Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Appoints First Chief Data Officer

NEW YORK--()--Effective April 1st, Ali Shahkarami (46) will be appointed as Chief Data Officer for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) . In this newly created position, he will be responsible for the development and the delivery of AGCS data strategy and will report directly to AGCS Chief Operating Officer (COO) Bettina Dietsche.

Data and analytics are important drivers for the future success of AGCS and form an essential part of the company’s transformation strategy. This has been recognized by the AGCS Board with the creation of the role of Chief Data Officer in order to lead the drive to data-first decision making culture at AGCS

In his new role, Shahkarami will focus on aligning various data initiatives, tools and investments with AGCS’s business and data strategy as well as Allianz Group’s data strategy. Together with the AGCS Data Solutions & Architecture team, which is reporting to him, he will empower and expand AGCS’s data governance framework to ensure privacy and fidelity of all data and applications and ensure that AGCS has the capabilities needed to deliver business-ready solutions that inform and strengthen decision-making across all activities.

Shahkarami joined AGCS in 2012 as Head of Catastrophe Risk Research where he was responsible for research and development activities to capture risks of man-made and natural catastrophes. In 2018, he moved to AGCS’s digital incubator initiative XSE to become the Global Capability Lead on Underwriting where he led activities on digital transformation of client facing functions. A successor for his present role as Global Capability Lead for Underwriting within AGCS’s digital incubator initiative XSE will be announced shortly.

Before joining AGCS, the Canadian citizen held various positions as risk modeller and obtained a PhD in Structural Engineering from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Bettina Dietsche, AGCS COO, commented: “Data and analytics are of vital importance for our success and for supporting our clients – not only for reporting and steering but also to boost analytic capabilities in Underwriting and Claims and discover new insights and opportunities. That’s why it is so important that we created this position with a clear mandate to drive our data initiatives forward. I wish Ali Shahkarami every success in this important role and trust that he and his team will help to further strengthen our data and analytics capabilities.”

About Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) is a leading global corporate insurance carrier and a key business unit of Allianz Group. We provide risk consultancy, Property-Casualty insurance solutions and alternative risk transfer for a wide spectrum of commercial, corporate and specialty risks across 10 dedicated lines of business.

Our customers are as diverse as business can be, ranging from Fortune Global 500 companies to small businesses, and private individuals. Among them are not only the world’s largest consumer brands, tech companies and the global aviation and shipping industry, but also wineries, satellite operators or Hollywood film productions. They all look to AGCS for smart answers to their largest and most complex risks in a dynamic, multinational business environment and trust us to deliver an outstanding claims experience.

Worldwide, AGCS operates with its own teams in 33 countries and through the Allianz Group network and partners in over 200 countries and territories, employing over 4,300 people. As one of the largest Property-Casualty units of Allianz Group, we are backed by strong and stable financial ratings. In 2019, AGCS generated a total of €9.1 billion gross premium globally.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Contacts

Press
Emil Janssens
emil.janssens@agcs.allianz.com
212.533.1287

Erin Burke
Harden Communications Partners
eburke@hardenpartners.com
631.239.6903

Release Summary

Allianz Appoints Shahkarami as Chief Data Officer

Contacts

Press
Emil Janssens
emil.janssens@agcs.allianz.com
212.533.1287

Erin Burke
Harden Communications Partners
eburke@hardenpartners.com
631.239.6903