Swiss Life facts for kids
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Swiss Life AG headquarters in Zurich.
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Formerly
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Rentenanstalt |
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| Aktiengesellschaft | |
| Traded as | SIX: SLHN |
| Industry | Financial services |
| Founded | 21 November 1857 |
| Founder | Conrad Widmer |
| Headquarters | , |
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Area served
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Mostly Europe |
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Key people
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Patrick Frost (CEO), Rolf Dörig (Chairman) |
| Products | Life insurance, risk, pensions and other financial services, Asset management, Health insurance (France only) |
| Revenue |  CHF 19.841 bn (2023) |
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Operating income
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CHF 1.50 bn (2023) |
| CHF 1.11 bn (2023) |
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| AUM | CHF 255.7 bn (2023) |
| Total equity |  CHF 8.3 bn (2023) |
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Number of employees
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10,000 (FTE, 2023) |
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| Subsidiaries |
List
Swiss Life Select Switzerland
Swiss Life Select Germany Swiss Life Select Austria Swiss Life Select Czech Republic Livit AG (Switzerland) Tecis (Germany) HORBACH (Germany) Proventus (Germany) Chase de Vere (UK) BEOS (Germany) |
The Swiss Life Group is a very big company from Switzerland. It's the largest life insurance company there! They also help people in Europe with their money and future plans. They manage about 255.7 billion Swiss francs.
The company started in 1857 in Zurich. Back then, it was called Schweizerische Lebensversicherungs und Rentenanstalt. In 1997, it joined the Swiss stock market. The company changed its name to Swiss Life in 2002. In 2023, Swiss Life made a profit of 1.11 billion Swiss francs. It is one of the top twenty companies on the Swiss stock market.
Contents
How Swiss Life Started and Grew
Building a Company for the Future
Conrad Widmer started Schweizerische Rentenanstalt in 1857. This was the first life insurance company in Switzerland. It had support from Schweizerische Kreditanstalt. A famous politician from Zurich, Alfred Escher, helped a lot. The company wanted to help Swiss families be ready for life's challenges. Its board had people from most Swiss regions.
In 1866, Swiss Life got permission to work in Prussia. A year later, it had offices in Hamburg and Bremen. By 1894, it was one of the first to offer insurance for people's jobs. Between 1866 and 1987, the company grew into many countries. These included Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, Luxembourg, and Italy. In 1988, it bought another insurance company called La Suisse.
Moving to New Homes
The first office for Rentenanstalt was in the Tiefenhoefe buildings in Zurich. As the company grew fast, it moved several times. It went from Gruene Schloss to Chamhaus. Finally, in 1898, a new main office opened at Alpenquai. This building was big, but the company kept growing. So, between 1937 and 1939, a new, modern building was built near the old one. This building, which has been made bigger over the years, is still the main office today.
Becoming a Public Company
In 1997, Rentenanstalt changed from a private group to a public company. This meant people could buy shares in it. Its shares first appeared on the Swiss Market Index in 1998. Swiss Life then started buying other companies. It bought Livit, Banca del Gottardo, Lloyd Continental, and UTO Albis in 1999. It also bought Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft in 2000 and real estate from Oscar Weber Holding AG in 2001. By 2002, the company stopped buying so many businesses. It decided to focus on its main work again.
Buying and Selling Businesses
In 2002, the company changed its name to Swiss Life everywhere. Only in the Netherlands did it keep the old name, Zwitser Leven. This Dutch company was sold in 2007. In 2004, Swiss Life sold its business in the UK. In 2007, it sold Banca del Gottardo for 1.775 billion Swiss francs.
In 2007, Swiss Life wanted to buy AWD Holding. By 2008, it owned most of AWD. This company later became Swiss Life Select in 2013. Swiss Life also bought Corpus Sireo in Germany in 2014. This company helps manage real estate. In 2016, it bought Mayfair Capital, a UK company that invests in real estate. In 2021, Swiss Life Asset Managers bought the real estate part of Ness, Risan & Partners. This company works with real estate in Nordic countries.
