Swiss Re has appointed Benjamin (Ben) Savill as CEO Australia & New Zealand, effective 1 Oct 2026, subject to regulatory approval, the reinsurer announced today.
He succeeds Trent Thomson, who was named global head of specialty reinsurance in May.
Based in Sydney, Savill joins from Guy Carpenter, where he was Pacific CEO. He brings three decades of underwriting and executive experience across London, Bermuda and Australia, including more than 18 years at Amlin, where he rose from underwriter to head of North American treaty. He went on to serve as CEO and group chief underwriting officer at Fidelis Insurance and chief underwriting officer for Bermuda at Convex Insurance, before joining Guy Carpenter in April 2024.
Urs Baertschi, CEO P&C Reinsurance at Swiss Re, said: “Combining executive leadership with deep technical expertise, Ben’s knowledge and broad industry perspective will see us continue to support our clients and partners in this important market.”
Savill takes over an ANZ business that has narrowed its focus since Swiss Re agreed to sell its Australian direct life portfolio to Hannover Life Re of Australasia as part of the group’s global exit from iptiQ. The reinsurer announced that transfer in April 2025 and expected it to complete within 18 months, putting completion in Savill’s first months in the role.
He also arrives amid a wider round of senior changes at the reinsurer in Asia Pacific, including Torben Swart’s promotion to head of technical and operational excellence for APAC ex-China, and the appointment of Yusuke Matsumoto to head of facultative re APAC in May.
The reinsurer also launched a centralised group broker management practice under Matthias Meyenhofer last month.
