Swiss Re proposes election of Mary Francis to its Board of Directors

28 September 2012, Zurich

Swiss Re's Board of Directors will propose Mary Francis for election to the Board of Directors of Swiss Re Ltd at the next Annual General Meeting on 10 April 2013. If elected, she will join the Board of Directors as a new non-executive, independent member for a three-year term of office. Effective 1 October 2012, she will also join the Board of Directors of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd (SRZ), the principal operating company for Swiss Re's reinsurance business.

Walter B. Kielholz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swiss Re Ltd, said: "I am extremely pleased that Mary Francis has accepted this nomination to join our Board of Directors. She has extensive experience of both government and business at an international level and as a former director general of the Association of British Insurers, she brings a deep understanding of our industry."

Mary Francis is currently Senior Independent Director of Centrica plc, a member of the board of directors of Aviva plc, and a senior advisor to Chatham House. Formerly she was a member of the boards of directors of the Bank of England, Alliance & Leicester plc, Cable & Wireless Communications plc, and St Modwen Properties plc.

From 1999 to 2005, Mary Francis was director general of the Association of British Insurers. Prior to this, she held several senior positions with the UK Civil Service including deputy private secretary to the Queen (1995-1999), private secretary to the Prime Minister (1992-1995) and financial counsellor at the British Embassy in Washington DC (1990-1992).

Mary Francis was born in 1948 and is a British citizen. She studied at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, where she obtained a Master of Arts (MA) degree.

Notes to editors

Swiss Re The Swiss Re Group is a leading wholesale provider of reinsurance, insurance and other insurance-based forms of risk transfer. Dealing direct and working through brokers, its global client base consists of insurance companies, mid-to-large-sized corporations and public sector clients. From standard products to tailor-made coverage across all lines of business, Swiss Re deploys its capital strength, expertise and innovation power to enable the risk taking upon which enterprise and progress in society depend. Founded in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1863, Swiss Re serves clients through a network of over 60 offices globally and is rated "AA-" by Standard & Poor's, "A1" by Moody's and "A+" by A.M. Best. Registered shares in the Swiss Re Group holding company, Swiss Re Ltd, are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and trade under the symbol SREN. For more information about Swiss Re Group, please visit: www.swissre.com or follow us on Twitter @SwissRe.