Swiss Re launches Alternative Capital Solutions team led by Wiget, for ILS and retro hedging

Swiss Re, the global reinsurer, is launching a new Alternative Capital Solutions unit to encompass its activities in insurance-linked securities and retrocessional hedging and execution, with long-standing senior employee Mirjam Wiget set to lead the team.

The Alternative Capital Solutions team is launching on July 1st, with Wiget stepping into a new role to coordinate and lead the important hedging strategy and execution of ILS and retro trades to benefit the reinsurer.

Wiget has worked at Swiss Re for more than 15 years, having joined the company in 2011 as a Senior Treasury Officer.

She worked her way up through the roles of Head Group Performance Management, Co-Head Group Strategy and Performance Management, and most recently became the Head Group Strategy and FP&A in 2022.

In these roles, Wiget had oversight of Swiss Re’s financial performance and strategy, contributing to how the reinsurer manages risk and capital in all its forms.

In her new role from July 1st, leading the Alternative Capital Solutions team, Wiget will report to Martin Zingg, who as we reported earlier this month has recently been appointed as the head of Swiss Re’s Alternative Capital Partners (ACP) division.

It should be noted that, with this new unit being established there is no change to the reporting lines for those managing third-party ILS funds at Swiss Re.

Alternative Capital Solutions will bring together the activities around the hedging and execution of trades, across traditional retrocession and ILS structures, that benefit Swiss Re’s own balance-sheet.

Nick Meuli, recently the Head of Retro Hedging and Execution at Swiss Re is departing the firm, we understand.

Just this morning we reported that Swiss Re is back in the catastrophe bond market with its latest retro cat bond.