In a touching announcement from the company, Manulife has announced the retirement of Jacques Gilbert.

April 28, 2023 will mark the end of an era. It will be Jacques Gilbert’s final day at Manulife before he permanently sets sail on his retirement voyage.

If you’ve worked in the travel industry for a while, you know his name. You may have been a client or colleague of his at one point. Or even more likely, you’ve bumped into Jacques on the dance floor at an event or conference, where he was known to dance the night away. Whatever the occasion or circumstance, you were always met with unparalleled enthusiasm.

Throughout his 40+ years in the industry, Jacques has made countless contributions to several organizations. His journey began by moving to Calgary in 1985 to run Alberta sales for Voyageur Travel Insurance. A few years later, he transferred to Voyageur’s head office in Ontario, where he rose to the ranks of VP of Sales & Marketing and Chief Operating Officer. Through acquisition, the next stop for Jacques was at RBC Insurance. He then joined Transat as Senior VP of Sales before becoming a partner at Potruff and Smith, and finally rounding off his career at Manulife as a key member of the travel insurance leadership team.

John Kirk, TravelPulse Canada Founder and Editor in Chief commented on the announcent " Ya...sure...okay...whatever! Jacques has been " retiring " for the last ten years! I feel like we have grown up in the business together over the last thrirty years or so. All the way back in the 90's we had a core group of us, they all know who they are, and we did the confernce circuit, year after year. Those were 4:00 am closings and 6:00 am wakeups. The Voyaguer Suite Parties were something to behold. We all worked very hard to carve our way in the business. I wish Jacques, the love of his life Marguerite, and his family all the best. " added Kirk

Over the past couple of years, Jacques has been reducing his workload and transitioning his accounts to others on the Manulife Travel Team. When Jacques tearfully addressed his Manulife peers to notify them that he was finally calling it quits, he noted that our industry is all about relationships – and he was a master at building and maintaining relationships through his genuine personality and unmatched passion for the travel industry. Although Jacques’ last day is April 28th, he will be attending some events in May and June, so many of you will get to see him there!

So, what’s his plan for retirement? To no one’s surprise, Jacques intends on travelling more with his wife Marguerite and spending additional time with his family, especially his grandchildren. Congratulations, Jacques, on an amazing career. We wish you all the best!"

TravelPulse Canada joins in congratulating Gilbert and wishes him well in his retirement.