Swiss Re has appointed Claudia Cordioli to lead its reinsurance business in Western and Southern Europe.

From 1 April 2018, Cordioli will assume the role of CEO for Western and Southern Europe, with the move consolidating the reinsurer's France, Benelux and Switzerland operations with its Iberia, Mediterranean and Italy unit, which has been led by Cordioli since 2016.

Before that, she was CFO for Swiss Re’s EMEA reinsurance division. She joined the reinsurer in 2003.

The appointment follows the move of former head of the France Benelux and Switzerland region, Ivo Hux, to the position of general manager of Swiss Re Europe, Luxemburg.

The reinsurance giant said that the financial strength and expanded scope of this combined region will allow it to efficiently enable the European insurance industry to move forward on key priorities. These include reducing underinsurance through technology-based natural catastrophe insurance, further progressing product development to meet the needs of digital consumers and strengthening the use of reinsurance as a tailored tool for efficient capital management.

Jean-Jacques Henchoz, CEO reinsurance EMEA, said: "The consolidated Western and Southern European region offers Swiss Re a stronger basis to approach this significant group of insurance markets.

“This move gives us the strategic focus to strengthen our long-established relationships and to help our partners grow, especially through technological innovation and tailored reinsurance solutions. Claudia Cordioli's work in helping our partners close protection gaps, especially regarding natural catastrophe protection, as well as her strong financial knowledge, make her the ideal choice to lead our partnerships in this region."