Elena Sanz Honored with Prestigious Geneva Association Women in Insurance Award
ZURICH, March 05, 2026 – In a significant recognition of corporate leadership, Elena Sanz, the Chief Executive Officer of Mapfre Iberia, has been named the recipient of this year's Geneva Association Women in Insurance Award. This prestigious honor acknowledges her exceptional guidance through a period of substantial company transformation and repeated disaster crises that have impacted Spain in recent years.
People-Centered Leadership During Challenging Times
As the first woman to lead Mapfre Iberia, Elena Sanz has implemented a distinctive leadership approach that prioritizes people while maintaining decisive operational execution. Her background as Group Chief People Officer has fundamentally shaped her management philosophy, which she has successfully applied to strengthen the insurer's local response capabilities during major disasters.
Notably, her leadership was particularly evident during the devastating Valencia floods of 2024, where Mapfre Iberia demonstrated enhanced responsiveness under her direction. Beyond crisis management, Sanz has accelerated digital transformation initiatives while reinforcing insurance's essential role as a pillar of both social and economic resilience throughout the Iberian region.
Industry Recognition and Commendation
Lee Yuan Siong, Chairman of the Geneva Association and Group Chief Executive & President of AIA, offered high praise for Sanz's accomplishments. "Elena Sanz's leadership exemplifies the qualities our industry must demonstrate when operational resilience matters most," he stated. "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."
Siong further emphasized that as leaders of the global insurance industry, there exists a responsibility to ensure the sector strengthens economic stability and societal resilience. "Elena's leadership reflects that commitment in action," he concluded.
A Career of Transformation and Impact
Elena Sanz expressed deep honor at receiving this recognition from the Geneva Association, reflecting on her extensive 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," she remarked. "Insurance is society's greatest ally in the face of uncertainty and adversity."
Since assuming the role of CEO of Mapfre Iberia in 2024 and joining the Mapfre Board of Directors in 2023, Sanz has driven substantial organizational changes. Her accomplishments include:
- Restoring Mapfre Iberia's technical profitability
- Reinforcing the company's nationwide territorial network
- Accelerating data- and AI-enabled personalization initiatives
- Advancing people, learning, digital, and sustainability platforms with measurable impact
Additionally, Sanz holds several industry leadership positions, including Vice Chairwoman of UNESPA, further demonstrating her influence within the insurance sector.
About The Geneva Association
The Geneva Association represents the only global association of insurance companies, conducting investigations into key risk areas likely to impact the insurance industry while providing an essential platform for stakeholder discussions. Member companies of the Geneva Association are headquartered across 26 different countries and collectively manage an impressive USD 21 trillion in assets. These organizations employ more than 2.5 million people worldwide and provide protection to approximately 2.6 billion individuals globally.
This award recognition underscores the growing importance of diverse leadership within the insurance industry and highlights how people-centered approaches can drive both corporate success and societal benefit during periods of significant challenge and transformation.
