CEO, Australia and New Zealand
Melanie Slack brings more than 25 years of experience and insight from having worked in Canada, the US, Hong Kong, France, Germany, the UK and Switzerland to her role as CEO of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ Australia and New Zealand operations. Since joining Swiss Re in 2001, Slack has held a variety of roles in underwriting, internal audit and public-private partnerships. Today, she’s in charge of managing Swiss Re’s strategy, development and performance in the Australia and New Zealand commercial insurance markets.
In navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, “I have become far more focused on the team as individuals than ever before,” Slack says. “In my opinion, Swiss Re has always been on the leading edge of culture in the insurance industry in terms of people development, inclusivity, etc., but we’ve had to really ramp that up and become personally connected to understand everybody’s home situation to ensure employees are thriving in a work-from-home environment.”
That has often meant looking after employees’ emotional wellbeing, she adds. “I was on a call the other day with one of the CEOs at one of the major broking houses, and we were discussing team mental health,” she says. “I couldn’t have imagined that topic being part of our agenda even six months ago. The way we relate with each other in the corporate setting is becoming more personal.”
