The CEO of Swiss insurer Baloise will reduce his workload until mid-year, after being diagnosed with a form of cancer.
Gert De Winter, who has run Baloise since 2016, will step back partly in coming months as he undergoes treatment for cancer, the Swiss insurer said in a statement (in German) on Thursday. The head of Baloise's Swiss business, Michael Mueller, will oversee the daily running of the company.
De Winter will continue to shepard strategic topics like the beginning of Baloise's strategy program. The insurer was unusually forthcoming about De Winter's diagnosis: the Belgian national was diagnosed with a tumor of the esophagus.
His prognosis following surgery to remove it as well as the follow-up treatment are good. A former Accenture consultant, De Winter has been a major driver of innovation at the 159-year-old company.
