Founded in 1980, SRB provides insurance broking, risk management and risk engineering consultancy. At the time of its launch, this combined service approach was unique in Switzerland, so the business enjoyed rapid growth, and what started with a handful of employees partnering with insurance specialists and engineers has grown into a team of almost 30 people.

In 2003, five members of the management team undertook a management buy-out, re-structuring the business to give it greater flexibility and further growth potential. Four of the MBO team are still with SRB. "For more than 40 years, we have been committed to meeting the individual needs of our customers. Our team of experienced insurance specialists and risk engineers has more than 250 years of combined experience in national and international insurance solutions. Service quality and personal contact are our top objectives when supporting our customers in the areas of manufacturing, trade and services." 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

SRB services some 200 programmes representing over 1000 global subsidiaries. Predominantly manufacturing companies (with many supplying the automotive industry), the firm also supports businesses across numerous sectors including medical, pharma, biotech, machinery, retail, sales, construction and financial. Clients range in size from SMEs to multi-national groups, operating locally and internationally.

SRB’s sector specialists have decades of experience of both advising clients and handing negotiations between the various parties. They actively support them in the planning and implementation of their risk and insurance policies and meet with insurers annually to exchange information about market developments as well as product optimisation. The knowledge and experience held within these core centres of excellence also flows into publications, trade groups and specialty conferences.

Every two years SRB organises a conference for clients, insurers, employees, and other stakeholders, covering topical issues such as environmental and economic developments.

Two organisations, Batisec and the USIC Foundation which represent around 500 engineering companies, have outsourced their risk and/or insurance management to SRB. For USIC this involves providing a framework contract for liability insurance. SRB provides a broad range of support and services including:

• Administration and support of 6500 member companies
• Management of insurance, premium collection, monitoring premium revision declarations
• Monitoring the claims process and providing feedback
• Developing industrial solutions and scrutinising market developments to ensure the insurance contracts meet the beneficiaries’ needs
• Advice on all aspects of risk engineering and risk finance
• Audits, accounting, and tax declaration
• Updating information on websites
• Supporting the promotion of new insureds
• Organising some 70 training sessions and courses and supporting further education and information-sharing events
• Board administration

In addition, clients are also able to benefit from SRB’s Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) and inhouse Risk Engineering services, supporting their security and sustainability strategies, whilst also ensuring legal compliance. Through application of the practice-proven and reliable solutions of the ASA/Risk Engineering Team, they are also able to implement highly effective loss prevention. "Our services are not limited to those of a classic insurance broker. The risk engineering team supports the brokerage and claims management areas, helping companies plan and implement their risk management strategies. Our environment, health and safety/risk engineering team ensure clients meet their safety, security and sustainability commitments and so are legally compliant, and our ASA (OSHA)/risk engineering team offers tried-and-tested risk prevention solutions."

CLIENT EXPECTATIONS

SRB offers clients 24-hour emergency support. This, together with a commitment to follow ISO 9001 standards since 1995, demonstrates the quality of its customer service. In 2008, in response to increasingly stringent international compliance regulations, SRB set up a subsidiary in Lichtenstein, providing greater flexibility for servicing multi-national clients.

SRB’s clients expect a neutral, objective, and highly sophisticated approach to their company’s risks and its team meet these expectations through adopting a personal approach with clients. This enables clients to focus on their core competences whilst SRB handles the risk and insurance matters. The trust in SRB’s staff is based on their very high standard of insurance competence and know-how, market development insights and commitment to continual learning.

“We invest considerable money in the war for talent and in employee retention. Our office is fully digitalised. Every employee can work from home. In this field we are looking for excellence and best support in order for our employees to work efficiently. Our clients have on-line access to all information”, adds Edoardo.

FUTURE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

“We have been in a soft insurance market since 2003. Over the last two years the market has slightly turned, and in some area’s insurance capacity has increased. In the last couple of months, however, there has been a worldwide acceleration of this hardening of the insurance market. Most global players reduced their capacity due to a reduction of capitalisation as a result of negative technical results. Many insurers have recorded loss ratios around 100% or higher. “Traditionally, insurers have been able to compensate negative technical results with earnings from the stock market. However, with today’s low interest rates and volatile stock markets, the situation has changed, and it is important for the carriers to have a robust insurance book and operate the business with positive technical results. Risk management and loss prevention programmes have become more and more important for our clients, policies with high loss frequencies and/or big losses have seen an adaption of terms and conditions which means higher deductibles and premiums, restrictions in coverage and exclusions in wordings. Keystone is to focus on loss prevention.”

BROKERSLINK, MORE THAN A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

In 1983, SRB launched its international broker division and developed a network of partners. Over time, they realised that in order to survive in the international area and keep up with the larger players, they needed to expand this network. They tested a few options but were never satisfied with the concept. 

"In 2007, at RIMS in New Orleans, Richard Snow, a long-time friend of mine and José Manuel Fonseca, approached SRB. We were thrilled to be involved with the Brokerslink concept – the idea of an international network, working with the best independent brokers worldwide, was exactly what we’d been looking for."

SRB presented its business at the conference in Athens and was accepted the same year. “We still celebrate that day and being a proud founder member of this broker organisation,” adds Edoardo. “Brokerslink allows us to serve our customers worldwide, offering the same service standards we have in Switzerland, ensuring clients’ expectations are met.”

Since its launch, SRB’s main focus has been to operate internationally. Over the years, the firm has managed more than 500 international insurance programmes for larger clients and this expertise extends to Brokerslink partners. In addition, SRB’s risk engineering team can support clients in all aspects of risk management.

“‘Serving before earning’ is our motto. It’s often the case that foreign companies appear small and unattractive to third-parties. With Brokerslink however, it’s possible to provide the best possible service for these companies too. We’re not only a network; we’re colleagues and good friends who help each other even if sometimes, there is nothing to earn for the individual. Those small customers can develop into sought-after ones”, explains Edoardo.

“Being a member of Brokerslink is extremely important to us. Today a broker dealing with international domiciled companies needs a state-of-the-art worldwide presence. And given that a significant selection of our clients have subsidiaries around the world, Brokerslink facilitates SRB with all the know how it needs to give its clients and their subsidiaries the best of knowledge they deserve worldwide.”

Milestones

1980 Establishment of SRB Schweizerische Stiftung für Risikoberatung (SRB stands for the Swiss Foundation of Risk Consulting)

1983 Establishment of SRB Assekuranz Broker AG, formation of SRB International Broker Organization and first discussions with initial network partners

1995 First certification to ISO-Standard 9001

2003 As part of the management buyout on 1 January the members of the executive management Roland Ebert, Stephan Egli, Johann Faeh, Edoardo Leusciatti and Dr Matjaž Roš, took over SRB Assekuranz Broker AG

2007 Strategic co-operation with the broker network Brokerslink - Global Insurance Partnership in addition to the existing network SRB International Broker Organization

2008 Founding of the subsidiary in Liechtenstein

2011 Move to Luggwegstrasse 9, Zurich Altstetten

2017 Johann Faeh retires and sells his shares to partners Edoardo Leusciatti, Stephan Egli, Roland Ebert and Dr Matjaž Roš

2019 Merger with Ebert SRB Assekuranz Broker AG, Uznach

2020 SRB celebrates its 40th birthday! (Due to Covid-19 the anniversary celebrations had to be postponed.)

Roland Ebert retires and sells his shares to partners Edoardo Leusciatti, Stephan Egli and Dr Matjaž Roš.