Swiss insurer Helvetia is to appoint Fabian Rupprecht as group chief executive officer and chairman of the executive management on 1 October, subject to the approval of Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority. 

Rupprecht will succeed Philipp Gmür, who announced his departure in October after 30 years at Helvetia. 

Rupprecht is currently the CEO for international insurance at Dutch insurer NN Group. He is to leave the Dutch group on 30 June.

Helvetia praised Rupprecht for his “extensive insurance experience in Helvetia’s key markets”.

The 53-year-old joined NN in August 2018 and has served in his current role since then, responsible for the company’s international insurance businesses in Europe and Japan. Before that, Rupprecht had previously held various international management roles at AXA Group, including as CEO of the Middle East and Africa region and chief financial officer for emerging markets and the Mediterranean. During his 28-year career in the insurance sector, he has also worked in the life and non-life insurance businesses.

“In recent years, Fabian Rupprecht has successfully led and further developed the international division of NN Group. His past experience means he is also familiar with the Spain and Switzerland markets, which are important for Helvetia," said Thomas Schmuckli, chair of the board of directors of Helvetia. 

NN said further announcements on Rupprecht’s succession will be made “in due course”.

David Knibbe, CEO of NN Group, said: “Over the past years, Fabian has made a significant contribution to the development of our company. Under his leadership, we further developed our protection business and accelerated our digital transformation, leading to considerable growth and improved customer engagement within our international businesses.”