Movers and Shakers: Insurance

by Sima Matthes (New York City)

Kudos to Madelyn Lankton of Travelers Insurance (#93 on Fortune 500), who recently received the Women In Insurance Leadership Award from Insurance Networking News (INN).

Ms. Lankton is the senior VP of Travelers Claim Shared Services. She was recognized for making a “significant impact” on her business according to the INN. In her role as senior vice president, Ms. Lankton is reposible for Claim Shared Services, an organizaiton of over 1500 people that uses the latest in information and data analysis to help the company in reviewing claims and evaluating the results. Ms. Lankton also serves as an executive mentor for individuals in the Finance and Information Technology Leadership Development Program at Travelers. According to INN, Ms. Lankton initiated the development of Women’s Mentoring Forum for high potential young women in the IT department.

And here are some other top women who bring their best to this industry:

Anastasia D. Kelly is the Executive VP/General Counsel/Other Corporate Officer for American International Group (#18 on the Forbes Global 2000). Prior to joining AIG in 2006, Ms. Kelly was the General Counsel of MCI/WorldCom, which she left following the company’s merger with Verizon. Prior to MCI/WorldCom, Ms. Kelly held similar positions at Sears Roebuck (1999-2003) and Fannie Mae. She had also been a partner at Washington D.C. firm Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering.

Ms. Kelly is on the faculty of the Practising Law Institute, where she teaches Corporate Governance. She holds a BA from Trinity College Washington and her JD from George Washington University Law Center.

Kathleen Bolduc is the EVP & Chief Marketing Officer of The Travelers Companies. She has held this position since October, 2007, prior to which she was the Executive VP-Enterprise Marketing. Ms. Bolduc joined the company in 2005 as EVP-Enterprise Development. She has been with Travelers or one of its affiliated companies for over 10 years. She is responsible for all its marketing, communications, advertising and branding efforts.

Catherine S. Brune, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Allstate Insurance Company(#129 on the Forbes Global 2000). Since joining Allstate in 1976, Ms. Brune has been held a variety of managerial positions. In her current role, she is responsible for crafting the strategy, network infrastructure and enterprise applications throughout Allstate’s corporate structure, as well as for technology-related governance, security and compliance activities. In addition, Brune’s responsibilities include agency and customer support functions and the Allstate call centers, as well as leadership for the integration of various shared service functions. She is also a member of the Allstate senior management team.

Ms. Brune has been recognized as one of the Premier 100 Information Technology leaders by Computerworld Magazine. She is also a recipient of the CIO of the Year Award from the Executives’ Club of Chicago, the Excellence in Corporate IT Leadership Award from Women in Technology International and the Moore School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater, the University of South Carolina, where she earned her BS in Management.

Michele Coleman Mayes is Vice President and General Counsel for the Allstate Corporation and senior vice president and general counsel for Allstate Insurance Company, and is, like Ms. Brune, a member of the Allstate senior management team. She is primarily responsible for assuring that Allstate’s strategy is compliant with sound corporate governance practices. Ms. Mayes is a former Assistant US Attorney, and was the Chief of the Civil Division in Detroit. When she left the Department of Justice in 1982, she became the managing attorney of Borroughs Corporation. When that entity merged with Sperry Corporation to form Unisys Corporation, she was appointed staff vice president and associate general counsel for Worldwide Litigation. From 1992-2003, she held progressively responsible positions at Colgate-Palmolive Company, followed by a stint as senior vice president and general counsel at Pitney Bowes from 2003 until joining Allstate in 2007.

Identified as one of America’s top African-American lawyers, Ms. Mayes is the recipient of many awards, including Margaret Brent Award from the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession and the Trailblazer Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, and her JD from University of Michigan Law School.

Joan H. Walker is senior vice president, corporate relations, and interim chief marketing officer for Allstate Insurance Company. Like her colleagues named above, she is also a member of the Allstate senior management team. As senior vice president, corporate relations, Ms. Walker is responsible for external and internal communications for The Allstate Corporation and its subsidiaries. In her role as interim chief marketing officer, Ms. Walker is responsible for all marketing and branding strategies and activities across the company.

Ms. Walker joined Allstate in 2005 following her tenure as executive vice president of marketing and communications for Qwest Communications International. She also served as senior vice president, global public affairs, for both Pharmacia and Monsanto before that company’s merger with Pharmacia & Upjohn. From 1996 to 1999, Ms. Walker was senior vice president of corporate communications at Ameritech and also served as a partner in the Bozell Sawyer Miller group and in governmental and educational roles.
Ms. Walker holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Douglass College at Rutgers University and a Master of Arts in sociology from Rutgers University.

The full list of winners of the 2008 Women in Insurance Leadership Award will be featured in the November issue of Insurance Networking News and will be officially recognized at INN’s Women in Insurance Leadership Forum November 11-12, 2008 in Las Vegas. The Glass Hammer congratulates Ms. Lankton and all the winners.