NEW ORLEANS, March 18, 2025 ‑ Pan‑American Life Insurance Group (PALIG), a leading provider of life, accident, and health insurance throughout the Americas, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Maria Azua Himmel to its Board of Directors, effective April 30, 2025.
Dr. Maria Azua Himmel is a seasoned technology executive and thought leader with over two decades of experience driving technological transformation in the financial services industry. She currently serves as a Managing Director at Bank of America and most recently, led the bank’s container transformation and cloud adoption strategy. Prior to Bank of America, she held leadership roles at Fidelity Investments and Barclays Bank and served as CIO of Global Process Outsourcing at IBM.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Maria Azua Himmel to our Board of Directors,” said José S. Suquet, Chairman of the Board and CEO of PALIG. “Her proven track record in technology innovation, coupled with her ability to integrate emerging technologies with validated processes, will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our digital capabilities and optimize our operations.”
With 50 technology patents to her name and as the author of The Social Factor: Innovate, Ignite, and Win through Mass Collaboration and Social Networking, Dr. Maria Azua Himmel has consistently demonstrated her ability to identify and apply emerging trends to create business value. She holds a doctoral degree in Computer Science from Pace University and is also actively engaged with several prominent organizations, including the American Red Cross (North Carolina Region), the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), and the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA).
In addition to the Board seat, Dr. Maria Azua Himmel will serve on the Finance and Audit Committees, bringing her extensive expertise in technology, data management, and financial services.