Kara Raiguel

CEO & President of General Re Unit, Berkshire Hathaway

Search every verified Kara Raiguel interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In an October 2022 episode of the podcast Route to the Top, recorded on Iceland's Langjökull glacier, Kara Raiguel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gen Re, discussed her career path and approach to risk. Raiguel described starting as an actuary with a background in math and credited her professional advancement to consistently accepting new opportunities. She explained that reinsurance functions as insurance for insurance companies, addressing aggregated risks such as those from hurricanes in areas like Naples or Fort Myers, and noted that Berkshire Hathaway provides the freedom to decline risks that are not adequately compensated. Raiguel also shared her views on leadership and resilience, stating that she values respecting colleagues and building trust regardless of hierarchy, which she said fosters honest communication and a willingness to take calculated risks. She recounted a painful experience reading negative client feedback, which she used as motivation to improve her performance, and emphasized the importance of learning from setbacks and moving forward.