How Swiss Life is Organized
The Swiss Life Group works in different countries. It has main offices in Switzerland, France, and Germany. It also has groups for international business and for managing money (Asset Managers).
Swiss Life in Switzerland
Swiss Life Switzerland helps people with life insurance and financial services. It uses the brands Swiss Life and Swiss Life Select. It is one of the top providers, with over one million people insured.
Swiss Life in France
Swiss Life France focuses on personal insurance. It also has a part called Swiss Life Banque Privée. This part helps wealthy people with their money and banking.
Swiss Life in Germany
The German part of Swiss Life started in 1866. It is based in Munich. It helps both individuals and companies with saving for retirement and financial safety. They are very good at job disability insurance and company pensions. Swiss Life's financial advisors in Germany are in Hanover. These include Swiss Life Select, HORBACH, Tecis, and Proventus.
Swiss Life Around the World
Swiss Life International has offices in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Hongkong, and Singapore. It offers special investments for very wealthy people in Europe and Asia. It also provides benefits for employees of large companies. Financial advisors from Swiss Life Select Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Chase de Vere in the UK are part of this international group.
Swiss Life Asset Managers
Swiss Life Asset Managers helps investors with their money. In Switzerland, it is one of the biggest managers of money for companies. It is also the third largest provider of funds in the country. In Germany, Swiss Life Asset Managers became much stronger after buying Corpus Sireo in 2014. Livit AG, a real estate company, is also part of Swiss Life Asset Management. So is Mayfair Capital Investment, which was bought in 2016. In 2018, Swiss Life Asset Managers bought BEOS AG, a German real estate company. In 2019, it bought Fontavis, which invests in clean energy.
Who Leads Swiss Life
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors guides the company and watches over the people who run it day-to-day. The board members are chosen for one year.
| Position | Name | Year Appointed |
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| Chairman | Rolf Dörig | 2002 |
| Vice-chairman | Klaus Tschütscher | 2013 |
| Member | Adrienne Corboud Fumagalli | 2014 |
| Member | Ueli Dietiker | 2013 |
| Member | Damir Filipovic | 2011 |
| Member | Stefan Loacker | 2017 |
| Member | Henry Peter | 2006 |
| Member | Martin Schmid | 2018 |
| Member | Franziska Tschudi Sauber | 2003 |
| Member | Thomas Buess | 2019 |
| Member | Monika Bütler | 2022 |
| Member | Severin Moser | 2023 |
| Member | Philomena Colatrella | 2023 |
Corporate Executive Board
The Group CEO (Chief Executive Officer) leads the company's daily work. They also set the long-term goals and plans with the executive board.
- Group CEO: Patrick Frost
- Group CFO: Matthias Aellig
- Group CIO: Stefan Mächler
- CEO Switzerland: Roman Stein
- CEO France: Tanguy Polet
- CEO Germany: Jörg Arnold
- CEO International: Theodoros Iaponas
Helping the Community
The Perspectives Foundation
Swiss Life has a special foundation called “Perspectives Foundation.” It started in 2005. This foundation helps good causes in Switzerland. It supports projects in health, science, education, culture, and sports. Every year, it gives between 1.3 and 1.5 million Swiss francs to these projects.
Swiss Climate Foundation
In 2008, Swiss Life helped start the Swiss Climate Foundation. Other companies also joined. All partners give money they earn from CO2 taxes to this foundation. The foundation then helps small and medium-sized businesses. It helps them save energy and protect the climate.
Being a Responsible Company
Since 2016, Swiss Life has published a report each year. This report talks about how the company is being responsible. It covers how they do business, help society, treat employees, and care for the environment.
Sponsoring Sports and Culture
From 2004 to 2020, Swiss Life supported the Swiss national football team.
In culture, Swiss Life helps many events. These include the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) and the Lucerne Festival. They also support the Zurich Opera House and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.
Since 2015, Swiss Life has been a main sponsor for the ice hockey club ZSC Lions. The Swiss Life Arena is a big sports arena for 12,000 fans of the ZCS Lions club. It is named after Swiss Life and opened in October 2022.
See also
- Swiss Insurance Association
- Swiss Life Select
