John R. Coomber

Member of the Board of Directors (non-executive)

Mr Coomber, a British citizen born in 1949, graduated in theoretical mechanics from Nottingham University in 1970.

He started his career with the Phoenix Insurance Company and in 1973 joined Swiss Re. Having qualified as an actuary in 1974, he first specialised in the company's life reinsurance. In 1993 he was made head of the company's UK operations. John Coomber was appointed a member of the Executive Board in April 1995, responsible for the Group's Life & Health division. In June 2000, he became a member of the Executive Committee. He was Swiss Re's Chief Executive Officer from 1 January 2003 through 31 December 2005 when he retired after 33 years.  

John Coomber was elected to Swiss Re's Board of Directors in 2006. He also serves as a member of the Supervisory Board of Euler Hermes, is a board member of Pensions Insurance Corporation Holdings, Mactavish, Parhelion Capital Ltd, Parhelion Underwriting Limited, and telent Limited. He is also Chairman of the Trustees of the Climate Group and a member of the Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisory Panel. In 2007 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

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