Mactavish

John Coomber, a British citizen born in 1949, graduated in theoretical mechanics from Nottingham University in 1970. He started his career with the Phoenix Insurance Company and in 1973 joined Swiss Re. Having qualified as an actuary in 1974, he first specialised in the company’s life reinsurance. In 1993 he was made head of the company’s UK operations. John Coomber was appointed a member of the Executive Board in April 1995, responsible for the Group’s Life & Health division. In June 2000, he became a member of the Executive Committee. He was Swiss Re’s Chief Executive Officer from 1 January 2003 through 31 December 2005 when he retired after 33 years.

Mr Coomber is currently a non-executive Board member of the Swiss Re Group. He was appointed as a non-Executive Director of Pensions Insurance Corporation Holdings LLP in September 2006, was subsequently appointed Executive Vice Chairman and, in July 2009, became Chief Executive Officer of Pension Insurance Company Ltd. He is also Chairman of the Trustees of the Climate Group and a member of the Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisory Panel. In 2007 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Bruce graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, University of London. He worked as an industrial analyst in the manufacturing and engineering sector, later forming Mactavish to specialise in telecoms with leading clients AT&T, BT, CSC and IBM.

Between 1996 and 1998 he evolved the company to become a specialist provider of strategy consultancy and industrial analysis in the corporate insurance sector, leading to the evolution of the business as its stands today.

Martin qualified with Ernst and Whinney then joined Bunzl Plc, initially as part of the Internal Audit team. He rose to Divisional Finance Director of the European Disposables Division, reporting to the main board. Martin has been involved with Mactavish since spring 2003.

Martin holds a portfolio of Non Executive and Consulting roles, including with Freedom Recruitment Limited, a specialist retail recruitment business, where he was formerly Managing Director. Prior to this Martin was Finance Director of The Locum Group Limited, a Private Equity (UBS Capital) backed medical recruitment business, successfully leading the sale of the business to Reed Health Group plc.

Paul joined the Board in December 2007. Paul was Group Finance Director and subsequently UK Chief Executive of Royal and Sun Alliance plc prior to which he was Group Treasurer of Hanson plc and Group Treasurer of Rolls Royce plc. He is currently Chairman of Trustees of British Airways Pensions; Chairman of the Trustees of the BT Pension Scheme; and Chairman of Trustees and of the Investment Committee for Rolls-Royce Plc Pension Fund. Paul is also Chairman of WPP Group Plc’s Audit Committee and Non-Executive Chairman of State Street Managed Pension Funds. In addition, Paul is Non-Executive Director of NipponKoa Europe Insurance Limited and TR Property Investment Trust PLC.  He was also formerly chairman of National Savings and Investments and has been the past President of the Association of Corporate Treasurers, the UK body for finance professionals working in treasury, risk and corporate finance.

Paul provides a unique insight into the core customer base of corporate insurance buyers for Mactavish, and was awarded a CBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours for services to the financial services industry.