Media release ,  8.12.2025

Generali Switzerland announces key appointments within its Executive Board and a new Head of Communications

• Generali Switzerland fills key positions with new appointments and brings experienced managers from Switzerland and Italy on board
• The new Chief Insurance Officer Non-Life will be Yvan Berthou, who is joining Generali Switzerland from Zurich Insurance Group
• Eliana Sarli is moving from the Generali Group to Generali Switzerland and will take on the role of Chief Financial Officer
• Michel Foong is joining Generali Switzerland from Swiss Re as the new Chief Technology & Operations Officer
• Deborah Bass is to become the new Head of Communications & Public Affairs, joining Generali Switzerland from UBS

Adliswil – As of 1 July 2025, Generali Switzerland has split its Insurance division into Life and Non-Life. Ralph Schmid will continue in the role of Chief Insurance Officer Life. Over the past three years in the Non-Life division, he has implemented key measures and laid the foundations for increased profitability. His focus is now fully back on the life business.

New Chief Insurance Officer Non-Life

As of 1 January 2026, Yvan Berthou will join the Executive Board of Generali Switzerland as Chief Insurance Officer Non-Life. He brings over 20 years of international experience in the insurance industry to the table and has worked for Zurich Insurance Group since 2005. His career has spanned roles from Pricing Actuary and Underwriting to Global Head of Retail Pricing & Performance, and most recently, Global Head of Motor. With his broad Non-Life expertise, he is ideally positioned to restore profitability and growth in the Non-Life sector.

New members of the Executive Board in Finance and Technology & Operations

Eliana Sarli will take over the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Generali Switzerland from March 2026. Before stepping into that role, she will join Generali Switzerland on 1 January 2026 as Chief of Staff Finance & Deputy CFO. She brings 15 years of experience in Finance, Risk and Actuarial functions, honed in Italy and internationally at two of the world’s largest insurance companies. She currently serves as Head of Group Capital Management, overseeing the Generali Group’s capital planning and management. In recent years, her career has focused on the financial and risk aspects of mergers and acquisitions, capital allocation and shareholder remuneration strategies, and alternative risk transfer instruments in reinsurance.

Alessio Sarti, our current Chief Financial Officer, will return to the Generali head office after 19 years in Switzerland and take on a new role within Group Finance. Significant milestones were achieved under his leadership, including the successful launch and implementation of the IFRS 9/17 project.

Michel Foong will be the new Chief Technology & Operations Officer. He has over 20 years of international experience in the finance and insurance industries. At Swiss Re and UBS, he successfully headed up major IT transformation programmes, including cloud migration, core system implementations and AI initiatives. He is currently Chief Information Technology Officer Group Functions at Swiss Re and will take up his position at Generali Switzerland on 1 March 2026.

Michel Foong succeeds Andreas Schlögl as Chief Technology & Operations Officer, who is leaving the Generali Group after 12 years to pursue a new professional challenge. Most recently, he was responsible for the Transformation and the Technology and Operations divisions for over four years.

These changes to the Executive Board were approved by Generali Switzerland’s Board of Directors on 3 December 2025. They are subject to confirmation by FINMA as well as other necessary approvals.

New Head of Communications & Public Affairs

The vacant position of Head of Communications & Public Affairs has also been filled with Deborah Bass assuming this role as of 1 January 2026. She has over ten years of experience in management roles in communications and marketing. At Credit Suisse, Deborah Bass was responsible for integration communications in the Chief Operating Officer division during the UBS takeover. She currently works at UBS in Communications & Business Management for Products, Channels & Marketing. She is succeeding Stefan Göbel.

Rémi Vrignaud, CEO of Generali Switzerland, has expressed his enthusiasm: “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues to Generali Switzerland. With the new leadership team, we are systematically making our business more future-ready. Our goal is clear: securing profitability, enabling growth and becoming the partner of choice – for our customers, our sales partners and our employees.”

At the same time, Rémi Vrignaud has also acknowledged the long-standing commitment of Alessio Sarti and Andreas Schlögl and warmly thanked them for their valuable dedication and significant contribution to the development of Generali Switzerland.