FORTY Under 40: Eliza Opłocka
Eliza Opłocka, captive operations leader, Marsh Captive Solutions.
Opłocka leads the Marsh captive operations group in Warsaw, Poland, coordinating accounting and insurance services for multiple captives located in the EMEA and IMEA regions and overseeing a team of account managers and administrators who handle the daily operations of each company.
Since 2025, Opłocka has been involved in Marsh’s business development efforts, helping to promote the captive insurance concept across Central and Eastern Europe. This work includes engaging with stakeholders in regions where captive solutions are less established.
During her time with Marsh Captive Solutions, Opłocka has supported clients in several different jurisdictions, working with various local GAAP requirements and assisting in establishing new captives in emerging domiciles. She also led the implementation of IFRS 17 for her captive clients, collaborating with actuaries to select and refine models to address technical and practical considerations.
Opłocka joined Marsh in 2018, bringing eight years of prior experience from “big four” audit firms, where she focused on audits of insurance companies. Her experience and expertise contribute meaningfully to the captive insurance industry, helping provide value to clients.
Looking back at your journey over the past year, what accomplishment are you most proud of, and how has becoming a FORTY Under 40 finalist influenced your perspective on that achievement?
I believe my greatest accomplishment has been consistently delivering the highest standard of service to our clients, a goal achieved through the dedication and collaboration of my team and efficiencies I implemented. Ensuring every client receives equal attention and quality service remains a top priority.
I am also particularly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Marsh’s business development team. This role has reinforced my belief that the captive industry is a dynamic and diverse field, offering continuous opportunities for growth and new challenges – even after many years in the sector.
Leadership not just about technical expertise or managing processes, but also about cultivating collaboration and empathy across diverse teams.
Becoming a FORTY Under 40 finalist has deepened my sense of purpose in the work we do. I hope this recognition not only motivates me but also inspires my team and others within the captive community to pursue their own journeys with passion and commitment.
What key challenge did you face in your work this year? How did you overcome it and what did it teach you about leadership at this stage of your career?
One key challenge this year was driving effective cross-cultural and regional cooperation among highly specialised professionals across different disciplines and jurisdictions. Our teams include experts from actuarial, brokerage, accounting, IT and local offices, each with their own technical language, priorities and ways of working. Aligning these diverse perspectives to achieve mutual understanding of our shared purposes and goals was critical to delivering seamless and effective outcomes both internally and for our clients.
To overcome this challenge, I focused on fostering open communication and creating a common language that bridged the gaps between specialties and cultures. This involved organising regular cross-functional workshops and one-to-one meetings to examine differing assumptions, clarify expectations, understand the purpose of action and build trust.
This experience reinforced that leadership at this stage of my career is not just about technical expertise or managing processes, but also about cultivating collaboration and empathy across diverse teams.
In what ways have you tried to push innovation or rethink traditional approaches within your sector, and what impact has that had on your team or organisation?
In my role, I am consistently focused on driving improvement and enhancing efficiencies across the organisation.
At an organisational level, I have led efforts to educate and share captive and finance reporting knowledge throughout Marsh, fostering collaboration among colleagues from different units. This dialogue helped align mutual expectations, leading to clear process agreements and time effectiveness and it has been instrumental in delivering more efficient and seamless service to our clients.
A key part of this innovation involved partnering closely with IT to define and implement system enhancements. These improvements automated numerous manual processes, significantly reducing daily workloads and allowing our teams to focus on higher-value activities.
Furthermore, I have championed the captive insurance concept within the organisation, particularly by raising awareness among brokers and equipping them with the knowledge effectively to promote captives to their clients. This comprehensive approach to process improvement, education, and technology adoption has driven meaningful innovation and strengthened both team performance and client outcomes.
How do you see your role evolving over the next three to five years, and what initiatives are you most excited to pursue as you continue to grow professionally?
With a solid foundation as a finance and reporting professional and experience leading the captive operations group office and a team of skilled accountants, I am increasingly engaged in business development efforts that strengthen my relationships with external clients. I am interested in guiding clients through the captive insurance process from the beginning, conducting feasibility studies, recommending customized solutions and working closely with brokers to design effective insurance programmes.
Additionally, I retain a strong interest in local captive legislation and the distinct advantages of various jurisdictions. Over the next few years, I would like to pursue the opportunity to take on a role that will enable me to expand my knowledge and interests in that area, close to the business and clients.
Many of the FORTY Under 40 winners are recognised for both business success and broader impact – how do you balance professional excellence with contributions to your community or industry landscape?
As a professional accountant, I am dedicated to maintaining up-to-date knowledge of international and local accounting standards. This commitment ensures that the financial statements I prepare are not only accurate and compliant but also provide clear, actionable business insights.
Beyond my core responsibilities, I actively contribute to the broader community and industry by driving standardisation and efficiency improvements across a vast portfolio of clients in the regions I service. My wide perspective, technical expertise and cross-jurisdictional insight enable me to implement scalable solutions that deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes. This unique vantage point allows me to effect impactful changes that benefit not only my immediate clients but also help shape broader industry best practices. I am also involved in advancing awareness of the captive insurance concept.
Additionally, as an IFRS 17 expert, I provide regulatory knowledge and guidance to clients throughout the region, further supporting their understanding and compliance.
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