100 influential women in re/insurance


“The investor relations and corporate development department at AXIS is very lean, and while this presents challenges on a daily basis, it also gives me an incredible amount of leeway and exposure to make important decisions directly with our executive team.”


Name: Linda Ventresca


Company: AXIS Capital Holdings Job:


Corporate development officer and director of investor relations


Timeline: 2003—Corporate development officer, AXIS Capital Holdings 2001—Investment associate, MMC Capital


Linda Ventresca has responsibility for investor relations and corporate development for AXIS. She joined the company as vice president, corporate development in January 2003. Prior to joining AXIS, she was an investment associate at MMC Capita, where she worked extensively with AXIS as a portfolio company of the Trident II fund. Previously, she had been a member of the Financial Institutions Investment Banking Groups at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and UBS Securities, LLC. Linda holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.


Why did you choose to work in this industry initially? The truth is, it was all very serendipitous! Soon after joining a private equity firm focused on financial services, I became part of the team working to found AXIS Capital. The experience was so positive and I was so drawn in by both the work and the talents of the people at AXIS, that I ended up joining AXIS full-time after its IPO, to lead investor relations and corporate development activities. I stayed on largely because of the people and the attraction of starting and growing a company, as well as assisting in establishing its public presence, but that initial excitement has continued and the people are still wonderful.


What has been the highlight of your career so far? The investor relations and corporate development department at AXIS is very lean, and while this presents challenges on a daily basis, it also gives me an incredible amount of leeway and exposure to make important decisions directly with our executive team. That autonomy is hugely empowering and provides a very satisfying way to work.


102 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | 2015


What has been


the


biggest


challenge


you have


encountered? My biggest challenge is also in a way the flip-side of my career. We can make fast, impactful decisions without blundering through unnecessary bureaucracy, but of course this comes with a phenomenal amount of pressure to make excellent decisions, with very little room for error. I am confident we do this most of the time, and while never quite peaceful, it certainly keeps things exciting. Like any mother, I’m also facing the challenge of making sure I feel proud of the decisions I make regarding how I share my time between home and work.


If you had chosen different profession/career path, what would it have been? In university I majored in bioengineering. I’ve always been fascinated by the science of mind-body. I suspect psychiatry would have been an interesting career path. Since most of my daily work involves parsing the attitudes and intentions of people both within my company and without—I’d say I didn’t stray too far from the original goal.


www.intelligentinsurer.com


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