SSQ General Insurance Co. has appointed Gilles Mourette as its new chief executive officer.

Mourette brings a total of 25 years of experience in the insurance and financial services sector to this position. Since 1999, he has been senior vp of information technology at SSQ, Life Insurance Co.

Mourette is a graduate of the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Paris and also completed the Gouvernance de sociétés au Collège des administrateurs de sociétés program at Laval University. He sits on the board of directors of the Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal (CRIM) and the steering committee of the Institut de la sécurité de l’information du Québec.

Mourette will take over from current CEO Marie-Josée Blanchette, who has held the position since 1998. Blanchette has also accepted a new mandate with SSQ Financial Group, having been appointed senior vp of investments. This new position has been created to meet a significant increase in the functions and requirements related to the management of SSQ assets.

Quebec City-based SSQ Financial Group offers life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, annuity and investment products, as well as realty management services to over one million clients. The group has $2 billion in annual revenue and more than $4 billion in assets under management, and provides jobs to over 1,400 employees.