The annual award celebrates women insurance leaders whose work positively impacts society and contributes to making insurance a force for good
ZURICH, 7 July 2021 – The 2021 Geneva Association Women in Insurance Award goes to Nina Arquint, Chief Risk Officer at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, for her work and commitment to driving the reduction of coal underwriting.
Jad Ariss, Managing Director of The Geneva Association, said: “I congratulate Nina Arquint on winning this award, which recognises her leadership role in reducing the underwriting of coal, the most polluting and carbon-intensive fuel, and her great dedication to tackling environmental risks. Ms Arquint and her team have made demonstrable contributions to reducing the financial viability of coal and contributing to accelerating its phase-out globally. This work is in alignment with The Geneva Association’s mission to promote the use of insurance to create a better, more resilient, and more sustainable world.”
Nina Arquint commented: “I am honoured to receive this year’s Geneva Association Women in Insurance Award in recognition of our company’s climate actions. Exiting coal underwriting is one of the most important, concrete ways for the insurance industry to improve the future well-being and sustainability of our world, and I feel privileged to be able to play a part in that.”
Nina Arquint has been a driving force within the Swiss Re Group on the topic of sustainability over the last five years. In her former role as Head Group Qualitative Risk Management at Swiss Re, Ms Arquint was responsible for defining Swiss Re’s Sustainable Business Risk (SBR) Framework and comprehensive thermal coal policy. Ms Arquint is the executive sponsor of a comprehensive sustainability strategy across the Swiss Re Group, an effort that will make a defining contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, as Chief Risk Officer of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, she supports Swiss Re’s corporate clients in de-risking their investments to achieve their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and help to mitigate sustainability risks.
Special recognitions
This year, the selection committee decided for the first time to distinguish two additional women executives:
Heidi Delobelle, the first female CEO of AG Insurance, receives a special recognition for her exceptional leadership achievements. We celebrate Heidi’s passion for supporting employee well-being and development, including mentoring other women, and promoting meaningful insurance contributions to societal issues. Heidi has spearheaded initiatives in the health space for more than 10 years and has made climate and environment topics a major priority for AG.
Lucia Silva, Group Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility of Generali, receives a special recognition for impactful sustainability initiatives. Lucia’s dedication has taken sustainability at Generali to the next level, with sustainability factors driving both the company’s products and investments. The ‘Just Transition’ initiative, sponsored by Lucia, addresses the effects of the coal phase-out on coal-dependent countries and on workers – a concept adopted by the European Commission as part of the European Green Deal.
The selection committee for the 2021 Geneva Association Women in Insurance Award was comprised of Dame Inga Beale, former CEO of Lloyd’s of London, Ms Lucie Martel, Chief Human Resources Officer of Intact Financial, and Tsuyoshi Nagano, Chairman of Tokio Marine.
