1. No category

Company profile Executive Management
Executive Management
The Executive Management is the highest execu­
t­ive body of Helvetia Group and is responsible
for implementing the strategy adopted by the
Board of Directors. The organisational structure
of the Management is oriented to the value chain
and the management of the operating business
units. Key functions such as the management of
financial operations and information technology,
investment business, group reinsurance, strategic
and operational functions and parts of risk and
personnel management are centralised, making
it easier to pool knowledge and resources. The
management structure – with cross-border, functional responsibilities – is very efficient, enables
rapid decision-making, enhances transparency
and avoids duplication.
Two significant takeovers
The takeovers of Nationale Suisse and Basler
Austria have brought about changes in the Ex­
ecutive Management, both in the Group as well
as in the local companies, which mainly came into
force as of 1 January 2015. For the purposes of
relevance, we are publishing this information in
this Annual Report.
Changes to the Group Executive
Management
Wolfram Wrabetz retired from the Helvetia
Group Executive Management as at 31 December 2014, having been a member for many
years. Wolfram Wrabetz served Helvetia for a
total of 33 years, the last 20 of which as CEO for
Helvetia Germany. In this role, he was also a
member of the Group Executive Management
since 1998.
Markus Gemperle, previously Head of Strategy and Operations, will be managing the new
market area of “Europe” in the future. This includes the country markets of Germany, Austria,
Italy and Spain as well as the Group-wide functions of Corporate IT and Corporate Operations.
With the acquisition of Nationale Suisse, as of­
1 January 2015 David Ribeaud was appointed
Head of the new market area “Specialty M
­ arkets”
in the Group Executive Management. Previously,
David Ribeaud was a Member of the Execut­ive
Management of Nationale Suisse Group as
Head of Specialty Lines & Foreign Countries. In
this new role, Mr Ribeaud will be ­responsible for
managing and developing the business lines of
engineering, marine and art “Switzerland and
­International”, the market unit France as well as
active reinsurance.
The Group Executive Management will continue with six members. The other responsibilities
within the Executive Management remain unchanged.
Changes to subsidiaries
Switzerland
From Nationale Suisse, Ralph A. Jeitziner and
Armin Suter have joined the Executive Management Switzerland from 1 January 2015. During
the course of the year, Mr Jeitziner will replace
Mr René Stocker as Head of Sales, as Mr ­Stocker
will be retiring.
Armin Suter has taken over the IT area from
Uwe Bartsch, who will be heading up the company development area.
Germany
In Germany, Volker Steck joined the company­
on 1 October 2014. As of 1 January 2015 he
­replaced Wolfram Wrabetz as CEO Germany.
Torsten Müller joined the Executive Management Germany on 1 January 2014 as Chief Information Officer.
Helvetia Annual Report 2014
55
Company profile Executive Management
Austria
The Executive Management Austria has been
headed up since 1 October 2014 by Otmar
­B odner (who joined Helvetia from Basler Austria),
succeeding Burkhard Gantenbein as CEO, who
left the company on 31 October 2014 at his own
request in order to pursue challenges outside of
insurance.
Josef Gutschik – also from Basler Austria –
joined the existing management team in Austria
on 1 October 2014, as CFO.
Italy
Michelangelo Avello from Nationale Suisse Italy
has been newly elected to the Executive
­M anagement Italy as CFO. He replaces Antonio
Minichiello, who will be the Chief Risk Officer
and will remain in the Executive Management.
Also from Nationale Suisse Italy, Massimo F­ edeli
has become a new member of Executive Management Italy, as Head of Non-Life Commercial
& Specialty Lines.
Spain
Javier de Antonio, previously CEO of Nationale
Suisse Spain, joined the Helvetia Spain Executive Management on 1 January 2015 acting as
the Head of the area Specialty Lines and Sales
Region Catalunya.
Details concerning the curricula vitae of the new
members of the Executive Management­
can be found in the appropriate media releases
­u nder https://www.helvetia.com/corporate/
content/en/media-relations/media-releases.html
General Secretariat**
Christophe Niquille
Group CEO
Stefan Loacker
Internal Audit**
Simon Schneider
Investment
Ralph-Thomas Honegger
Finance
Paul Norton
Switzerland
Philipp Gmür*
Members of the Group Executive Management
IT / Operations
Markus Gemperle
Strategy & Comm.
Patrick Scherrer
Europe
Markus Gemperle
Specialty Markets
David Ribeaud
Germany
Volker Steck*
CH / International
David Ribeaud
Austria
Otmar Bodner*
France
Vincent Letac*
Italy
Francesco La Gioia*
Active Reinsurance
Gérald Kanis
Support functions
*CEOs of the country markets
**reports to the Chairman of the Board of Directors
Spain
Jose Maria Paagman*
As at mid-March 2015
56
Helvetia Annual Report 2014
Group HR
Roland Bentele
Company profile Executive Management
Stefan Loacker
Markus Gemperle
Philipp Gmür
David Ribeaud
Paul Norton
Ralph Honegger
Stefan Loacker
Markus Gemperle
Bachelor’s degree (lic. oec. HSG); Master’s
degree (Mag. rer. soc. oec.), Vienna University of
Economics and Business, Austrian, Speicher, 1969
Chief Executive Officer of Helvetia Group (CEO)
Doctorate in law HSG, Swiss, Niederteufen,
1961, CEO Europe
Professional background
1994 – 1997 Pensions lawyer / Swiss Life:
involved in Group planning projects; 1997
joined Helvetia: Assistant to Head of Staff
Executive Management, Business Development;
Head of Staff Group Executive Management;
2000 Head of Business Development; Director;
2002 ANKER, Vienna: Head of Finance and IT;
Member of Executive Board; 2005 ANKER,
Vienna: Chief Executive Officer; 2007, since
1 September in his current position with various ­
appointments at the foreign subsidiaries of
Helvetia Group.
