Interview with Dr. Martin Jara, CEO Switzerland at Helvetia

JARA Our top priority, not only at the moment, but in the long term, is sustainability in all its dimensions. We want to grow profitably and sustainably, we want to expand and transform our business model sustainably, and we want to establish ESG criteria sustainably in our operations. The sustainable development of our employees and their skills are also of vital and increasing importance to us.

JARA Growth: We want to grow sustainably. That is our goal. In this context, sustainability means that we want to grow by offering our customers added value – in other words, customer convenience. This way, we can gain a leading position in the market and set out to become an identity leader in the Swiss insurance market.

(Digital) transformation: People play a key role in any kind of change. On the one hand, there are our customers, who expect seamless and personalized digital experiences, and on the other, there are our employees. Here, our task is not only to introduce all employees to new tools and processes, but also adapt mindsets and skills to the new hybrid world and – where necessary – recruit new expertise.

Sustainability: Our business is built on trust, with reliability and integrity as the foundation. For us, sustainability involves our business operations, our operational insurance and services activities, investment activities, and its implementation in our governance and corporate culture. In August last year, our ESG rating was upgraded to "A" by the independent rating provider MSCI, which is confirmation of our systematic efforts.

Employee development: Through regular employee surveys and feedback from line management, we identify the needs of our employees very precisely. This way, we can create targeted offers and measures to promote their development and secure the skills Helvetia will need in the future. One key condition for this is our working models, which allow maximum flexibility, far beyond the usual remote working opportunities.

JARA The ongoing digitalization of our core business is already impacting the entire value chain, as are our increasing efforts to anchor new technologies around AI and data analytics. Our initial focus will be on customer convenience and controlled decision-making support. However, in the medium term, completely new business models with new interaction options may emerge. We believe it is vital to use new technologies and their potential innovatively, respectfully, and transparently. It is therefore important to involve employees, thus building their knowledge and ability to make judgments. This will make the insurance industry even more challenging and interesting as companies become the "house of a hundred professions."

JARA The issue of cybercrime affects us in two respects as an insurance company. On the one hand, we must protect our own stored data and that of our customers from criminals. On the other hand, we also offer a portfolio of cyber insurance services for private individuals and corporate customers. Based on our business development in this area and feedback from our customers, we can now say that the insurance industry in Switzerland is able to cover the individual risks of isolated cybercrime and vandalism well. To take advantage of these offers, customers must first invest in prevention and data security.

However, insurance doesn't yet cover large-scale, systemic cyberattacks. There is currently a gap in the protection available in Switzerland and around the world. Given the serious potential economic damage from widespread attacks on entire industries, regions, and critical infrastructure, I believe that we can only prevent and insure against these major risks through a joint solution involving businesses, the government, and science.