Talent & Succession Lead

About the Role

Are you a seasoned talent leader who thrives on turning bold ideas into scalable, high-impact solutions? Do you want to shape the future of talent at a global organisation where your work directly influences leadership pipelines, succession strategies, and long‑term business resilience? If so, this is the role for you. This is a newly created, high‑impact position with strong executive visibility, sitting at the heart of Swiss Re's people strategy. As Talent & Succession Lead, you will lead the evolution of our global Talent Management approach — building a modern, future‑ready talent architecture that focuses on the top 2–5% of our employees. You will translate business priorities into practical, scalable talent solutions, establish a dedicated high‑potential development and succession planning pillar, and strengthen our mid‑ to long‑term leadership pipeline. Reporting directly to the Group Chief Talent & Culture, this role offers a rare opportunity to shape how one of the world’s leading reinsurers identifies, develops, and progresses its most critical talent.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate business strategy into talent architecture by designing a robust, forward‑looking Talent Management framework that enables long‑term capability building and strategic execution across Swiss Re Group.
• Lead and collaborate with a lean team of internal consultants and external partners to deliver a coherent, high‑impact Talent Management agenda that is consistent and scalable across a global organisation.
• Redesign and harmonise core talent practices, driving the evolution of fit‑for‑purpose processes, governance structures, and systems that integrate seamlessly into the flow of work.
• Establish a dedicated Talent Management pillar focused on high‑potential identification, accelerated development, and succession planning to strengthen the leadership pipeline at the most senior levels.
• Leverage data and HR analytics to generate actionable insights that inform talent decisions, measure programme effectiveness, and support executive‑level storytelling.
• Engage and influence senior stakeholders across a complex international matrix organisation, building trust and credibility at all levels including C‑suite and Board.
• Stay ahead of emerging trends, tools, and technologies shaping the future of talent, ensuring Swiss Re's approach remains innovative, competitive, and best‑in‑class.
• Drive end‑to‑end delivery of global talent programmes — from ideation through executive approval to full‑scale implementation — at pace and with measurable impact.

About the Team

People Function at Swiss Re is here to unlock the potential of our employees and to help bring our company vision — to make the world more resilient — to life. We partner with all employees by working as one integrated team to enable the delivery of sustainable business performance through people, and foster a culture of performance where clear expectations result in accountability for outcomes. We strive to enable Swiss Re to offer an environment where employees find purpose and can perform at their best, thanks to an attractive, flexible, and inclusive work environment that adapts strategically to changing needs. Our culture is all about driving business success with fast, results‑oriented decisions. We embody the Swiss Re spirit, focusing on our clients and fostering a strong sense of belonging. By linking curiosity and innovative ideas to client needs, we champion applied intellect — and with a commitment to clarity, we ensure execution power in everything we do. We’re Talent, Culture & Inclusion (TCI), a part of Group People Function at Swiss Re. We are the strategic consulting, design, and transformation arm of HR. We leverage thought leadership and the latest research to design and enhance our people and culture strategy, and own a connected suite of processes and solutions as a lean, diverse, and global team.

About You

You are a visionary yet hands‑on HR leader who brings both strategic depth and a strong execution mindset. You are energised by complexity, comfortable operating in fast‑paced global environments, and skilled at turning ambitious ideas into practical, scalable solutions that deliver measurable impact. A confident and credible communicator, you build trust quickly and engage effectively across all levels — from operational teams to the executive suite. You are driven by a genuine passion for talent and a belief that developing people is one of the most powerful levers for organisational success.

We are looking for candidates who meet these requirements:

• 15–20+ years of experience within global HR Centres of Excellence, with deep and demonstrable expertise in Talent Management at scale.
• Proven track record in designing and delivering global Talent Management programmes, including talent pipeline development, succession planning, diversity considerations, and executive talent management.
• Demonstrated end‑to‑end delivery capability — taking concepts from ideation through executive approval to full‑scale global implementation, delivering at pace and with measurable outcomes.
• Strong analytical and data capability, with hands‑on experience using HR analytics and data‑driven insights to inform decision‑making and build compelling executive narratives.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with a track record of engaging and aligning senior leaders across complex, international matrix organisations.

For London, the base salary range for this position is between GBP 128,000 and GBP 192,000 for a full‑time role. The specific salary offered considers: the requirements, scope, complexity and responsibilities of the role; the applicant's own profile including education/qualifications, expertise, specialisation, skills and experience. In the situation where you do not meet all the requirements or you significantly exceed these, the offered salary may be below or above the advertised range. In addition to your base salary, you may be eligible for additional rewards and benefits including an attractive performance‑based annual bonus. Our company has a hybrid work model where the expectation is that you will be in the office at least three days per week.

About Swiss Re

Swiss Re is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance‑based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. We anticipate and manage a wide variety of risks, from natural catastrophes and climate change to cybercrime. Combining experience with creative thinking and cutting‑edge expertise, we create new opportunities and solutions for our clients. This is possible thanks to the collaboration of more than 15,000 employees across the world. Our success depends on our ability to build an inclusive culture encouraging fresh perspectives and innovative thinking. We embrace a workplace where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive and develop professionally regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, skillset, thought or other characteristics. In our inclusive and flexible environment everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and their passion for sustainability. If you are an experienced professional returning to the workforce after a career break, we encourage you to apply for open positions that match your skills and experience. We may use AI‑powered tools to support the review and evaluation of applications for this position. These tools provide additional insights to our recruitment teams, but all hiring decisions are carefully reviewed and made by people. To learn more about how we use AI in recruitment and how we handle your personal data, please review our Data Privacy Statement before applying. Start your career journey with Swiss Re.