Leonardo Hernandez

Group Chief Financial Officer over 14 years of experience across insurance, reinsurance, and broking operations in multiple EU and LatAm jurisdictions. Trusted strategic partner to Boards and CEOs, combining deep financial expertise with a data-driven approach to governance, transformation, and growth. Proven track record in leading IFRS implementations, group consolidation, and financial modernization programs that strengthen transparency, control, and efficiency.

Skilled in strategic planning, liquidity management, and capital optimization, with a strong focus on aligning finance, underwriting, and operations under a unified governance framework. Passionate about building high-performing, curious teams and positioning data as a strategic asset to enable informed decision-making, regulatory compliance, and sustainable profitability across the Group.

Western Europe CFO & CDO at Barents Insurance (2025-01 – Present)

Insurance Group with Insurer and Agencies arms

• Designed and executed the Group's strategic plan, integrating finance, operations, and technology across independent entities under a unified Western Europe platform.
• Unified financial and data strategy across insurer and MGA entities, implementing IFRS and governance frameworks that strengthened control and profitability.
• Modernized core systems with new ERPs and enterprise data models, cutting reporting cycles by 50% and improving data quality by 35%.
• Partnered with the Board to build KPI dashboards linking strategy, finance, and operations, doubling efficiency and cross-functional alignment.

Head of Data Europe at Howden Broking Group (2023-01 – 2024-12)

Insurance and reinsurance broking group

• Orchestrated the Group Data Strategy across 22 countries, unifying 100+ data sources into a global Data Lake and evolving the regional warehouse into a scalable enterprise platform.
• Designed and implemented the European data architecture and governance model, improving lineage, quality, and compliance while partnering with 80+ C-level stakeholders.
• Built cross-country analytical and forecasting models leveraging AI, boosting reconciliation efficiency by 50% and identifying €100 M in cross-selling opportunities.

FP&A Data Lead at Howden Broking Group (2022-01 – 2023-12)

• Created a unified reporting framework across 20+ operations and multiple M&As, standardizing data use and increasing reporting reliability and insight quality.
• Built the first regional ETL pipelines consolidating data from 13 countries, reducing manual reporting time by 75% and accelerating decision cycles.
• Scaled data adoption fivefold and trained 30+ finance and business leaders in data literacy, embedding analytical self-service and a data-driven culture across Europe.

Controller & M&A Responsible LatAm and Med at Howden Broking Group (2019-01 – 2022-12)

• Led the full M&A lifecycle for 16 transactions (€200M+), overseeing due diligence, valuation, and post-merger integration to ensure compliance and financial performance.
• Standardized ERP and reporting environments across 11 companies, creating a unified financial and operational data backbone that improved control and transparency.
• Implemented IFRS 4, 9, 15 & 16 and Transfer Pricing frameworks across 23 entities, strengthening auditability, governance, and group alignment.

FP&A and Operations Manager at Howden Broking Group (2013-01 – 2019-12)

Andean & Central America at QBE Reinsurance (2011-01 – 2013-12)

Sr Analyst at Affinity (2011-01 – 2013-12)

Executive Master of Business Administration in EMBA Program – IESE BUSINESS SCHOOL (2020-01 – 2022-12)

Master in Finance – UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES (2014-01 – 2015-12)

Specialization in Finance Administration – UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES (2012-01 – 2013-12)

Bachelor in Economist – UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES (2008-01 – 2011-12)