Group Medical Services

Foundations for healthy living

We’ve been taking care of Canadian families since 1949 – before publicly funded Medicare was available in the province. When access to basic healthcare became available to everyone through Medicare, we stepped in to bridge the gap between publicly funded healthcare and the needs of its customers.

We introduced health insurance coverage for health care related costs not paid for by government, such as prescription drugs, ambulance services and private duty nursing. These core benefits are still the building blocks of the plans offered today.

Our goal is to offer Canadians choices and real value in health and travel insurance.

We focus on wellness first

Healthy and happy people create thriving communities, which is why we at GMS aim to put wellness first. All of our individual and group health benefits plans provide individuals with the access to care that ensures they are living their lives to the fullest and have coverage for care when they need it.

Our Mission

Empower Canadians to make positive healthy decisions through our wellness network, responsive products and personalized experiences.

Our Vision

Communities and individuals connected by a desire to continuously improve health and wellness.

Our Values

Caring: We care about our customers. We take the time to listen and understand what matters most.
Innovative: We’re innovative in smart ways. GMS employs a customer- responsive team that balances personal touch and advanced industry technology.
Easy: We’re easy to deal with. Simple. Upfront with our customers.
Positive: We’re positive. We look at problems as opportunities. Because we’re positive, we believe in and help our customers achieve their dreams of living well.
Real: We’re real. Down to earth, approachable and friendly.
Fair: We’re fair with our approach in everything we do.

Giving back to our communities

Throughout our 70-year history, GMS has made it a priority to give back. We’re in the business of helping people live well, so you might say it’s in our DNA to support health care and promote living well in the communities where we live and work.

Recent donations

Since 2014, we’ve contributed to the following programs and organizations through dedicated volunteer hours and financial donations.

Matching $1 million donation for Trauma Care – in 2017, we committed to match up to $1 million in donations to the Hospitals of Regina Foundation for the GMS Trauma Care Fund. Our commitment has helped generate a further $2 million in donations to provide more than $3 million to upgrade critical equipment for trauma care teams in Regina hospitals.
$500,000 for Cardiac Care – in 2014, our donation to the HRF introduced a state-of-the-art digital electrocardiogram testing, file management and storage system at the GMS Cardiac Rhythm Device Clinic at Regina’s General Hospital, and allowed for facility improvements to enhance patient comfort.
Presenting sponsor of the HRF Four Seasons Gala in support of Pediatric Services – since 2017, we have been proud presenting sponsor of this major fundraising event to support pediatric services in Regina hospitals.
Proud STARS ally – our involvement started with purchasing fuel for a life-saving STARS flight in 2016. Since 2017, we’ve been honoured to be presenting sponsor of the annual Night with STARS Gala fundraising event, and have members of our executive leadership team participating in the annual STARS Rescue on the Prairie fundraising competitions in both 2017 and 2018.
The Alzheimer’s Society and Diabetes Canada are just two of the organizations we have also assisted in recent years in their work to provide awareness, support and education to patients as they work to find cures and prevent these diseases.

Promoting wellness

We’ve been title sponsor of the GMS Queen City Marathon since 2017. This wellness-focused annual event promotes ‘a race for every pace’, engaging the Regina community and visitors from across North America with three days of races for all ages and abilities. We also support and encourage our staff to get involved in the GMS QCM. In 2018, more than one-third of staff walked or ran in at least one event and even more staff and family members volunteered, so that well over 60 ‘GMSers’ actively helped make the GMS QCM a success.

Employee volunteerism

GMS employees embrace volunteer opportunities to give back as part of our corporate charitable giving, including volunteering for the Night with STARS Gala and the HRF Four Seasons Ball. They also eagerly volunteer for fundraising activities that provide an opportunity to be active and have fun, including the Heart and Stroke Big Bike and the YMCA’s Endless Cycle, which helps vulnerable children in the community access YMCA programs and services.

Our employees also make use of the opportunity to give back provided through our Employee Volunteer Policy. Staff can use one paid work day annually to take part in blood donor clinics, volunteer with organizations from the Food Bank to Diabetes Canada, along with other health and wellness-related charities of their choice.

