Profile
Kristine Blanco is Executive Vice President and Director of Employee Benefits Compliance at Alliant Insurance Services.. Over the course of her career, she has consistently stepped into the unknown, taking on roles and challenges that demanded courage and adaptability.
“While I set extremely high expectations for myself and the teams I lead, I strongly believe that it doesn’t take a stress crucible to produce the highest quality work product,” she says. “It’s okay to make mistakes, so long as they aren’t repeated. The key is to stay true to your core values and family, and keep a little levity along the way.”
In an era defined by rapid growth, technological disruption, and the rise of AI, Blanco is acutely aware of a central paradox: the faster business moves, the easier it is to lose the human connection that makes teams truly effective. She views that connection as “our most valuable commodity, even in the corporate world,” and deliberately structures processes, meetings, and expectations around it.
For Blanco, performance is not just about output; it is about ensuring “each part is whole and healthy”. That philosophy allows her teams to remain cohesive and high functioning against a shifting, often demanding backdrop.
One of Blanco’s proudest achievements is building a compliance department largely from scratch. Starting with just two additional attorneys, she helped transform it into a trusted cornerstone of the broader employee benefits practice.
Professionally, Blanco is defined by ownership. “I am willing to listen, to admit missteps, and to grow from them,” she says. This combination of accountability and humility sets a powerful example for her teams, creating an environment where people can innovate and learn without fear of blame.
Blanco adds, “We take our work seriously, but we do not take ourselves overly seriously.” Her conviction that best-in-class content and service can be delivered in creative, unconventional ways underpins a supportive culture. This relates to her own experience of previously working in law, which left her waking in the night panicked. “I am committed to creating an environment that avoids that at all costs,” she says.
Blanco credits prior generations of women for eroding many overt structural barriers while remaining clear-eyed about the subtler obstacles that persist. She says, “The awareness of those persistent barriers remains so important, now more than ever.” She believes that serving as an example for other women is “among the most important” things she can do, particularly as more women take on responsibility for financial performance, which she feels is the true pathway to influence in any organization.
Ultimately, she hopes her legacy will be a body of work of uncompromising quality and a team that feels seen, valued, connected, and capable of thriving long after her tenure. That blend of performance, principle, and people-first leadership is what marks her as an Elite Woman in insurance.
18100 Von Karman Ave, Irvine, CA 92612
916 643 2714
kristine.blanco@alliant.com
linkedin.com/in/kristine-blanco
alliant.com
Kristine Blanco
Executive Vice President and Director of Employee Benefits Compliance and Alliant Leave Advantage
Alliant Insurance Services
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Bio
Milestones
2006
2014
2023
2024–2025
Present
Entered the insurance and employee benefits industry
2006
Recruited to Alliant to build the Employee Benefits Compliance team
2014
Launched the Compliant with Alliant podcast and the Fiduciary Toolkit
2023
Developed the Leave Liability Analysis and the Alliant Leave Advantage (ALA) program, a first-of-its-kind consulting solution
2024–2025
Establishes and leads a top-ranked Employee Benefits Compliance function at Alliant since 2014
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
She continually assesses strategy, aligning talent, technology, and capital with Fortegra’s future vision. By helping people understand the value of their work, Taylor drives engagement and fosters a culture where everyone sees themselves as a builder of the company’s future.
With respect to her impact at Fortegra, she adds, “I enjoy taking on operational challenges that enable our underwriting, actuarial, and finance professionals to focus on their core priorities, ultimately delivering meaningful value to Fortegra's partners and stakeholders.”
Three themes anchor her approach to both role and career:
commitment to continuous learning
focus on serving the enterprise and adding tangible value
alignment with companies whose values mirror her own
Recognized by Insurance Business as an Elite Woman 2026, Taylor is aware of the importance of visibility and representation. In a sector where senior female role models remain limited, she has chosen to see barriers as an invitation to chart her own course.
Through mentorship, active participation in networks of women C-suite leaders, and initiatives like Fortegra’s Network of Women (N.O.W.) program, she is helping build clearer pathways, stronger support systems, and broader possibilities for the next generation.
“If my experience can help someone navigate their path with more confidence or clarity, then recognition like this becomes much more meaningful,” she says. “My goal is to help create a cycle where every generation of leaders lifts the next one higher.”
“My goal is to help create a cycle where every generation of leaders lifts the next one higher”
Abbie Taylor,
Fortegra
“This type of work energizes me because, like many of us at Fortegra, I’m a business builder at heart”
Abbie Taylor,
Fortegra