Appointments
In particular Member of the Board of the Swiss
Insurance Association, Zurich; Member of the
Board of Directors of Schweizerische National-­
Versicherungs-Gesellschaft AG, Basel.
Professional background
1986 – 1988 Legal Counsel Claims Department,
Helvetia Feuer, St Gall; 1988 – 1990 ­Academic
­Assistant, Institute for Insurance Studies, University
of St Gall; 1990 joined Helvetia Insurance; Head
of various departments in the non-life business in
Switzerland; 2002 Head of Corporate Centre of
Helvetia Patria Group; 2004 Member of the
­Executive Management of Helvetia Switzerland:
Head of IT; 2006 Member of the Executive
­Management of Helvetia Switzerland: Head of
Operations & Partners; 2008 Member of Group
Executive Management: Head of Strategy &
­Operations; 2015 Member of the Group Executive
Management in today’s role with various appointments with subsidiaries of Helvetia Group in
­Switzerland and abroad; Member of the Execu­­t­ive
Management of Schweizerische National-Versiche­
rungs-­Gesellschaft AG, Basel up until merger.
Appointments
In particular an appointment as a Chairman
and as a member of the Board of Directors at
an unlisted company and a Board of Trustees
appointment.
Helvetia Annual Report 2014
57
Company profile Executive Management
Philipp Gmür
Paul Norton
Doctorate (Dr. iur.), Law degree (LL.M.), Swiss,
Lucerne, 1963 CEO of Helvetia Switzerland
A History (University of Reading, UK);
B
Chartered Accountant British and Swiss national,
Zurich, 1961, Chief Financial Officer Helvetia
Group (CFO)
Professional background
1988 – 1990 worked in various courts,
­a dministration and law firms; 1991 – 1993
Court Clerk at the High Court of Lucerne;
1993 joined Helvetia: Head of regional office
in Lucerne; 2000 Member of the Management
Board, Switzerland: Head of Sales; 2003
Member of Group Executive Management in
his current position with various appointments
at the Swiss subsidiaries of Helvetia Group.
Appointments
In particular, Chairman of the Campaign
Committee of the Swiss Insurance Association;
Member of the Board of Trustees of the pension funds of Helvetia Insurance; Vice-Chairman of the Helvetia Patria Jeunesse Foundation;
Vice-Chairman of the Swisscanto Vested Benefits foundation of the Cantonal Banks; Member ­
of the Board of Directors of Schweizerische
National-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft AG,
­M ember of the Board of Directors of Coop
Rechts­s chutz AG, Aarau; Member of the Board
of Directors of Prevo AG, Basel, and three
other board member appointments for nonlisted companies and three board of trustee
appointments.
Ralph-Thomas Honegger
Doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.), Swiss, Arlesheim, 1959
Head of Investments (CIO)
Professional background
1987 joined Patria: various management posi­
tions, including: Head of Portfolio Strategy and
Portfolio Management; 1997 Member of the
Executive Management, Switzerland: initially
Head of Investment Clients, then Head of
Individual Life; 2002 Member of Group
Executive Management in his current position with various appointments at foreign
­subsidiaries of Helvetia Group.
Professional background
1983 – 1992 Price Waterhouse, London;
1992 – 1994 Revisuisse Price Waterhouse,
Zurich; 1994 – 1996 Price Waterhouse, London;
1996 – 1999 Zurich Financial Services (ZFS),
Centre Solutions, Head of Transaction Tax and
Accounting Europe; 1999 – 2002 ZFS: Head of
External Reporting; 2002–2007 Winterthur
Versicherungen: Head of Corporate Development and Capital Management; 2007: since
1 July 2007 in his current position; Member of
Group Executive Management with various
appointments at the subsidiaries of Helvetia
Group in Switzerland and abroad.
Appointments
Member of the Economic and Financial Affairs
Committee of the Swiss Insurance Association,
Zurich.
David Ribeaud
Dipl. natural sciences ETH Zurich, actuary SAV
Swiss, Zurich, 1970, Head of Specialty Markets
Professional background
Joined Swiss Re in 1995, last working as Senior
Underwriter Property & Casualty; 2001 moved
to Zurich Global Corporate Switzerland as
­a ctuary head; 2005 Chief Pricing Actuary
Europe General Insurance; 2009 – 2011 Chief
Underwriting Officer at Zurich Italy; 2012
joined executive management at Nationale
­Suisse as head of Customer Service & Non-Life
Switzerland and from 2013 as head of
Specialty Lines & Foreign Countries; since
1 January 2015 Member of Group Executive
Management with various duties at foreign
subsidiaries.
No further appointments
Appointments
In particular, Board of Trustees of the pension
funds at Helvetia Insurance; Head of the Investment Commission of the Raiffeisen pension
fund; Honorary Consul General for Austria in
Basel; Vice-Chairman, Member of the Board of
Directors of Allreal Group, Zurich.
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Helvetia Annual Report 2014