Elena Sanz receives Geneva Association Women In Insurance Award
ZURICH: Elena Sanz, chief executive officer (CEO) of Mapfre Iberia, has received the Geneva Association Women In Insurance Award for her leadership during a period of company transformation and repeated disaster crises in Spain.
The Geneva Association said the prize recognises Sanz as the first woman to lead Mapfre Iberia and highlights her combination of a people‑centred leadership style — shaped by her former role as Group Chief People Officer — with decisive operational execution. The association noted she strengthened the insurer’s local response to major disasters, including the Valencia floods in 2024, while accelerating digital transformation and reinforcing insurance’s role in social and economic resilience.
Lee Yuan Siong, chairman of the Geneva Association and Group Chief Executive and President of AIA, praised Sanz’s approach. “Elena Sanz’s leadership exemplifies the qualities our industry must demonstrate when operational resilience matters most. In navigating transformation while responding decisively to major disaster events, she has reinforced insurance’s essential role in helping communities manage risk, absorb shocks and recover with confidence. As leaders of the global insurance industry, we have a responsibility to ensure our sector strengthens economic stability and societal resilience. Elena’s leadership reflects that commitment in action.”
Sanz, who has served as CEO of Mapfre Iberia since 2024 and as a member of the Mapfre board of directors since 2023, said she was honoured by the recognition. “I feel deeply honoured by this recognition from the Geneva Association for my long career at Mapfre. It has been more than 30 years of personal and professional growth, surrounded by excellent colleagues in an industry that is uniquely capable of transforming people’s lives. Insurance is society’s greatest ally in the face of uncertainty and adversity.”
The Geneva Association’s announcement highlighted Sanz’s record of driving large‑scale transformation across Mapfre, advancing people, learning, digital and sustainability platforms with measurable impact. Under her leadership, Mapfre Iberia has restored technical profitability, reinforced its nationwide territorial network and accelerated data‑ and AI‑enabled personalisation to strengthen customer service and the company’s capacity to respond to societal and climate‑related challenges.
The Geneva Association, the only global association of insurance companies, said its member companies are headquartered in 26 countries, manage $21 trillion in assets, employ more than 2.5 million people and protect 2.6 billion people.
