2021 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Vanesa Herrero Head of claims
Tokio Marine Europe S.A
Barcelona, Spain
Vanesa Herrero started her professional life in law firms but soon jumped to the more informal and exciting environment of a startup, which happened to be in insurance.
After graduating in law from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in her native city, Ms. Herrero took a couple of internships with law firms but in 2001 decided to join MAG Global Financial Products, a managing general agency specializing in directors and officers liability insurance.
The young company had an international presence and a great culture, she said.
“What got me interested in insurance was that it was a startup, it was very international and it was a whole new concept,” she said, noting that D&O and professional lines were relatively uncommon in Spain at the time.
The company was soon bought by HCC Insurance Holdings Inc., which itself was later acquired by Tokio Marine Holdings Inc.
She said working at a startup gave her the opportunity to get involved in numerous areas, including worldwide claims.
Her broad expertise has helped Tokio Marine HCC report better results than its peers for financial lines, said Mike Schell, president of Tokio Marine HCC in Houston.
“She’s top quality,” he said. “The fact that we’ve done better isn’t just what we do on the front end, but also what we do on the back end with claims service.”
In 2019, she was named head of claims for Europe, which has enabled her to learn more about other lines of coverage and become involved with the Luxembourg-based unit that Tokio Marine set up after Britain exited the European Union.
Ms. Herrero has benefited in her career from having a mentor from outside the insurance sector. She said she can be more open in her discussions with the mentor, who is a senior executive in the pharmaceutical industry.
A working mother of two, she said it remains challenging for women to keep moving in their careers and take time out to care for children. “Women need to take ownership of that and say, ‘I want a family and a career and everything.’ What’s wrong with that?”
