Katja de la Viña Steps Down from Her Top Job at the End of 2024 - This news made headlines yesterday: the successful CEO of Allianz Leben, Katja de la Viña, has decided to take more time for her children (ages 6 and 10) — at least for a while. Respect for such a decision! Both for Katja de la Viña and her employer, Allianz Leben.
Life Happens in Phases
Neither she nor Allianz Leben are ignoring the fact that life — both private and professional — unfolds in phases. Rather than forcing herself to remain the tough CEO (with the associated time and travel demands), she is stepping back professionally for now. Children grow up, and there will most likely be an opportunity later for her to bring her talent back to Allianz Leben in full force.
After onboarding her successor, Ruedi Kubat, de la Viña will initially take on a part-time role in the management of Allianz Group's Strategy, Marketing, and Sales division in Munich. At a later stage, she plans to return full-time in a new role.
No One Benefits from Overstretching
In a LinkedIn post, she wrote:
"I love my job as CEO and our unique Allianz Lebensversicherungs-AG (...). But I also love my children, and as a mother, I’ve made a decision. I want to be there more for my kids, to have more time for them. Honestly, with the distance between Stuttgart and Munich and the many additional business trips, that’s not so easy. That’s why I’ve made one of the hardest decisions of my life: I will step down as CEO of Allianz Leben."
Flexibility Demonstrates Responsibility
This is how responsibility is taken — for one’s family and one’s company. And this is also how a company takes responsibility for its employees: by offering flexibility when it’s needed.
Many career women will now be watching Allianz Lebensversicherung closely. A glance at their website reveals something notable: of the 7 board members at Allianz Lebensversicherung, 3 are currently women: Katja de la Viña (Chair), Henriette Götze (Operations & HR), and Dr. Heinke Conrads (Corporate Clients). At the parent company Allianz SE, 4 out of 9 board members are women. We say: Progress is being made!
Anke Dembowski is a financial journalist and author of various investment fund-related and other financial books. She is also a co-founder of the "Fondsfrauen" network.