Jim Swanke concentrates on financial and strategic planning issues, including risk financing design and evaluation, captive insurance company design, enterprise risk management, vendor selection/review, risk management organizational design, integrated disability management, facultative reinsurance placements, and regulatory compliance.
From 1981 to 1998, Swanke served as practice director for Willis Towers Watson’s global risk management consulting operations. During that time, he also served as president and chief executive officer of The David Corporation, a claims management software company. From 1998 to 2009, Swanke served as a managing principal of the firm’s risk management practice. Currently, he is a director and risk management consultant, and continues to be a trusted advisor to executives and clients in the company’s insurance and captive programs. He also serves as the global director of enterprise risk management for Willis Towers Watson.
Swanke has a BBA degree in risk management and insurance, personnel management and marketing and an MBA degree in finance and risk management from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is certified as a chartered property and casualty underwriter, an associate in risk management and an associate in loss control management. He authored and edited Mergers & Acquisitions: A Workbook of Management Issues, published by Watson Wyatt. He also co-authored Public Officials Liability Insurance: Understanding the Market, a report published by the International City Management Association, and he also co-authored the Port Risk Management Guidebook, published by the U.S. Maritime Administration. He is a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on sustainability, environmental and social risk management. Additionally, he is a frequent speaker at industry meetings and is the author of numerous articles.