Swiss Re's Board of Directors will propose Mary Francis for election to the Board of Directors of Swiss Re Ltd at the next Annual General Meeting on 10 April 2013. If elected, she will join the Board of Directors as a new non-executive, independent member for a three-year term of office. Effective 1 October 2012, she will also join the Board of Directors of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd (SRZ), the principal operating company for Swiss Re's reinsurance business. Walter B. Kielholz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swiss Re Ltd, said: "I am extremely pleased that Mary Francis has accepted this nomination to join our Board of Directors. She has extensive experience of both government and business at an international level and as a former director general of the Association of British Insurers, she brings a deep understanding of our industry." Mary Francis is currently Senior Independent Director of Centrica plc, a member of the board of directors of Aviva plc, and a senior advisor to Chatham House. Formerly she was a member of the boards of directors of the Bank of England, Alliance & Leicester plc, Cable & Wireless Communications plc, and St Modwen Properties plc. From 1999 to 2005, Mary Francis was director general of the Association of British Insurers. Prior to this, she held several senior positions with the UK Civil Service including deputy private secretary to the Queen (1995-1999), private secretary to the Prime Minister (1992-1995) and financial counsellor at the British Embassy in Washington DC (1990-1992). Mary Francis was born in 1948 and is a British citizen. She studied at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, where she obtained a Master of Arts (MA) degree.
