Head Innovation & Strategy

Head of Innovation & Strategy – L&H Japan

Are you a bold thinker who thrives at the intersection of innovation, strategy, and client impact? Do you want to shape the future of life and health reinsurance in one of the world's most dynamic insurance markets? If so, this is your opportunity to make a lasting mark at Swiss Re Japan.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of L&H Japan, this is a high-impact leadership role responsible for driving Swiss Re's Innovation and Solutions agenda while supporting the Japan L&H Leadership Team on broader market strategy. Positioned at the crossroads of underwriting, claims, client engagement, data intelligence, and strategy, you will identify emerging client needs, market trends, competitor developments, and new opportunities to create differentiated product and service offerings across the end-to-end insurance value chain.

This role leads go-to-market strategy for Swiss Re Japan — spanning both broader market strategy and Innovation strategy — advancing data-driven underwriting and claims solutions, automation, digital health, AI-enabled offerings, and insurtech-related initiatives that strengthen Swiss Re's commercial relevance and market differentiation. It is a rare opportunity to combine innovation, data-driven insight, client engagement, commercial execution, and strategic advisory to help shape the future direction of Swiss Re's L&H business in Japan.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Innovation and Solutions agenda for L&H Japan, including go-to-market strategy and execution for data-driven underwriting and claims solutions, automation, digital health, AI-enabled offerings, data analytics, and insurtech-related initiatives
• Support the Japan L&H Leadership Team on overall market strategy, contributing to the development of strategic priorities, market positioning, and key business initiatives
• Drive market intelligence and data-driven insight, including monitoring client needs, competitor activities, emerging technologies, data analytics trends, and insurtech developments to identify strategic and commercial opportunities
• Identify and develop new client-centric solutions and potential new sources of income through differentiated product and service offerings, technology, and insurtech partnerships
• Partner with cross-functional teams locally, regionally, and globally across Client Markets, Underwriting, Claims, Products & Pricing, and Solutions to build and manage a pipeline of opportunities from ideation through client engagement, implementation, and delivery
• Manage selected Innovation and Solutions initiatives as project owner, ensuring clear business objectives, stakeholder alignment, execution discipline, external engagement where relevant, and measurable commercial impact

About the Team

The L&H Japan team is a collaborative, client-focused group with deep market expertise spanning reinsurance, underwriting, claims, product development, and client engagement. The team brings together strong client relationships, technical excellence, and sharp market insight to support Swiss Re's growth ambitions in Japan — one of the most sophisticated and strategically important insurance markets in the world.

Working closely across functions in Japan and connecting with regional and global teams, the team is united by a shared commitment to bringing Swiss Re's full capabilities to the local market. Collaboration, innovation, commercial discipline, and practical execution are at the heart of how the team operates — always in service of clients and partners.

About You

We are looking for a curious, commercially minded, and strategically sharp professional who is passionate about innovation and driven to create real impact. You bring deep expertise in L&H insurance or reinsurance, a strong understanding of the Japan market, and the ability to connect big-picture thinking with hands-on execution. You are a natural collaborator and communicator who can engage clients, inspire teams, and navigate complex, cross-functional environments with confidence and clarity.

We Are Looking for Candidates Who Meet These Requirements:

• 10–15+ years of experience in L&H insurance or reinsurance, with a strong foundation in underwriting, claims, actuarial, product, or insurance operations
• Strong experience in underwriting or risk-related innovation, data-driven initiatives, insurtech partnerships, automation, digital health, or AI-enabled solutions
• Proven ability to engage clients, understand their needs, and translate market and client insights into practical, value-driven innovation and solutions
• Experience supporting strategy, business development, product innovation, new business models, or cross-functional initiatives, with a clear commercial mindset
• Fluency in Japanese with business-level English, enabling effective engagement across local, regional, and global stakeholders

These Are Additional Nice to Haves:

• Strong market-sensing and stakeholder management capabilities, with the ability to understand evolving industry trends, technology developments, regulations, competitor activity, and client priorities
• A strategic mindset with genuine curiosity for innovation and evolving market dynamics
• Experience working in or with insurtech, digital health, or AI-enabled solution providers
• Familiarity with regional and global reinsurance dynamics and how they intersect with the Japan market
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects from ideation through to commercial delivery
• Experience in cross-functional leadership across underwriting, claims, product, and client-facing teams

Our company has a hybrid work model where the expectation is that you will be in the office at least three days per week.