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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Matthias Aellig (CEO), Rolf Dörig (Chairman) |
| Products | Life insurance, risk, pensions and other financial services, Asset management, Health insurance (France only) |
| Revenue |  CHF 20.330 bn (2024) |
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Operating income
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CHF 1.78 bn (2024) |
| CHF 1.26 bn (2024) |
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| AUM | CHF 272.3 bn (2024) |
| Total equity |  CHF 7.7 bn (2024) |
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Number of employees
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11,000 (FTE, 2024) |
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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 important company in Switzerland. It's the biggest life insurance company there. It also helps people in Europe with their money, like pensions and other financial services. The company manages a lot of money, about 255.7 billion Swiss francs.
Swiss Life started in 1857 in Zurich. Back then, it was called Schweizerische Lebensversicherungs und Rentenanstalt. In 1997, the company's shares started being traded on the Swiss stock market. In 2002, it changed its name to Swiss Life. In 2024, the company made a profit of 1.78 billion Swiss francs. Swiss Life is one of the top twenty companies on the Swiss stock market.
Contents
History of Swiss Life
How Swiss Life Started and Grew
Conrad Widmer started the Schweizerische Rentenanstalt in 1857. This was the first life insurance company in Switzerland. It was supported by Schweizerische Kreditanstalt. A famous politician from Zurich, Alfred Escher, helped a lot with the company. Its main goal was to help Swiss families by providing insurance for life's uncertainties.
In 1866, Swiss Life got permission to work in Prussia (part of Germany today). A year later, it had offices in Hamburg and Bremen. By 1894, it was one of the first companies to offer insurance for people at their 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.
The first office of Swiss Life was in Zurich. Because the company grew so fast, it moved offices many times. In 1898, a new main office opened. Even that building became too small. So, between 1937 and 1939, a new, modern building was built. This building, which has been made bigger over the years, is still the main office in Zurich today.
Becoming a Public Company
In 1997, Swiss Life changed from a cooperative to a company whose shares could be bought and sold by the public. Its shares first appeared on the Swiss Market Index in 1998. After this, Swiss Life started buying other companies. It bought Livit, Banca del Gottardo, Lloyd Continental, and UTO Albis in 1999. In 2000, it bought Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft. In 2001, it took over real estate from Oscar Weber Holding AG. 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. However, in the Netherlands, it kept its old name, Zwitser Leven. This Dutch company was sold in 2007. In 2004, Swiss Life sold its businesses in the UK. In 2007, it sold Banca del Gottardo.
In December 2007, Swiss Life announced it wanted to buy AWD Holding. By March 2008, it owned most of AWD. AWD 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 similar company in the UK. In 2021, Swiss Life Asset Managers bought the real estate business of Ness, Risan & Partners. This company works with real estate projects in Nordic countries.
- Schweizerische Lebensversicherungs und Rentenanstalt (Started in 1857 by Conrad Widmer)
- Rentenstalt/Swiss Life shares (Started on Swiss stock market in 1998)
- Livit (Bought in 1999)
- Banca del Gottardo (Bought in 1999)
- Lloyd Continental (Bought in 1999)
- UTO Albis (Bought in 1999)
- Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft (Bought in 2000)
- Oscar Weber Holding AG (Bought in 2001)
- AWD Holding (Bought in 2008)
- Swiss Life Select
- Corpus Sireo (Bought in 2014)
- Mayfair Capital (Bought in 2016)
- Ness, Risan & Partners (Bought in 1999)
- elipsLife (Bought in 2021)
- Versdiagnose (Bought in 2022)
- Franke und Bornberg (Bought in 2022)
- Zwei Wealth(Bought in 2025)
How Swiss Life is Organized
The Swiss Life Group is organized by country. It has main businesses in Switzerland, France, and Germany. It also has two other parts: International and Asset Managers.
Swiss Life in Switzerland
Swiss Life Switzerland helps over a million people with life insurance, pensions, and financial services. It is one of the top providers in the country.
Swiss Life in France
Swiss Life France focuses on personal insurance. Through its Swiss Life Banque Privée, it also helps wealthy people manage their money and offers special banking services.
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 pensions and financial safety. It is especially good at insurance for job disability and company pensions. Swiss Life also has financial advice companies in Hanover. These include Swiss Life Select, HORBACH, Tecis, and Proventus.
Swiss Life International
Swiss Life International has offices in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Italy, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It offers special investment insurance for 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 also part of Swiss Life International.
Swiss Life Asset Managers
Swiss Life Asset Managers helps companies and individuals invest their money. In Switzerland, it is one of the biggest companies that manages money for institutions. It is also the third largest provider of funds in the country. In Germany, Swiss Life Asset Managers became much stronger when it bought Corpus Sireo in 2014. Livit AG, a real estate management 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 and infrastructure. In 2024, Swiss Life Asset Managers bought Wilfast Förvaltning AB in Sweden. This helps them manage more real estate in Europe and Scandinavia.
Who Leads Swiss Life
The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors guides the company and watches over the people who run the daily business. Members of the Board 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 | 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 |
The Corporate Executive Board
The Group CEO (Chief Executive Officer) leads the company's daily operations. They also work with the executive board to set the company's long-term goals.
- Group CEO: Matthias Aellig
- Group CFO: Marco Gerussi
- Group CIO: Per Erikson
- CEO Switzerland: Roman Stein
- CEO France: Tanguy Polet
- CEO Germany: Dirk von der Crone
- CEO International: Theodoros Iaponas
Financial Information
In Switzerland, companies must tell the public if someone owns 3% or more of their shares. Currently, BlackRock Inc. owns over 5% of Swiss Life Holding Ltd. UBS Fund Management (Switzerland) AG owns over 3%.
Helping the Community and Sponsoring Events
The Perspectives Foundation
Swiss Life started the "Perspectives Foundation" in 2005. This foundation helps good causes in Switzerland. It supports health, science, education, culture, and sports. Every year, it gives between 1.3 and 1.5 million Swiss francs to social and charity projects.
Swiss Climate Foundation
In 2008, Swiss Life helped start the Swiss Climate Foundation with eleven other companies. These companies give their profits from CO2 levies to the foundation. The foundation then uses this money to help small and medium-sized enterprises. It helps them save energy and protect the climate.
Corporate Responsibility Report
In March 2016, the Swiss Life Group published its first Corporate Responsibility Report. This report explains how the company is responsible in its business activities. It also covers how it helps society, its employees, and the environment. This report is published every year.
Sponsorships
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. It also supports the Zurich Opera House and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.
Since the 2015/16 season, Swiss Life has been a main sponsor of the ice hockey club ZSC Lions. The Swiss Life Arena is a hockey and sports stadium for 12,000 fans of the ZCS Lions club. It is named after Swiss Life and opened in October 2022.
More to Explore
- Swiss Insurance Association
- Swiss Life Select
