To streamline and consolidate more than 200 policies into 100 policies over five years across multiple Sony Corp. of America business units under the broadest terms and conditions, Julie DeSantis has fostered strategic relationships in the insurance industry.

Consolidating and buying insurance coverage such as commercial general liability across several Sony subsidiaries is not viewed as buying a commodity or as a purchasing function to get the lowest price, said Ms. DeSantis, New York-based vp, risk management at Sony.

“We're always trying to look for the broadest terms and conditions and also partner ourselves with carriers,” she said. “So we want to be with carriers not for the short term. We want to be with carriers for the long term. I think that is something that works well at Sony.”

Sony works primarily with four insurance brokerages, with Marsh Inc. in New York supporting all of its corporate insurance programs. For industry depth internationally, Sony uses a combination of Willis Ltd. in London and Marsh.

“In certain countries, one broker does it better than the other or might have more resources,” she said, noting that forcing competing brokerages to work together yields better market information for Sony.

For its concert liability program and entertainment exposures, Sony uses Aon P.L.C. in London and New York-based DeWitt Stern Group Inc., respectively.

The most important aspect when working with brokers is partnership and credibility, Ms. DeSantis said.

“They will display and explain Sony in the marketplace because they're the front people with the insurance carrier,” a crucial step when helping underwriters understand the breadth and depth of Sony's risks to streamline multiple subsidiaries' coverages into a single policy, Ms. DeSantis said.

Ms. DeSantis also meets and discusses Sony's insurance programs with underwriters yearly—a practice that insurers increasingly welcome, she said.

“If they know that it's a quality program, a quality risk management department, you're going to get preferential treatment,” Ms. DeSantis said. “I think that is important, because you don't want to be a week or two away from a deadline and you're just getting your quote. You want time to analyze things.”

—By Mike Tsikoudakis