Growth across borders: charting transatlantic pathways in surety

I joined Allianz Trade (then called SFAC) fresh out of business school, and would go on to spend my first 24 years in the company’s trade credit insurance (TCI) business. Starting as a credit analyst, I later moved into risk underwriting across industries such as automotive, chemicals and construction. Based in France, I also worked as a regional manager for TCI in Champagne and Normandy, as well as the Caribbean.

After five years heading the company’s construction risk underwriting, I had the opportunity to move into a world that was unfamiliar and continues to excite me: surety.

The surety field was, at the time, akin to a small startup within France, so the chance to be part of a field that was just developing was motivating for me. I was able to help build on this field as it was maturing, as well as Allianz Trade’s offering, which was really fun – we had everything to create!

Allianz Trade is growing quickly in the Americas, and there was a real need to strengthen our foundation there to accommodate that growth. As part of the team that succeeded in building a solid surety offering in France, I felt I could bring my experience to the U.S. market.

The decision to move to the U.S. actually began as a joke during a lunch with my management team. At one point, the conversation turned to the topic of sending someone like me to the U.S. By the end of lunch, the joke had turned into a serious conversation!

I was at the right moment in my life to make the move – you could say the stars were aligned. While it was a huge shift for me and my family to move overseas, I received strong support from them as well as the company. I never imagined I’d move across the world at the age of 51, but the opportunity was too exciting to pass up.

As Head of Surety Underwriting for the Americas, I guide our teams in Canada, the U.S. and Brazil to make sure that we grow safely and seize opportunities to remain the best possible partner to our clients. With every new business prospect comes the need for commercial, legal and risk expertise – involving a lot of fantastic teamwork with very talented colleagues.

I also have the responsibility of connecting the dots between European and North American business practices, ensuring that Allianz Trade’s global expertise aligns with the needs of the market in the Americas. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the seeds we planted in Europe contribute to the success of our business here.