2021 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Julia Borges Head of surety EMEA
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions
Frankfurt, Germany
Rowing across Lake Zurich with a group of women who had just rowed across the Atlantic and working on charitable projects in Guatemala are just some of the things that inspired Julia Borges and convinced her that you can do anything that you set out to do.
“One of my themes through life has always been about shaping the world and my consistent will to act and create out of my comfort zone,” she said.
In her insurance career, she has specialized in credit and surety since her first day on the job, when she went to work for Zurich Insurance Ltd. She learned the business and traveled, building her global experience.
At 27, she was given her first managerial role, with W.R. Berkley Corp. in Zurich, where she helped build the U.S. insurer’s European division, working with other parts of the business across Europe and in the United States.
In 2014, she joined Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, the commercial insurance arm of Swiss Re Ltd. At that time, Swiss Re’s direct surety business was in its infancy, but the executive committee approved a major expansion and Ms. Borges was hired to develop the processes and tools that soon became the blueprint for the global business.
Throughout the process, she said, “I was supported by high-level mentors and sponsors, and the importance of cultivating a strong network remains with me.”
One of her mentors, Fred Kleiterp, CEO of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions EMEA, said of Ms. Borges: “I’ve always been impressed by Julia’s entrepreneurial spirit — be it about building up a surety unit from scratch or about building a more sustainable world by supporting families and communities in need with a social housing project in Guatemala.”
Coming from an energetic and sports-minded family, Ms. Borges spends her free time mountain biking, surfing and enjoying nature.
She said she has been inspired by previous recipients of the Women to Watch Awards. “It just shows that if you have the right goals, have ambition and energy, you can join them,” she said.
