Senior Staff

Pat Corless is the SVP Chief Enterprise Architect and Head of Standards at ACORD. He is responsible for all data exchange standards, covering P&C, L&A, and GRLC, including the development of our new Next-Generation Digital Standards, and the many facets of ACORD’s Reference Architecture.  He also works with ACORD Solutions Group to provide insurance industry expertise in data & process modeling. He works with our member companies to advise how their needs and ACORD’s initiatives align. He spent the first 18 years of his career with Accenture in the Insurance practice, planning, designing, and building systems for over a dozen large carriers and reinsurers. He then spent 15+ years as an Enterprise Architect, focusing on data architecture, integration architecture, and enterprise portfolio planning for Arch Insurance, Endurance (now part of Sompo), and Avon. Pat earned his B.S.E. in Operations Research from Princeton University.

Mike Di Stephan is ACORD’s General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, responsible for overseeing legal, regulatory and compliance activities. Mike has over two decades of broad and varied legal experience, including extensive work on all aspects of technology, data, outsourcing, and intellectual property transactions. Prior to his role at ACORD, Mike served for nearly ten years at Morgan Stanley as Head of Legal for Technology Transactions for the Americas, as well as serving on the Cloud Governance Committee.  Mike’s extensive experience is an invaluable asset for the ACORD community’s work at the intersection of technology, data, risk, and regulatory frameworks. 

As Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Tanya oversees Human Resources, Finance, Legal and Communications, as well as overall ACORD operations. Tanya brings more than 25 years of experience in the corporate world, primarily in Human Resources and Operations. She began her career in the retail industry, holding management and executive-level roles at Ann Taylor, Barney's New York, Talbots and Banana Republic. In 1987, she joined Country Road Australia Clothing as Director of Human Resources, eventually becoming Vice President of Human Resources. Tanya joined ACORD as Head of Human Resources in 2001, and became Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer in 2014. Tanya is a certified Chief Association Executive (CAE), a designation given by the American Society of Association Executives.

Malou Soriano is Senior Vice President, Global Chief Officer of Education, Consulting & Advocacy. In her role, Malou oversees ACORD’s training & education programs, member consulting engagements, and collaboration and advocacy within the global insurance community. She is responsible for leveraging the deep industry expertise of ACORD staff to help drive the industry forward in a manner that serves the needs and priorities of ACORD stakeholders, through a wide variety of white papers and articles, webinars, global events and digital learning tools. In her more than 15 years at ACORD, Malou has advanced the development, growth, and adoption of innovative, industry-leading standards and solutions; spearheaded industry education and training events for thousands of insurance professionals; and established and executed sales and client engagement strategies to grow and optimize revenue while delivering maximum value to the more than 36,000 global participants in the ACORD community. Malou has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience across business, revenue, and operations, with a focus on product development, membership growth and revenue, marketing, compliance, and underwriting decision tools. Prior to joining ACORD, she was employed at Verisk and ISO. Malou earned her Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Fordham University.

David Sterner is the Senior Vice President of Research & Development at ACORD, a non-profit organization that provides the global insurance industry with data standards, implementation solutions and thought leadership. In his role, Dave is responsible for leading global market research activities in support of ACORD’s strategy, as well as the goals and objectives of the organization’s member firms. Dave has over 20 years of experience delivering strategic research to the insurance industry. His focus includes financial and operational benchmarking, issues-based surveys, and developing insightful viewpoints on business and technology topics. Dave joins ACORD from EY, where he led the global insurance strategic market intelligence team.  Prior to EY, Dave held senior level positions in industry research and marketing at IBM and Accenture. Dave is a graduate of Drexel University’s LeBow School of Business Administration, where he earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and marketing and an M.B.A.