Carli Jacobs

CEO | Swiss Re Africa, South Africa

Carli Jacobs is CEO of Swiss Re Africa and Head of Life & Health for Sub-Saharan Africa. Carli joined Swiss Re in South Africa in 2018 as Head of Property and Casualty for Southern Africa and led the repatriation of the Southern Africa business from Zurich to South Africa. Carli moved to head up the Life and Health business in 2021 and was appointed CEO of Swiss Re Africa in April 2023. In this capacity, Carli leverages her wealth of experience acquired during her 19 years in insurance –  spanning direct insurance to brokerage and actuarial roles – to deliver on her commitment to build resilience in the region on the back of a strong re/insurance market. Carli blends passion for the South African insurance landscape with dedication to champion market relevant topics such as women professional advancement, financial inclusion, climate risk mitigation, as well as Life & Health issues such as mortality and longevity risks, mental health, disability and critical illness.  Her focus lies on developing long-term sustainability for the insurance industry by leveraging and adapting Swiss Re's global expertise to local market conditions. Carli holds a BSc degree in Financial Mathematics and is an Associate Member of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (AMASSA).  

Photo: © Lynette van der Bijl Photography