LONDON — As one of the very best of a new breed of German communications professionals, Sabia Schwarzer will be honoured with the Outstanding Individual Achievement SABRE at the 2020 EMEA SABRE Awards this week. 

Schwarzer took on the top communications job at Allianz in 2015, stepping into the formidable shoes of Emilio Galli Zugaro, who had been head of corporate comms at the insurer for 23 years.

As an Allianz lifer herself after a career that started in journalism, Schwarzer’s elevation came after spending two decades with the insurance giant in a variety of senior marketing and communications roles around the world, including as head of communications for North America for 14 years, as a board member of the Allianz Foundation, and as head of communications for Asia Pacific. As a result, she describes herself as having “an American heart, Asian sense of duty and European diligence”.

Schwarzer, who is passionate about equality, technology and health, is now responsible for global communication and environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy for the Allianz Group, managing a global team of communicators and corporate responsibility professionals.

Schwarzer acts as a coach and a valued “sparring partner” for Allianz senior executives and is an advocate of a robust social media strategy and data analytics, including developing and monitoring meaningful KPIs across all media and communications activities.