-president of operations and chief operating officer, she is well suited to provide leadership to the corporation at this important time.”

WATCH: Manitoba Public Insurance goes under the microscope

Last month the Manitoba government ordered an external organizational review of MPI after a sharp jump in the cost of technology upgrades and a steep rise in projected staffing levels.

Goertzen said the review was also prompted by other factors including untendered contracts.

The highest-profile trouble at MPI has been an overhaul of its core information technology systems, called Project Nova. The projected cost has nearly tripled in three years from its original $106-million price tag.

—With files from The Canadian Press