Walter B. Kielholz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swiss Re, said: "I am delighted that Robert Henrikson has agreed to his nomination. With his extensive experience in the insurance industry as a Chief Executive Officer as well as a Chairman of the Board of Directors, he brings a deep expertise in business of our most important clients and in the key US market."
Robert Henrikson, a US national, has served as Chairman of the Board of MetLife, Inc. since April 2006 and was MetLife's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from March 2006 through April 2011. As Chief Executive, Robert Henrikson led MetLife to achieve record financial results and positioned the company to expand its leadership positions.
Robert Henrikson holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law. In July 2010, Henrikson was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Export Council, the principal national advisory committee on international trade. He is the former chairman of the Financial Services Forum.
Executive Committee strengthened with Regional Presidents
In order to strengthen regional representation at the senior leadership level, the company has named three Regional Presidents to the Executive Committee of Swiss Re Ltd, effective 1 January 2012. The Regional President role is newly established and will be assumed in the respective regions by the existing regional heads of Swiss Re's Reinsurance Business Unit in addition to their current responsibilities.
The Regional Presidents will serve as senior representatives of the Swiss Re Group in their particular region. The three Regional Presidents are as follows:
Jean-Jacques Henchoz, responsible for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), joined Swiss Re in 1998 and served as CEO of Swiss Re Canada until mid-2010.
Martyn Parker, responsible for Asia, joined Swiss Re in 1996 with the acquisition of Mercantile and General Re. He has been head of Swiss Re's Reinsurance Asia division since 1 June 2006.
J. Eric Smith, responsible for the Americas, joined Swiss Re in July 2011 from USAA Life Insurance Co. where he had been President since 2010. Prior to that, he was President of Allstate Financial Services for seven years.