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Serenia Life Financial
Serenia Life Financial traces its roots back nearly 100 years as a Canadian fraternal benefit society. Led by President and CEO Glenn Hymers, the...
Serenia Life Financial
Serenia Life Financial traces its roots back nearly 100 years as a Canadian fraternal benefit society. Led by President and CEO Glenn Hymers, the Waterloo-headquartered firm sells life insurance and investment products to members in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, and British Columbia. Board Chair R. Paul Hogan, a former PwC partner, oversees a governance group that includes former executives from TD Wealth and Franklin Templeton Canada. The firm deploys capital across two primary silos: a general-account portfolio anchored by direct mortgage loans on Canadian real estate, and policyholder-directed investment solutions such as Guaranteed Interest Accounts (GIAs) that paid 3.85% on 5-year terms as of the firm’s most recent quoted rates. Retail distribution runs through a network of district managers and advisors with no disclosed institutional LP base. The firm does not operate separate private-equity or venture-capital vehicles. Total assets and deployment figures are not publicly disclosed. In addition to its Waterloo head office, Serenia Life maintains a chapter presence through the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce, and it participates in the Canadian Fraternal Association. The firm’s Charitable Impact Program provides a structured giving channel for members. Michele Hengen, a former chief risk officer at a national insurance group, is expected to join the board in 2026. The firm’s structural differentiator is its fraternal ownership model — policyholders are members, not just customers, and a portion of operating surplus funds member benefits such as fundraiser seed money, volunteer reimbursements, and scholarships. This mutual architecture places Serenia Life outside the standard shareholder-return mandate that governs most Canadian insurers.
General information
Firm type
Insurance
Year founded
1972
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
City
Waterloo
Corporate office
470 Weber Street N, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Principals
Glenn Hymers
President and Chief Executive Officer
R. Paul Hogan
Chair of the Board of Directors
K. Alan Uffelmann
Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Lee Bennett
Board Director
Duane Zappitelli
Board Director
Michele Hengen
Board Director (joining 2026)
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Serenia Life Financial?
Investment oversight ultimately rolls up to the CEO, Glenn Hymers, and the CFO, K. Alan Uffelmann, with board-level governance provided by directors including former Franklin Templeton Canada CEO Duane Zappitelli and incoming director Michele Hengen. The firm has not publicly identified a standalone chief investment officer or disclosed an investment committee structure.
How does Serenia Life Financial source its deal flow?
Serenia Life originates mortgage loans directly on Canadian real estate, functioning as a direct lender rather than a fund allocator. The firm does not participate in third-party private-market co-investments or fund commitments based on its publicly available materials.
Is Serenia Life Financial structured as a family office or an insurance company?
It operates as a fraternal life insurance company — a member-owned insurer, not a single-family office. Policyholders are members, and a portion of surplus funds member benefits such as scholarships and volunteer grants.
Does Serenia Life Financial manage third-party capital or institutional allocations?
No. The firm’s investment portfolio supports its general-account insurance liabilities and is not offered as a discretionary fund for external institutional investors. Its retail investment products — GIAs and life insurance policies — are sold to individual Canadian members.
Which sectors or geographies does Serenia Life Financial explicitly avoid?
The firm’s lending is confined to Canadian real estate. It does not operate in the United States or any other international market, nor does it publicly pursue private equity, venture capital, or hedge-fund allocations. Digital wills and insurance are its only disclosed non-lending services.
Where does the underlying member capital come from?
Capital is sourced entirely from whole-life insurance premiums and investment-product sales to Canadian-resident members. There is no disclosed source of wealth tied to a single family or external endowment; the member-owned structure means capital is collectively owned.
Does Serenia Life Financial maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
Yes, the firm operates a Charitable Impact Program that provides grants and supports member-led fundraising. Philanthropic capital is segregated from policyholder liabilities through the program’s own governance, though the firm does not disclose a separate foundation entity with its own board.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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