St. Francis Xavier University and Lisa Raitt, chair of the Board of Governors, announced Mike Brien as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors.
Mike Brien , a member of the STFX class of 1975, is a business leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist whose career has spanned banking, insurance, consulting, and corporate leadership.
Mike Brien (St. FX University photo)
Brien started his career in banking and rose to District Manager of Atlantic Canada and Ontario, before becoming Vice President Operations (and later COO) of a regional trust company. He later entered the insurance industry; eventually purchasing Confederation Life Insurance. After a major restructuring, the insurance brokerage operation was the major asset remaining which grew substantially and was sold to a public company consolidator. In 2000, Brien and ING Insurance formed a partnership and the company became a multi award-winning brokerage and one of the largest in Atlantic Canada. Brien retired in 2014. In 2025, he was inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame
