Laura Arenas

Laura Arenas is a visionary Risk Officer with over a decade of international experience driving digital resilience and enterprise risk transformation across leading financial and technology institutions. Currently serving as COO Risk Officer – Digital Resilience at Allianz Technology, she leads the design and execution of global risk governance frameworks that integrate cyber, IT, and operational domains. Laura holds a PhD in Business with a focus on risk modeling and emerging technologies, and is a published thought leader with 10+ peer-reviewed articles, multiple book chapters, and global speaking engagements. A Global Ambassador for Women in AI and Editorial Board Member for key academic journals, she is passionate about shaping resilient, intelligent organizations through automation, innovation, and strategic risk management.

What makes you a Risky Woman?

I’m a Risky Woman because I fuse global experience with a digital-first mindset, making governance human, innovative, and future-ready. I lead with courage, mentor women in risk, and turn regulation into resilience—proving risk leadership can be bold, inclusive, and transformative.

Name your top 3 achievements

1. Built Allianz Technology’s Digital Information Risk Management (DIRM) framework – embedding resilience across Information Security, IT Risk, Data Privacy, and Third-Party Risk, and leading a global network of 30+ experts to align governance with business strategy.
2. Pioneered automation of regulatory risk processes at CaixaBank – introducing bots and rule-based automation for capital, liquidity, and compliance reporting, significantly improving accuracy, efficiency, and EU regulatory alignment (ECB’s BIRD initiative).
3. Shaped global thought leadership in risk and emerging tech – PhD in Business (cum laude), 10+ peer-reviewed articles, 3 book chapters, and 15+ international conference talks on AI, cyber, and risk; Global Ambassador for Women in AI.

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?

I risked stepping out of traditional banking into tech-driven resilience, betting on AI and cyber before they were mainstream. That leap—from compliance comfort to digital uncertainty—defined my career and proved that real leadership means running toward the unknown, not away from it.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Beyond risk, I’m a published researcher on happiness economics—proving resilience is as much about people’s wellbeing as it is about compliance. You can access to the article here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317436928_An_economic_happiness_model_and_its_evidence_for_Mexico

What is the best quality for successful leaders in Risk?

The best quality is visionary courage—the ability to see beyond today’s risks, embrace emerging challenges like AI and cyber, and transform uncertainty into resilience and opportunity.