Maria Diaz-Llado | Age: 56 Risk management practice leader

Marsh SA

Madrid, Spain

A move to London to support her husband in his job resulted in Maria Diaz-Llado discovering the world of insurance.

“I was married young, at 23, and moved to London to be with my husband. I had no history with insurance, and in Spain insurance is rarely considered by young people as a career, so I knew nothing about it,” she said.

However, her father asked a friend about a possible job for her in London and she was introduced to the industry. “That was how it all started, but from day one I loved the job,” she said.

She worked in London for about a year and stayed in the business when she returned to her native Spain. “I have been lucky to travel with my work and have always looked after international markets, such as Latin America. I have been involved with retail, wholesale and insurance broking,” she said.

In her time in the industry, there has been a lot of change, including in gender diversity, Ms. Diaz-Llado said.

“At the start, it was very much a male-dominated industry,” she said, “but now it is a career for women, too. The percentage of women has increased dramatically, and now we have more women on the team here than men.”

While her 16-year-old daughter may not follow her mother’s footsteps into insurance, Ms. Diaz-Llado said she is delighted that she will have so many more opportunities in her future career.

To relax, Ms. Diaz-Llado spends time at their country house in Toledo, high in the mountains, and she still loves to travel, trying to do at least one big trip a year with the family.

Mark Drummond-Brady, vice chairman of Marsh, said, “Maria is thoroughly deserving of this award and her success. She has an enviable reputation for excellence and is highly regarded among her clients and colleagues, not only in Spain, but throughout Latin America and in the London market.”