Meet 2025 Risk All Star Barbara Johnson-Bechthold of Clean Energy
Since its inception in the early 1990s, Clean Energy has faced unique challenges in one of the most risk-sensitive industries.
As a privately funded startup developing alternative fuel infrastructure when gasoline and diesel dominated the market, the company operated in uncharted territory where standard insurance models simply didn’t apply.
For Barbara Johnson-Bechthold, vice president, administration & risk management of Clean Energy, the lack of insurability posed an existential threat to the organization. Insurance carriers, accustomed to working with massive oil corporations, struggled to assess the risk profile of a company building infrastructure for fuels that were largely unfamiliar to the market.
Securing even basic coverage proved challenging, while obtaining surety bonding for construction projects seemed nearly impossible. The solution required more than policies and paperwork — it demanded deep industry insight, strategic relationships, and a commitment to innovation.
Drawing from her risk management career that began in 1983, Barbara brought a powerful combination of technical insurance expertise, operational knowledge, and strong industry relationships to address these challenges. Johnson-Bechthold crafted a custom-built risk program that aligned with Clean Energy’s groundbreaking business model. She immersed herself in every facet of the business, becoming fluent in both risk management and operations.
This understanding allowed her to bridge the gap between insurance technicalities and on-the-ground realities.
“The biggest challenge I faced was navigating an entirely new frontier, one that the insurance industry didn’t understand and frankly didn’t know how to underwrite,” Johnson-Bechthold explained. “We had to be educators and advocates, building relationships with underwriters, walking them through our operations and aligning our innovative mission with their risk tolerance and sustainability goals.”
Johnson-Bechthold’s approach transformed transactional relationships into strategic alliances. Rather than simply assessing risk, underwriters came to understand how their sustainability goals aligned with Clean Energy’s mission. The risk management program developed by Johnson-Bechthold didn’t just protect the business — it helped accelerate it.
Her strategy enabled the successful placement of key financial policies, including D&O liability, cyber liability, employed lawyers, professional liability, and EPLI. On the operational side, workers’ comp became a standout success.
As Clean Energy’s workforce evolved to include technical, engineering, field, and corporate roles, Johnson-Bechthold implemented precise classification codes to reflect the actual work being performed. This attention to detail reduced misclassifications, minimized claims friction, and resulted in measurable cost savings and risk exposure reduction. Perhaps most impressively, Johnson-Bechthold maintained insurance continuity and favorable coverage terms even during periods of market tightening.
Her relationships with underwriters — and their understanding of the company’s mission — allowed Clean Energy to navigate adverse conditions with minimal financial disruption, greatly furthering the company’s goals. &
View All of the 2025 Risk All Stars