Leah Cotterill

Leah Cotterill is Chief Distribution Officer (CDO) at Cigna Insurance Middle East and Africa. In this capacity, she leads the MEA market growth teams, oversees local International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) operations, drives Middle East and Africa’s market development strategy and frames buyer group needs for various segments.

Leah has over 20 years of experience in the health and wellness industry. Prior to her current role, she was Chief Operations Officer at Cigna Insurance Middle East (CIME). She was responsible for delivering an operating model that met and exceeded a diverse set of customer and client expectations and enabled the delivery of CIME’s short, medium and long-term strategic priorities, as well as for re-aligning the Operations 2020 vision and strategy.

Leah joined Cigna in 2008 when the Middle East business was in its infancy, initially in Sales and then building the Client Management capability in region. In 2013, she took an assignment to the US, where she led the Client Management Team for Global Health Benefits in North America, before returning to the Middle East to lead the global client migration activity to Cigna’s new operating model following the acquisition of Zurich Insurance Middle East.

Prior to joining Cigna, she worked for AXA PPP Healthcare, serving in various roles from customer service operations to business development. She was responsible for growth, relationships and service delivery to UK-based large corporate clients and distribution partners.

A global leader with experience ranging across multiple continents, Leah brings to the table an international mindset, coupled with an energetic, resilient, and collaborative approach focused on delivering results.

In addition to driving Cigna’s growth strategy, Leah is passionately at the forefront of Cigna’s Women Influencing & Networking initiative, which helps women break down barriers to reach their full potential in the workforce.