ELENA EDWARDS

Elena Edwards leads by example — she rolls up her sleeves and does the same caliber of work she expects from her team.

“Stay focused on employees and what matters to them, and ensure you’re always listening. That’s what drives success for any company,” she says. “You can be there working by their side, and you can always bring the snacks too.”

In 2022, Edwards was promoted to CMO of the French travel insurance company, after serving as Allianz Partners USA’s North American CEO, a position she continues to hold. She also serves on the company’s board. Prior to joining Allianz, Edwards was chief operations officer at Genworth Financial.

Despite travel downturns through the pandemic, Edwards steered the company through tech updates and new platforms. She also mentors a group of female CEOs from around the globe and sponsors the company’s Gender Balance group, in addition to serving on the Greater Richmond Partnership’s board of directors.

“Because I’ve been so fortunate with great mentors, I feel strongly in always being a mentor myself,” Edwards says. “Employees are the foundation of everything we do. Just like with a house, if the foundation is cracked, the window dressings certainly will not matter.”

As a former mechanical engineer who worked at General Electric for more than 30 years, Edwards has a stake in creating more career opportunities for women in STEM industries and serves on the boards of Virginia Learns and the Science Museum of Virginia’s foundation.

Read more about the 2023 class of Virginia Business Women in Leadership Award winners.