Raymond McFeetors

Chairman - Great West Life Co.

A fresh-faced Raymond McFeetors, who holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Winnipeg, first entered the doors of Great-West Life as a junior trainee in 1968. It was a smart career move. The married father of four and homegrown Manitoban earned his chartered financial analyst designation in 1978 and managed to work his way up to senior vice-president and chief investment officer by 1991, making the leap to president and chief executive officer just a year later. McFeetors became co-president and CEO (with William McCallum) of the parent corporation in 2000, and went solo in the top spot last year after McCallum's retirement. In the past year, Great-West Lifeco has bought two annuity blocks in the U.K. with almost $15 billion worth of assets, greatly increasing its European presence.