2025 Geneva Association Ernst Meyer Prize awarded to works that help insurers navigate today’s complex global risk landscape

Nicolaus Grochola’s thesis, Essays on Market Risks of Life Insurers, evaluates the impact of falling interest rates, regulatory discretion under Solvency II, and policyholder behaviour on life insurers’ financial exposure. In her thesis, Essays on Information Asymmetries and Risk Classification in Insurance, Julia Holzapfel analyses how new risk-classification technologies, such as usage-based insurance and genetic information, affect market dynamics and fairness in insurance contracts. Lin Zhou’s thesis, Essays on Multivariate Risk, develops new models for understanding how individuals perceive and respond to multiple, interrelated risks.

Christophe Courbage, Editor-in-Chief of The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance and member of the judging committee, said: "The three winning theses of this year’s Ernst Meyer Prize deepen our understanding of how insurers can adapt to increasingly complex risk environments. They demonstrate how rigorous research can inform better risk management strategies, more robust insurance products, and smarter regulation. The judging committee found these contributions to be not only academically outstanding but also highly relevant for industry leaders and policymakers today." 

In addition to Professor Courbage (Geneva School of Business Administration, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland), this year’s judging committee is comprised of Professor Petra Steinorth (University of Hamburg) and Professor Richard Watt (University of Canterbury, Christchurch).

ENDS