Meet our Executive Team

Mark MacLeod

Mark is the President and Chief Executive Officer of GMS and GMS Insurance Inc., responsible for the overall leadership and direction of the companies’ operations.

A dynamic leader specializing in transformation and growth, Mark has significant previous experience as CEO of four companies in diverse industries. He also has a strong background in technology and a proven track record of strategic thinking and accountability.

Before joining GMS, Mark most recently served as President and CEO of ISM Canada
(a subsidiary of IBM Canada). He led ISM’s transformation into a provider of technology-based solutions that address complex business problems through a unique combination of local presence and global collaborations.

Mark is a graduate of the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Science majoring in computer science. He began his career by founding a Saskatchewan-based technology company and within a decade, managed its successful sale and integration with a larger competitor. Since then, Mark has earned a reputation for helping a wide range of businesses transform and thrive.

In addition to lending his business acumen to business startups and community-based organizations and infrastructure projects, Mark’s interests include sports, music and reading. He has supported local arts communities as a volunteer for the Saskatoon Fringe Festival, numerous Do It With Class productions and as a musician for the Lyric Singers.

Balvinder Gill

Bal is GMS' Vice President & Chief Customer Officer, reporting to the President and CEO. She is responsible for GMS’ product, sales, marketing & communications, operational support & service design and travel teams.

Before her appointment to the executive leadership team, Bal was Director of Human Resources for GMS. She brings over 25 years of senior expertise to her Vice President's role, including 18 years with Lloyd’s TSB Group, a United Kingdom bank with international operations, and three years with Viterra, the international Agribusiness company. During her time with these organizations, Bal oversaw major business transformation and change management initiatives to support business acquisitions and integrate operations. She also honed her expertise in talent and performance management, employee engagement and strategic HR planning.

Bal is a graduate of the University of London, with a B.A. in Economics and Social Policy, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She is also a past board member with the Regina Food Bank.

John D. Lee

John is Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for GMS, responsible for Human Resources, Customer Care, Claims, Community Engagement and Partnerships. He brings substantial expertise in transformational change and a reputation for developing robust workplace cultures to his leadership of GMS’ key operational functions. John‘s extensive record of leveraging and nurturing strategic partnerships and alliances will play a critical role as GMS builds upon and expands external relationships to enhance customer experiences.

Before joining GMS, John served as President and CEO of Economic Development Regina Inc. for more than eight years, refreshing the organization’s strategic direction, securing and leveraging increased investment and leading the development and execution of Regina’s first Entrepreneurial Strategy. John also led the start-up, strategic planning and execution of the largest multi-sport event held in Saskatchewan, the 2005 Canada Summer Games, proclaimed the most successful Canada Games ever by the Chair of the Canada Games Council.

John’s strong belief that we should give back to the community where we live, work and raise our families has led him to key volunteer leadership roles with a variety of organizations and not for profits including: University of Regina Hill/Levene School of Business, the 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Regina Palliative Care Inc., Regina Community Basketball, Kids Help Phone and Kidsport Saskatchewan.

An active lifestyle is also a priority for John who likes to golf, skate ski, mountain bike and loves to share time at the cottage with family and friends.

Aftab Ahmad

Aftab is GMS’ Vice President & Chief Technology Officer. He provides strategic direction and oversight of our company’s information technology and digital transformation, including IT architecture and application development.

A seasoned IT professional, Aftab led technology teams for over 15 years before joining GMS. He has served as both an in-house technology leader and a consultant on large-scale strategy and business transformation projects. This unique blend of knowledge and experience has ideally equipped Aftab to lead GMS’ ongoing technology transformation.

A graduate of the University of Alabama with a Master’s in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science degree, Aftab also has broad portfolio of technology trainings, a Masters Certificate in Project Management and is LEAN certified. When he is not driving change in the IT world, Aftab is involved in giving back to the community, most recently as a director of the Saskatoon Community Foundation, helping donors create a legacy through charitable giving.

About GMS

A part of your community