Insurance industry veteran Jeff Burke has been appointed president and CEO of High River, Alta.-based Western Financial Group, the company announced on Thursday.

Burke, who has served as president and CEO of Western Financial Group’s network of insurance brokerages since 2012, takes over as president effective Sept. 1. He will assume CEO responsibilities on Jan. 1, 2014.

Burke takes over from Scott Tannas, the company’s founder and CEO. This is the first leadership change in Western’s 17-year history.

“Jeff has done an exceptional job leading the network and has clearly demonstrated his ability to implement winning market growth strategies,” said Jim Dinning, chairman of Western Financial Group. “Jeff’s knowledge of Western combined with his national and international experience makes him the ideal candidate to assume leadership of Western. We’re delighted to have such a highly qualified candidate, cultivated from within, leading Western in this next era of growth.”

Burke has more than 15 years of executive leadership experience in both Canada and the United States. Before joining Western, he served as senior vice president at Allstate Canada Group leading the organization’s sales and marketing efforts. He has a B.A. from Bethany College, Kansas, and an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.

In addition to continuing to oversee Western’s network of insurance brokerages – which includes more than 160 branches and affiliates – Burke will lead all of Western’s core business units. These include Western Financial Group Insurance Solutions, Western Financial Insurance Company (Petsecure) and Western Life Assurance.

“Jeff has the vision and skills we need to increase our footprint in key markets,” said Tannas. “He has naturally embraced Western’s brand, which is built on our guiding principles of truthfulness, fairness, value and loyalty, and, during the last year, has demonstrated his ability to enhance the customer experience while increasing market share and profitability. I’m excited to work side-by-side with Jeff during the next phase of Western’s development.”

Tannas will remain as CEO and work collaboratively with Burke during the transition period. Tannas will assume the new role of vice chairman on Jan. 1, 2014, while concurrently serving as a Canadian Senator. In his new role, Tannas will focus on governance, community relations, employee relations and provide counsel on acquisitions.

“We thank Scott for all his achievements at the helm of Western and we look forward to his continued leadership and vision in his new role as Vice Chairman and Founder,” said Monique Leroux, chairwoman of the board and president and CEO of Desjardins Group, which acquired Western Financial Group in 2011.

“I want to thank the Board and Scott for this exciting opportunity,” said Burke. “I look forward to working with Scott and our leadership team as Western returns to its roots and focus on growing its insurance sales through our retail network.”