Cathy Paugh is an accomplished CFO with deep insurance industry experience gained over a dynamic 35-year career. She is a sought-after advisor to boards and executives in corporate finance, financial planning and analysis, capital markets, strategic planning, deal execution and regulatory compliance. Cathy is a risk management expert and a qualified audit committee financial expert, ready to make an immediate impact on a public or private company board.
Cathy is a natural problem-solver and leader who thrives in challenging environments. Her track record of steady and reliable achievements throughout her career with Prudential resulted in her selection for high-visibility roles of increasing responsibility. In her final role as Prudential’s Head of Global Reinsurance Strategy, Cathy transformed the reinsurance function from a transactional to a strategic partner engagement model, centralizing enterprise-wide activities around the world for the first time.
As CFO of the $10B revenue Group Insurance Business, she led a team responsible for controllership and capital management, as well as financial reporting, planning and analysis. Cathy has been a crucial dealmaker for Prudential businesses, identifying and executing multiple strategic transactions with third parties resulting in $6B+ in capital efficiencies over the course of her career. In all of her roles, she was instrumental in enhancing data-driven decision-making models.
Cathy played a crucial role in enhancing regulatory and risk management capabilities related to Prudential’s post-2008 financial crisis response. She provided strategic and operational oversight of the company’s capital and liquidity teams, implementing stress testing capabilities and contributing to model validation programs. As a key liaison with both Federal and State regulators, Cathy helped Prudential successfully navigate the most disruptive era of financial reform in modern history and build lasting, strategic relationships between the Company and its external stakeholders. She was instrumental in creating the centralized function that manages enterprise-wide regulatory risk.
Cathy worked closely with Prudential’s board, particularly the finance committee, and led new director onboarding for certain risk and regulatory matters. She has been both a board member and strategic advisor to the Center for Evaluation and Counseling, a nonprofit focused on supporting families in crisis, and is a strategic advisor to start-ups in the InsureTech and manufacturing sectors.
Throughout her career, Cathy has been instrumental in the development of diverse finance talent through strategic investment and mentorship programs at Prudential, Rutgers University and other formal and informal networks.
Cathy received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MBA from Columbia University School of Business. She enjoys volunteering in her community, global travel, hiking, and cooking with her family.
