Swiss Re has name Urs Baertschi as new CEO reinsurance Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA), regional president and member of the group executive committee, effective from 1 September 2019.

Baertschi will succeed Russell Higginbotham who took over as CEO reinsurance Asia and regional president earlier this month.

Prior to taking on this new position, Baertschi served as president of reinsurance Latin America for the past four years and before this he was the managing director, head principal investments & acquisitions Americas. He previously also held a variety of M&A and private equity roles both in and outside of Swiss Re focusing on insurance, healthcare and financial services.

Walter B. Kielholz, Swiss Re’s chairman, said: “Urs Baertschi is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of broad expertise in the financial services industry. He has a proven track record of fostering sustainable growth and the right skills to lead our business in EMEA to new strengths as we continue to focus on innovation across our business lines. We are pleased to appoint such a strong internal candidate to this important role, ensuring continuity for our clients.”