Generational change in AXA’s pensions department: Long-standing head Thomas Gerber is handing over to Niklas Elser, who will become a member of the management team effective April 1.
The Board of Directors of AXA Switzerland has elected Niklas Elser as the new Head of Pensions and member of the Executive Board as of April 1, 2025. He has held various management positions at AXA since 2017. Since 2023, he has been responsible for the Private Pensions & Healthcare division.
Niklas Elser succeeds Thomas Gerber, who, after thirteen extremely successful years, has decided to give up his position as Head of Pensions and to reorient himself in the context of his future life and career. He will continue to work for AXA on a reduced basis.
“Thomas Gerber has had a significant impact on AXA as a member of the Executive Board for 24 years. As Head of Pensions, he has achieved the feat of simultaneously strategically reorienting occupational pensions, transforming private pensions into a promising growth area and building up the fastest-growing supplementary health insurer in the Swiss market with health care. His strategic foresight, his persistence and his ability to implement, combined with his empathetic nature and his diverse interests, have contributed greatly to our great success in recent years. I would like to thank him for his outstanding services to our company and wish him much joy and fulfillment in the new phase of his life.” Fabrizio Petrillo, CEO AXA Switzerland
Successful internal succession planning
Niklas Elser joined AXA in 2017 as Head of Corporate Development. He later took over the management of Corporate Development & Open Innovation, health care from 2021 and private pensions from 2023. Before that, Niklas Elser worked in the financial and health insurance industry for almost ten years, first as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and then at the health insurer CSS. The 42-year-old is a German-Swiss dual citizen, studied strategy and international management at the University of St. Gallen and ESADE and lives near Zurich with his wife and three children.
“I am delighted that, as part of our long-term succession planning, an internal talent is now taking over the management of the pensions department. With his great track record in his various positions with us, Niklas Elser has repeatedly demonstrated that he has the necessary tools to give pensions, together with his team, the next growth spurt. I wish him much joy and success in his new position.” Fabrizio Petrillo, CEO AXA Switzerland
The appointment of Niklas Elser as the new Head of Pensions at AXA is subject to the necessary regulatory approvals.
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