The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with around 125 million* private and corporate customers in nearly 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 741 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.8 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2023, over 157,000 employees achieved total business volume of 161.7 billion euros and an operating profit of 14.7 billion euros for the group.
Claire-Marie Coste-Lepoutre: Leading with rigor and curiosity
A profile ...
Driven to make a change
Numbers have always been Claire-Marie’s forte, a passion that can be traced back to her school days. After earning her degree in mathematics, she completed her Master's degree in Actuarial Science at the Institut de Science Financière et d'Assurances (ISFA) in Lyon and has been a Fellow of the French Actuarial Society ever since.
Claire-Marie was drawn to the insurance industry by a desire to make a difference in this world. Insurance offers a real purpose for society because it allows people to take risks and thus shape their lives. Her favorite quote comes from Mahatma Gandhi: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Leadership style
Claire-Marie believes a CFO must not just look to the past but must also analyze with foresight. To this end, she would like to better integrate business and financial departments, enhancing real-time data for decision-making. This also means that an organization as diverse as Finance needs to work perfectly in sync to maximize its potential.
Rigor and curiosity play a significant role in defining Claire-Marie’s character. These traits serve her perfectly in her role as CFO of Allianz Group. To energize and to empower the people around her is as much part of Claire-Marie’s leadership style as is demanding discipline and demonstrating resilience with the ultimate goal to conduct the organization towards sustainable growth.
Claire-Marie values being a committed team player. She is authentic and wants to make a concrete impact. Anyone who meets her experiences a warm, open nature. Her predecessor, Giulio Terzariol, praises her as a “wonderful person,” highlighting her professional and personal qualities.
A long-standing career at Allianz
Before spending seven years at McKinsey, Claire-Marie worked for two reinsurers, Swiss Re in Zurich and the Scor Group in Paris and Toronto.
Claire-Marie joined Allianz in 2011, where over the years she gained insights into all areas of the company. She initially headed Oliver Bäte's office during his time as CFO, then the Business Division for France, Benelux, and Africa, before moving to the important Brussels location for four years in 2015, where she became the regional CFO.
Between 2019 and 2023, she was the CFO and Deputy CEO at AGCS, being instrumental in bringing the industrial insurer back to profitability. Before her appointment to the Board of Management of Allianz SE, she was the Head of Planning and Controlling for the Group and the Chief Actuary. She has been a member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE since January 1, 2024, overseeing Finance, Risk, Actuarial, Legal and Compliance as CFO.
Claire-Marie and her family
Born on April 13, 1975, in the north of France, in the small town of Châlons en Champagne, Claire-Marie’s father’s professional career meant frequent relocations from an early age. She lived in Paris for a long time and her father also worked in Germany for some years.
In her private life, Claire-Marie enjoys reading novels, such as "Hyperion Cantos" by Dan Simmons, "The Alexandra Quartet" by Lawrence Durrell or the books of Haruki Murakami. Discovering a beautiful writing style, philosophical or mathematical concepts in books delights Claire-Marie, as does detecting enchanting music in the words of the authors. She also enjoys the music of Belle and Sebastian and exploring new countries with her family. Her bucket list includes adventures to Peru, Bolivia, Botswana, New Zealand, Ethiopia, India, and Iran.
Further information
About Allianz
* Including non-consolidated entities with Allianz customers.
** As of June 30, 2024.
** As of June 30, 2024.
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