Profile
Helen Cosburn leads with a belief that insurance, at its core, is human work. As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, North America at Allianz Global Assistance, she oversees travel insurance partnerships across airlines, ecommerce, and financial institutions, with responsibility for both the Canadian and US markets.
Her blend of global experience, strategic clarity, and ability to align people around a shared direction earned her recognition as one of Insurance Business Canada’s Elite Women for 2026.
Cosburn once insisted she would never follow her parents into insurance. Yet her first role, as a travel for treatment medical case manager, changed that conviction. Supporting people in vulnerable moments revealed that insurance offered more than just coverage – it offered reassurance, guidance, and better outcomes.
From there, her path was intentionally expansive. As a Canadian, she sought global experience working as an international healthcare consultant in more than 40 countries, building partnerships across insurers, providers, and governments. Since joining Allianz, she has progressed through multiple leadership roles in sales and partnerships, building a reputation for building alignment and value.
Stepping into a North America-wide portfolio required keeping sight of the big picture while staying close to operational detail. Cosburn balances the broader direction of the business with the nuances that determine partnership success on the ground.
Strong communication, the ability to bring together competing views, and a relentless focus on delivering value enable her to lead across borders without losing sight of what drives results.
She measures achievement by watching someone she has coached step into confidence or close the biggest deal of their career. Growth, in her view, begins with people.
“I have never viewed growth solely through the traditional lens of numbers, quotas, and dashboards,” Cosburn says. “I believe growth starts with people. When people grow in capability, confidence, and clarity, the numbers follow. Creating the conditions for people to grow and perform at their best is how I grow the business.”
That philosophy is evident through her Elevate development framework and through her vision and leadership to launch THIA’s Rising Stars program while serving as Membership Chair. She sees mentorship and sponsorship as catalysts for advancement, and she invests in both as a daily practice.
Early in Cosburn’s career, she saw a dominant leadership style that prioritized force over curiosity – and realized it didn’t fit her approach. Over time, she recognized that authenticity, empathy, and influence were neither weaknesses nor soft skills but differentiators. Leading by building a shared direction has become her signature. “It took me a long time to learn I did not earn a place at the table in spite of who I am,” she says. “I earned it because of who I am.”
Being named an Elite Woman carries meaning because of what it can create for others. Cosburn recalls attending her first IBC Women in Insurance event and feeling, for the first time, that her experiences were shared and valid. She hopes that telling her story offers the same sense of belonging to someone else.
If she could change one thing in the industry, it would be to hardwire mentorship and sponsorship into leadership, so women advance – by design.
4711 Yonge St, North York, ON M2N 7E4
416 733 2773
communications@hiroc.com
linkedin.com/in/helen-cosburn-80184217
allianz-partners.com
Helen Cosburn
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships (Ecommerce, Airline, and Financial Institutions), North America
Allianz Partners
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Bio
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Profile
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Bio
Milestones
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Bio
Milestones
2007
2008–2015
2015–2025
2023–2025
2025–Present
Entered travel insurance through frontline care delivery as a Travel for Treatment Medical Case Manager, grounding her leadership in empathy and outcomes
2007
Served as a consultant and building international health insurance partnerships across insurers, medical providers, and governments working in over 40 countries
2008–2015
Entered Allianz’s sales organization and progressed through seven leadership roles over a decade, building a brand based on relationships and outcomes
2015–2025
Served as THIA’s Membership Chair, driving member growth and launching the Rising Star Program to develop emerging industry leaders
2023–2025
Promoted to VP, Strategic Partnerships, North America, leading travel insurance distribution across airlines, ecommerce, and financial institutions, with expanded responsibility for the US market
2025-Present
Milestones
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
As a founding member of WOW! (Women. Opportunity. Winning.), an employee resource group created for all women of Ryan Specialty, Phillips Topping has long championed for women in the industry.
“It’s very important to set an example and to not only inspire but mentor other females,” she adds.
In addition to her sharp marketing eye, the key to Phillips Topping’s success lies in her high-energy approach and positive attitude.
“As the leader of a team, it’s important to motivate and encourage your team members. People work very hard and do their best and it’s important to recognize these efforts. For my career overall, my attitude has been one of curiosity. The more you can learn, the better you’ll understand the business, and then the deeper your knowledge will become, making you a better team member.”
Chief underwriting officer of executive risk at Chubb
President of financial insurance solutions at Kemper
Chief underwriting officer at Axis Capital
CEO of global Insurance at Endurance
CEO of global Insurance at Sompo International
Empathy underpins that discipline. Prickett has struggled in the industry. She has felt what it is like when promised support does not materialize. Having worked across almost every function in the company, she understands operational detail and the pressure agents face. That shared experience shapes her leadership.
Structural barriers also shaped her path. As a woman and a mother, she encountered the assumption that serious business building required keeping priorities “out of order for a time.” She also experienced the double standard that frames firm women as difficult while praising similar behaviour in men.
“If you have a choice between being liked and doing the right thing, doing the right thing is always better, even if it’s the unpopular thing,” Prickett says.
She wants to dismantle the expectation that women must choose between career and family, or between strength and kindness. In her view, leadership demands both conviction and care.
Being named an Elite Woman carries weight. Prickett did not have female role models in the industry when she started. She hopes visibility changes that. “I hope I can be an example. Not of perfection, but of persistence. Of building from your values and staying true to who you are.”
The legacy Prickett is still defining centres on proof – proof that a large, profitable company can grow without sacrificing integrity; proof that agents can build real assets while keeping their priorities intact; and proof that leadership does not require abandoning who you are to succeed.
“If you have a choice between being liked and doing the right thing, doing the right thing is always better, even if it’s the unpopular thing”
Lee-Ann Prickett,
Experior Financial Group
“What I’ve learned is that when you build from your values, when you put people first, when you do the right thing even when it’s hard, that becomes your plan”
Lee-Ann Prickett,
Experior Financial Group
“I’ve always believed that if you love what you do, you’ll never settle, and that attitude has guided every decision I’ve made”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“My strongest professional quality is my ability to build trust and long-term relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“My strongest professional quality is my ability to build trust and long-term relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“I’ve always believed that if you love what you do, you’ll never settle, and that attitude has guided every decision I’ve made”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
2025–Present