100 influential women in re/insurance


“My focus and commitment now are on gaining experience, honing my skills, and further increasing my responsibilities as opportunities arise.”


enriching because of the development of personal relationships and the sharing of these successes (and challenges) with those around me. The teamwork and thought-provoking exchanges that we


Name: Kory Sorenson Company: SCOR Job:


Non-executive director, chairman of the audit committee and member of risk, strategy and crisis management committees


Timeline: 2013—Appointed to the board of directors of SCOR


2005—Managing director, head of insurance capital markets, Barclays Capital, London 2001—Executive director, insurance capital markets, Credit Suisse, London


Kory Sorenson has devoted the last 17 years to the management of capital and risk in insurance companies and banking institutions. Until the end of 2010, she held the position of managing director, head of insurance capital markets at Barclays Capital in London, where her team conducted innovative transactions in capital management such as the launch of the first private and renewable securitisations. She also conducted transactions in mergers and acquisitions, equity, hybrid capital, and risk management for major insurance companies. Sorenson previously led the team in charge of capital markets specialising in insurance at Credit Suisse and the team in charge of debt markets for German, Austrian and Dutch financial institutions at Lehman Brothers. She began her career


in


investment banking at Morgan Stanley and in the financial sector at Total SA. In addition to her role at SCOR, Sorenson is a non-executive


director of Phoenix Group Holdings, the largest UK consolidator of closed life assurance funds; member of the Supervisory Board of Uniqa, a leading insurance group in Austria and the CEE; and director of the Institut Pasteur, the international research organisation dedicated to advancing science, medicine and public health.


What has been the highlight of your career so far? There has not been one single highlight, rather many events, successes and challenges met along my career path. It has been so


94 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | 2015


enjoy with our peers are the catalysts to seeing new perspectives, developing solutions to complex problems, and finding opportunities to innovate and develop the companies we work for while continuing to grow as individuals. I have been very fortunate throughout my career to be surrounded by culturally diverse, well-rounded, highly intelligent, experienced professionals.


What has been the biggest challenge you have


encountered? Overall, one of the greatest challenges in a demanding and highly competitive environment is to maintain focus on personal development beyond pure career advancement. The wide- reaching responsibilities I have enjoyed and diverse challenges presented in each of my management positions have encouraged a high degree of technical innovation, broad geographic exposure, strategic vision, and development of management skills. My current challenge as a non-executive director is in finding the right balance between


challenge and support of the


management team. Finding this equilibrium is critical to being a positive contributor to the strategic thinking and development of companies in which the executive team is made up of some of the most knowledgeable individuals in their business.


What are your career aspirations now? I am fortunate to be where I want to be in my career. The work we do, both in preparation for and at the board meetings, is fascinating in terms of the depth and quality of information available, the level of dialogue, the importance of the issues at hand, and the interactions between board members, and between board member and company employees. This year, I am delighted to have been appointed chairman of SCOR’s Audit Committee. First, it is an honour to have been selected by my illustrious peers. Second, this role marks the next step for me in corporate governance. I welcome the opportunity to be further engaged with the finance team in directing and leading our discussions. My focus and commitment now are on gaining experience, honing my skills, and further increasing my responsibilities as opportunities arise.


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