Laura Rate
About Laura Rate
Laura Rate is the Platform & Automation Delivery Lead at AXA XL, where she has worked since 2020. With extensive experience in project management across various organizations, she excels in stakeholder management, vendor management, and change management.
Current Role at AXA XL
Laura Rate serves as the Platform & Automation Delivery Lead at AXA XL, a division of AXA, since 2020. In this role, she leads the Cloud Delivery for the Platform & Automation team. Her responsibilities include overseeing Public & Private Cloud initiatives, CI/CD Pipeline management, Container Platform integration, and Automated Operations. She also manages the Control Plane and Core IT functions, ensuring effective delivery and implementation of cloud strategies.
Previous Experience at AXA XL
Before her current position, Laura Rate worked at AXA XL as a Senior Project Manager for Infrastructure & Security Public Cloud Implementation from 2018 to 2020. During this time, she focused on implementing security measures and infrastructure enhancements for cloud services, contributing to the organization's overall cloud strategy.
Career Background
Laura Rate has extensive experience in project management across various organizations. She worked at XL Catlin as a Senior Infrastructure Project Manager from 2015 to 2020, at Marsh as a Programme Manager from 2010 to 2012, and at HSBC as a Business Project Manager in 2009. Her earlier roles include positions at Aon, PwC, ACE, Allianz, and Swiss Re, where she managed diverse projects and teams.
Education and Certifications
Laura Rate studied at Palmers 6th Form College, where she achieved qualifications in Business, English, Media, and Law from 1996 to 1998. She also completed her GCSEs at La Sainte Union Grays Convent High School for Girls from 1991 to 1996. Additionally, she holds a Prince 2 Practitioner certification, demonstrating her expertise in project management methodologies.
Skills and Expertise
Laura Rate excels in stakeholder management, facilitating communication and alignment across various organizational levels. She possesses strong vendor management skills, ensuring effective collaboration with external partners. Her expertise extends to system strategy, process definition, and modeling, contributing to the optimization of workflows. She has significant experience in change management and mergers and acquisitions, enhancing her understanding of the financial services sector.