Rake, who has been with Swiss Re since 2016, has served as regional CEO for Asia-Pacific at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions since July 2017. In his new position, Rake will oversee Swiss Re’s Solutions division, bringing his experience in regional leadership and corporate strategy to the global role.
As Rake steps into this position, Robert Hunziker, currently head of property and specialty for Asia-Pacific, will take over Rake’s responsibilities in the region on an interim basis. Hunziker’s interim leadership will support continuity for Swiss Re’s operations in Asia-Pacific during the transition.
Rake’s career includes an extensive tenure with Swiss Re and previous leadership roles in Asia-Pacific. At Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, he has been a member of the Global Executive Committee and served as a global ambassador for the company’s sustainability initiative.
His role has spanned markets across Asia-Pacific, including ASEAN, India, South Korea, Greater China, Japan, and Australia/New Zealand, where he has chaired boards for Swiss Re’s regional entities in China.
The leadership change coincides with the planned retirement of Russell Higginbotham, who is stepping down after a 30-year career with Swiss Re. Higginbotham has held multiple senior roles in both global and regional capacities, contributing significantly to the company’s growth and development across markets.
In a LinkedIn post, Swiss Re expressed appreciation for Higginbotham’s contributions and extended well wishes to both Rake and Hunziker in their upcoming roles.
Recently, Swiss Re has entered into an agreement to sell iptiQ’s European property and casualty business to Allianz Direct, a digital insurance platform of the Allianz Group, as part of Swiss Re's strategic plan to exit its iptiQ operations.
The transaction will transfer iptiQ’s risk carrier based in Luxembourg, iptiQ EMEA P&C SA, as well as over 100 employees across Switzerland, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy, along with all existing distribution agreements.
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