2023 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Julia Holm CEO
Sedgwick Sweden AB, a unit of Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc.
Stockholm
If Julia Holm was not a leading figure in the Swedish insurance industry, she might well be penning her first true-crime book, thereby combing two of her keenest interests — writing and criminology.
Now leading Sedgwick’s operations in Sweden, Ms. Holm has spent her career in insurance. After leaving high school, she planned to work for a year before going to university. She joined an insurance brokerage and 20 years on has never left the industry.
Ms. Holm did find time, though, to complete a degree in criminology and social science between 2005 and 2008.
And in 2017, she took up a course in creative writing. “I have always enjoyed writing and have done so all my life, but it was not until I took the course that I began to explore different writing styles,” she said. Novelist Haruki Murakami and horror writer John Ajvide Lindqvist are two of her favorite authors.
“I have been fortunate to have good people around me. My parents always taught me to believe in myself, and I have had great managers and colleagues who have supported me and allowed me to learn,” she said.
Her work ethic has stood Ms. Holm in good stead. During her time as CEO of Sedgwick Sweden, she has led a team of specialist managers through two big challenges — overseeing a merger with a local rival and implementing a new tech platform, Sedgwick’s in-house designed Darwin system. Furthermore, this was all done during a pandemic.
“Julia is an inclusive leader,” said Christian Leif Hansen, CEO Denmark & Nordic region at Sedgwick. Despite the geographical spread of her staff, “she is able to create one team spirit where she genuinely cares about the success and growth of her team members and consistently provides guidance, support and motivation to help them flourish.”
And when it comes to advice for other women starting out on a career in insurance, Ms. Holm said: “Believe in yourself, be curious, and don’t be afraid to learn new things.”
Nicholas Pratt
