Karen Clark & Company (KCC) is pleased to announce that Karen Clark, co-founder and CEO of KCC, has been named to Forbes’ prestigious 2025 “50 Over 50” list, which honors women who are redefining what it means to be a leader and innovator. The list, published annually by Forbes, celebrates trailblazers across sectors making significant impact into their 50s, 60s, and beyond.
A leading global authority on catastrophe risk assessment and management, Ms. Clark founded the first catastrophe modeling company in 1987 (AIR, acquired by ISO/Verisk in 2002) and is widely credited with creating the catastrophe modeling industry. The probabilistic catastrophe modeling techniques and innovative technologies Ms. Clark pioneered decades ago revolutionized the way insurers, reinsurers, and other financial institutions assess and manage extreme event risk.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized among such an inspiring group of women,” said Ms. Clark. “From the start, my goal has been to build credible models that are able to accurately quantify the evolving risk landscape, first for tropical cyclones and earthquakes and more recently for wildfires, winter storms, floods, and severe convective storms. This recognition underscores the importance of continuing to innovate in the face of climate change and escalating global threats.”
In its profile of Ms. Clark, Forbes highlighted her groundbreaking work helping businesses and policymakers in more than 50 countries assess hurricane, earthquake, wildfire, and other catastrophe risks. In the U.S. alone, KCC models are used to map more than $100 trillion in total risk exposure, helping insurers and reinsurers more effectively evaluate probabilities of insured losses.
Under Ms. Clark’s leadership, KCC has advanced catastrophe modeling to a new level of accuracy and transparency. KCC developed the first open loss modeling platform, RiskInsight®, as well as advanced tools for real-time event tracking and exposure management. All of KCC’s atmospheric peril models are climate-conditioned to incorporate past and future impacts of global warming.
Ms. Clark has received numerous accolades throughout her career. The honors include the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services, Hall of Fame Innovation and Leadership Award in 2018, the International Insurance Society’s John S. Bickley Founder’s Award in 2019, and an award certificate for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize bestowed on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for her contributions to the work of the IPCC since its inception.
Ms. Clark has been named the 14th most influential person in the insurance industry over the past 30 years by Reactions magazine and the 6th most influential Living Legend by National Underwriter.
The full Forbes 50 Over 50 list is available here.
Ms. Clark’s inclusion in the Forbes 50 Over 50 list reflects not only her pioneering legacy but also KCC’s continued role in delivering the industry’s most scientifically advanced, transparent, and climate-informed models. From helping clients quantify trillions of dollars in U.S. risk exposure to enabling better decision-making in real time, KCC remains at the forefront of weather, climate, and catastrophe risk innovation.
About Karen Clark & Company
Karen Clark & Company (KCC) provides advanced models, innovative software, and comprehensive consulting services for deeper insight into climate, weather, and catastrophe risk. KCC professionals are globally recognized experts in catastrophe modeling and risk management who work with company executives to enhance business strategies, competitive advantage, and financial results. KCC models cover tropical cyclones, extratropical cyclones, severe convective storms, winter storms, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes in over 50 countries. For more information, please visit www.karenclarkandco.com.
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