Denise Maw | Zurich Resilience Solutions Canada

Denise Maw, Head of Zurich Resilience Solutions Canada

In an era defined by climate volatility, geopolitical conflict, cyber threats, and complex operational risks, Denise Maw’s job is to help businesses prepare for what could go wrong before it does.

As head of Zurich Resilience Solutions (ZRS) Canada, Maw leads the insurer’s risk engineering and consulting arm, overseeing a national team of nearly 60 risk consultants who support underwriting decisions and advise organizations on emerging risks ranging from climate resilience to cyber exposure.

The role sits at the intersection of strategy and real-world impact. Maw says it brings together everything she has learned over more than 25 years in the property and casualty insurance industry.

“What I love about risk consulting is that it touches every part of the business,” Maw says. “From underwriting and claims to prevention and customer needs. It’s really where strategy meets the real world.”

Maw did not originally plan to build a career in insurance. Her academic background is in human resources, and her entry into the industry came largely through opportunity.

Like many professionals in the sector, she discovered quickly that insurance offered something unexpected: complexity, challenge, and purpose.

Over the course of her career, Maw has worked across commercial insurance, personal lines, claims, and risk control. Those experiences ultimately led her to risk consulting, a field that helps businesses anticipate threats, prevent losses, and recover when disruptions occur.

“We’re essentially looking behind the curtain of a business and asking the, ‘What if?’ questions,” she says. “Helping organizations understand their risks and prepare for them is incredibly rewarding.”

That work has become increasingly important as businesses confront rapidly evolving threats. Zurich Resilient Solutions focuses on three core areas: risk engineering, climate resilience, and cyber resilience. All play a growing role in helping organizations remain operational in the face of disruption.

Maw has also overseen significant growth within the team. When she joined Zurich three years ago, the group consisted of just 18 people. Today it has expanded to nearly 60.

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“We built what was essentially a startup inside a very large organization,” she says. “We’ve developed a strong value proposition in the market and it’s incredibly fulfilling to watch the team grow and succeed.”

Like many technical areas of insurance, risk engineering has historically been male-dominated. Early in her career, Maw says building confidence in those environments was critical.

“One of the biggest lessons was learning to trust my own perspective,” she says. “Sometimes a woman’s voice can be overlooked or discounted, so developing confidence in your expertise is critical.”

Continuous learning and mentorship played key roles in that process.

“The mentors who shaped my career weren’t part of formal programs,” she says. “They were people I met through networking and industry relationships who created safe spaces to talk through ideas and challenges.”

For young professionals entering the industry today, particularly women, Maw encourages taking the initiative and reaching out to leaders they admire.

“People often assume senior leaders don’t have time,” she says. “But many of us genuinely welcome those conversations and want to help emerging talent succeed.”

As a leader herself, Maw says authenticity and transparency guide her approach.

“I want to be genuine and approachable,” she says. “When people trust their leaders, the energy within a team becomes incredibly powerful.”

She believes the industry is gradually seeing more women step into senior leadership roles, which helps create visibility for the next generation. But she also stresses that progress requires deliberate effort.

“Inclusive cultures don’t happen by accident,” Maw says. “They happen when leaders actively create opportunities for mentorship, encourage diverse perspectives, and make sure people feel supported.”

For Maw, the insurance industry ultimately provided something she did not expect when she first entered it, a sense of purpose.

“I found a career rooted in problem-solving and resilience,” she says.

And for women considering the field today, she believes the opportunity is significant.

David Gambrill

David has twice served as Canadian Underwriter’s senior editor, both from 2005 to 2012, and again from 2017 to the present.