Rising stars


“Whether you studied law, finance, engineering or medicine, rest assured: there will be a position for you.”


met my first client within months of joining Swiss Re and one year later I had already been giving meaningful underwriting authority.


Name: Patrick Roder


Company: Swiss Re Job:


Casualty treaty underwriter


Timeline: September 2011: Casualty treaty underwriter, Swiss Re


Jun 2011: Summer Analysts Corporate Banking, Citi


Why did you choose the re/insurance industry? The choice to work in the re/insurance industry was not a decision that was made when I was seven years old because I was fascinated by what people who work in this industry are doing—back then it looked rather unspectacular compared to being a policeman or fire-fighter. But, pretty soon I became very interested in the financial industry which led me to the decision first to study economics and business administration and then banking, finance and investments. From the very beginning of my university studies, I was fascinated


by products that offer protection against adverse events. By taking insurance specific courses, I recognised even more how much I am attracted to the world of insurance and reinsurance in particular. Not only the dynamic and innovative re/insurance world per se, but also the highly team- and goal-oriented and interdisciplinary spirit attracted and still attract me.


Do you think the industry is attractive to young professionals? Definitely! It goes without saying that it is intellectually a very demanding, but very stimulating environment to work in. One does not run the danger of getting bored since the industry is and will always be in flux as the risk landscape changes constantly due to influences from the legal, economical, technical, societal and ecological spheres. This of course gives one the invaluable opportunity to be at the


forefront of developments all around the world and to interact with some of the brightest minds from all possible fields of expertise. What impressed me the most is probably how quickly one can have an impact and how soon one has to assume significant responsibility. I personally


42 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | May 2015


Do you think the re/insurance industry offers good opportunities and career development to young professionals? My personal view is that


the re/insurance industry offers sheer


unlimited career prospects and outstanding development possibilities because of the breadth of fields where re/insurance companies are active. Whether you studied law, finance, engineering or medicine, rest assured: there will be a position for you because this specific industry will surely need your knowledge to be able to assess the full spectrum of risks out there. Engineers are needed for construction project insurance, environmental scientists for environmental liability insurance and so on. The re/insurance industry is without doubt highly competitive,


especially at the moment. In such an environment client-centricity becomes the deciding factor between those who succeed and those who fail. Career development does not always mean vertical movement in the reinsurance industry. Since the industry is so knowledge-intense your career path might lead you to being an expert rather than being a line manager.


What are your aspirations for the future? In the short run I clearly aim at broadening my horizon in respect of markets and more lines of business as this is critical to be able to understand client needs in a holistic manner and to provide distinguished services. This will definitely enable me to expand my personal as well as Swiss Re’s footprint in the markets of my responsibility, and further develop reinsurance product offerings. Recently, I have started to lead project teams which I find very enriching and exciting. This clearly prepares me in the medium run for a role with a stronger focus on people management—maybe a client market or underwriting team lead.


If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been? It would have been military pilot. I have had a private pilot licence for more than 10 years. Even though the two professions might seem very different at first, they have some fundamental commonalities: A pilot also needs to evaluate the risks of alternative options, to make sound and balanced decisions under pressure and to assume responsibility for these choices. Unlike re/insurers pilots of course do not take up risks as a business purpose but they rather manage risks they cannot avoid.


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