We could tell you what it’s like to work at Swiss Re, but we'd rather let our colleagues do that. Meet some of our people as they explain what they love about working at Swiss Re and much more.
Tomas Pohl, Data Scientist, Digital & Smart Analytics Service, Bratislava
"I’m eager to learn about data science from my colleagues and to share my knowledge of computer science."
What path led to your current job?
I finished my degree in computer science a couple of months ago. During my search for student positions in data science, Swiss Re stood out for the positive things I heard and read about it. I also knew one of my former university lecturers works here. My decision to accept Swiss Re’s offer was the right one – I moved over to a permanent role in June.
What motivates you every day?
I’m eager to learn about data science from my colleagues and to share my knowledge of computer science. I’ve also been motivated by the projects I’ve had a chance to work on so far, which have been very diverse and interesting. In one project, we’ve been using temperature, precipitation and other satellite data to calculate the risk of crop failure.
Do you take advantage of Swiss Re’s flexible work practices?
Since I joined Swiss Re during the pandemic, I’ve been working from home full time. It’s good to know that when my team goes back to the office, I’ll still have the option to start my workday very early in the morning or on the late side to avoid commuter traffic. This flexibility was one of the reasons I chose to join the company.
Katherine Chen, Data Science Manager China, Group Digital & Information Services, Beijing
“We’re smarter together” sums it up well: the people here really are very smart.
What path led to your current job?
After earning my PhD in computer science, I worked as a data scientist at two leading IT and Internet companies. I knew nothing about insurance or reinsurance at that time. When I started at Swiss Re, I quickly saw how my experience with machine learning and data analytics could contribute to solving problems in this more traditional industry.
How do you help make the world more resilient?
I help our underwriters quantify new risks as well as well-known ones, so we can support clients’ better. Take electric cars, for example. As ownership has grown, so has the demand for insurance that covers electric car batteries, which are very expensive. Due to the lack of historical data, this risk is uninsurable using traditional estimation approaches. With advanced machine learning and distributed computing techniques, we can build models that predict risks accurately from non-traditional information sources, such as anonymised big data on telematics and internet usage.
What has been your proudest moment so far?
I’m proud that our work in data analytics has enabled Swiss Re to become the first company to underwrite risks for new energy vehicles. Machine learning gives us a competitive edge in meeting clients’ needs.
What motivates you every day?
Swiss Re’s motto “We’re smarter together” sums it up well: the people here really are very smart. As a tech person, I can also learn new things every day, from what it means to have a commercial mindset to how to manage people and communicate more effectively
Jaap Berghuijs, Senior Structurer, Reinsurance, Zurich
"For me personally, it’s important that I can make a positive contribution to society."
What path led you to your current job?
Natural hazards such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes have always interested me. I got to know Swiss Re while doing my masters in Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich, and was fascinated to learn how Swiss Re protects its clients and society as a whole from the financial impact of serious natural hazards. Now that I work at the company, I develop appropriate customer-specific reinsurance solutions in cross-functional teams.
How do you drive innovation in your area?
Innovation is important for nearly all our projects – our clients' situation and needs are always unique. We adjust the set-up of our team accordingly; sometimes we're a team of five, sometimes we're more than 30 people, depending on the size and complexity of the transaction. During the process, we coordinate with each other in short sprints. We also support and enable innovation among others, for example when insurers want to share the risk of a new insurance product with us.
How is Swiss Re different from other employers?
At Swiss Re we enjoy great flexibility in how, when and where we work, which is part of an initiative called "Own The Way You Work". This is especially helpful now that I've recently become a father of a little girl. It was also great that I could take eight weeks of paternity leave, of which five were paid.
What else is important to you?
I value the excellent personal development opportunities at Swiss Re – for example, I spent three months in China last year as part of a job rotation. Most important to me personally is that my work is meaningful and contributes positively to society.
Miriam Beltran, Property Facultative Underwriter, Reinsurance Latin America, Mexico City
"At Swiss Re, people are always ready to support each other."
What was the path that led to your current position?
I’ve always found my work in the insurance industry interesting. I joined Swiss Re more than four years ago, and my career has been very satisfactory. I started out in Technical Accounting in the Property & Casualty area, and over the course of two years, I had the opportunity to be part of the Business Services team, where I provided administrative support to underwriters. Last year, I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge and decided to take up a new challenge, this time as an underwriter.
What differentiates Swiss Re from other employers?
I would highlight that we are a real team, people are always ready to support each other. I'd also mention the willingness of everyone to share their knowledge and ideas across business areas and locations. Finally, at Swiss Re we are a global company. We live it day by day through our interaction with teams from different regions. I am currently in Mexico, but my team is in Colombia and Miami. It's amazing!
Could you share an example of the times you've left your comfort zone?
Considering all the different business areas I've worked in and my career at Swiss Re, I dare say I've never been in my comfort zone. I see challenges as opportunities. I like to learn new things and understand more in depth what we do in the company. That's why, every time I've had the opportunity, I've raised my hand to come up with new ideas or to participate in a project that interested me.
Rahul Jain, Head Robotic Automation Centre of Excellence, Bangalore
"It feels good when a colleague expresses thanks for a solution you built."
What path led you to your current job?
After earning my masters in finance and business administration and credentials in accounting and Six Sigma, I went into investment banking. That's when I became interested in the sheer volatility of the business and how it depends on pretty much everything happening in the world. The chance to take a robotics-focused role at Swiss Re nicely fit in with my goal to enhance my skills in robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
How do you help make the world more resilient?
In my team, we develop robotic automation solutions that spare people having to perform repetitive, manual tasks. We make the world more resilient by enabling our colleagues to focus
on building Swiss Re's knowledge and using it to help clients manage their risks.
How is Swiss Re different from other employers?
Swiss Re is more open to technological innovation in day-to-day business operations than other finance and insurance companies, investing in areas such as machine learning, advanced analytics for modelling and decision making, cognitive automation and AI. It also offers an unusual amount of flexibility. Everyone in my team may work from home as long as others know how they can be reached. Our hours are also flexible, depending on the project and the need to interact face to face. I myself leave the office at about 3:30pm to avoid peak traffic and work from home thereafter.
What has been your proudest moment so far?
One moment which comes to mind is a project where we created a robot “farm” that performs an entire reconciliation process. The robots interact seamlessly, downloading general ledger accounts and bank statements, applying complex business rules and uploading unreconciled items to the right system in digestible form. After implementation, our colleagues noticed just one change – the huge amount of time and effort they saved.