After more than four decades of shaping the financial DNA of Crum & Forster, Arleen Paladino is receiving the kind of recognition that feels both earned and overdue.
Arleen Paladino, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, has been named a 2025 NJBIZ Leading Woman in Business, a distinction awarded to professionals whose leadership reaches beyond bottom lines and into the broader business community.
She will be honored at a ceremony in Somerset alongside a group of accomplished women from across industries, each selected through a competitive nomination process reviewed by an independent judging panel.
Arleen Paladino’s journey at Crum & Forster began in 1979. Over the years, she has built deep institutional knowledge across departments, including field reporting, financial operations, internal audit, IT project management, SOX 404 compliance, and financial reporting.
Today, she is responsible for the organization’s financial reporting, management reporting, internal audit, planning, and business unit support departments, functions that are foundational to the company’s operations and strategy.
Her career reflects the kind of professional evolution few executives achieve: rising through the ranks with the company while adapting to a constantly shifting regulatory and technological landscape.
“Arleen leads with integrity, patience and clarity, always choosing what is right for the company, even when it’s not the easy path,” said Marc Adee, CEO of Crum & Forster. “Her steady guidance has been instrumental in shaping our culture and reinforcing our financial foundation.”
That kind of steady guidance has been especially vital during periods of industry transformation. Arleen Paladino is known inside the company for her long-term thinking, pragmatic risk assessments, and measured approach to change.
Her ability to manage complexity while preserving transparency has helped reinforce the company’s financial stability and strategic readiness as it scales.
Crum & Forster is a leading national insurer offering property, casualty, and accident & health products. Through its admitted and surplus lines companies, C&F delivers specialty insurance across a wide spectrum of markets and industries.
Founded in 1822, it is one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States. Today, it conducts business through a broad network of independent agents, brokers, and wholesalers.
In 2024, Crum & Forster reported $5.7 billion in gross written premium and maintained an “A” (Excellent) rating from AM Best, underscoring its financial strength and operational soundness.
Arleen Paladino’s oversight of the company’s internal audit and reporting mechanisms plays a direct role in supporting that consistent performance.
The NJBIZ Leading Women in Business Awards, launched in 2007, celebrate New Jersey executives who not only excel in their roles but also create meaningful change in their organizations and communities.
Arleen Paladino views the recognition as shared.
“I’m incredibly honored to be recognized among such accomplished women across an array of industries,” she said. “The award is not just a personal milestone, it’s a testament to the incredible people I’ve worked alongside at C&F. I’ve always believed that speaking up and staying true to your values can make all the difference.”
It’s a modest statement from someone whose career spans the entire modern history of the company’s financial operations. But it captures her team-first mindset, an approach she’s carried through every audit, every compliance overhaul, and every leadership meeting.
Arleen Paladino holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from West Virginia Wesleyan College and an MBA in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Those academic foundations laid the groundwork for her highly analytical and detail-oriented leadership style. Her ability to connect financial discipline with strategic foresight has proven critical to C&F’s growth and culture.
Arleen Paladino’s career offers something rare in today’s fast-paced executive world: proof that long-term leadership, built on clarity, values, and consistency, still matters.
Her NJBIZ award doesn’t just honor what she’s accomplished. It affirms the kind of leadership that holds steady through decades of change, and quietly sets the tone for the future.
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