Meet our People

Pascal, tell us about yourself...

P: I was born in Chur, the capital and largest town in the Swiss canton of Grisons, a mountain region in Switzerland that includes Davos and St. Moritz. I spend a lot of my free time skiing and exploring freeride (off-piste) runs.

I moved to Zurich about 14 years ago and started as a trainee at AXA in 2005. I was then offered a job in the back office, and later developed into a sales role. I was responsible for key clients, as well as for the education and training support of tied agents covering local Swiss 2nd pillar corporate business.

In 2011, I joined Swiss Life International in order to get a more global view of insurance, as well as a more international environment. I was mainly responsible for the Swiss market, i.e. international clients headquartered in Switzerland, as well as broker relations. At the beginning of 2017, I moved to London.

How come a Relationship Manager is based in London?

P: The UK market is key for the Swiss Life Network:

• Unum is a strong and important Network Partner, and we want to boost this relationship by having someone on the ground to support local activities with international aspects.
• The UK is a major base for international brokers, and we aim to give Swiss Life a face, show our presence, and promote our international offering.
• We have an important UK key client portfolio, and we want to bring these relationships to the next level through regular contact and meetings, also by working with our Network Partners to find the best solutions.
• Chase de Vere is our IFA subsidiary in the UK, and we aim to use synergies and explore how to generate business together.
• There is great potential here, and a lot of new business opportunities, for international pooling as well as for international plans for mobile employees.

How does being in London facilitate business?

P: My desk is located in the offices of Chase de Vere, in the heart of London. I am literally just a few steps away from many key brokers’ offices, Unum London’s office, as well as lots of international companies.

In the past, we had to fly from Zurich to London to have a meeting. Now we are much more flexible – we can meet up with a lot of our partners within 30 minutes.

I am convinced that this local presence will help us to further strengthen existing and new business relationships. In addition, in the past, we always had to fly back to Zurich after meetings, whereas now there is much more time to network and maybe share a drink after work.

What are your first impressions of British work habits?

P: I am impressed by the professionalism, high-level service orientation and communication skills of the British; they really have diplomatic modes of expression.
In my first two months in London, I am glad to have met a lot of friendly people and had plenty of help and support. It is a pleasure to work here!