1865

Zurich
Trieste

United Arab Emirates

Josef (Giuseppe) Besso was recruited in March 1865 by Moritz Grossmann to run Swiss Re. He came from the famous Besso family who ran Assicurazioni Generali in Trieste.

Grossmann and Besso set the model for Swiss Re – continued by both Charles Simon and Erwin Hürlimann – of having international, versatile managers who could operate on a world stage, still dominated by the major colonial powers.

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