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Annual Report 2017

Our strategy

Meeting our financial targets and making the world more resilient.

Group strategic framework

Group strategic framework

1 Allocate capital

2 Broaden client base

3 Optimise resources allocation

4 Emphasise differentiation

Near term priorities

Growth

Growth through systematic capital allocation will help us to deliver sustainable shareholder value

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Our near-term priorities focus on achieving growth in targeted areas and sustaining the risk knowledge that underpins our capital allocation overall.

Growth

In 2017 we witnessed a back-to-back series of natural catastrophes that have had a significant short-term financial impact. The ability to face these challenges and continue to focus on growth shows the success of our strategy as we remain committed to disciplined underwriting and long-term success.

Our focus on growth is threefold: catering to the specific clients’ needs with large and tailored transactions in Reinsurance, getting closer to the policyholders through Corporate Solutions and Life Capital, as well as maintaining our leading position in high growth markets through increased presence.

Large and tailored transactions

Large and tailored transactions in Reinsurance provide an attractive growth opportunity. They reinforce our differentiation through tailored offerings, leveraging our strong risk knowledge base.

Corporate Solutions

Corporate Solutions represents a successful platform to access the large pool of commercial risks. It will continue to focus on growth and is expected to benefit from pricing improvements following the 2017 natural catastrophe events.

Life Capital

Life Capital increases access to attractive and growing risk pools in open and closed life and health books. It aims to build a balanced portfolio, benefiting from the diversity of the risks and differentiating itself through leading underwriting and servicing capabilities.

High growth markets

We intend to maintain our leading position in high growth markets, establishing a strong presence. These world regions continue to remain a key element of our strategy, even when they are temporarily challenged.

Risk knowledge

Swiss Re is a risk knowledge company that invests in risk pools. We apply our knowledge to support capital allocation

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Risk knowledge

Swiss Re is a risk knowledge company. At the heart of our differentiation is the Swiss Re Institute. The Swiss Re Institute leverages and steers our research and development activities, building on our role as a knowledge partner for our clients.

Technological innovation is another source of differentiation, especially when we can use it to deliver unique products and solutions, such as CatNet and Magnum. CatNet plots hazard, loss, exposure and insurance information over maps and satellite imagery to help visualise the risk of individual locations or entire client portfolios. Magnum is the market-leading automated life and health underwriting and claims solution for assessing biometric risk across the spectrum of protection insurance products. Magnum helps our clients get closer to their customers and deliver products that are more tailored to their needs.

Research and development

Building knowledge and competence through R&D has historically been our core focus. The creation of the Swiss Re Institute further strengthens our steering of R&D activities.

Technology

Our technology strategy is tightly embedded in the business strategy. Technological innovation gives us the opportunity to further differentiate and support our clients.

People and culture

Our employees provide a wide range of technical expertise. Their wide range of backgrounds enables us to develop unique solutions and offer a deeper pool of talent to drive growth.