In early January 2021, Andrew Rear’s health took a turn for the worse.
Executive Summary
Andrew Rear, chair of InsurTech Buckle and the former leader of Munich Re Digital Partners, describes his personal experience with COVID-19. In a related article, "P/C Industry COVID Survivor Warns About Pandemic Continuity Risks," Rear urges executives to ensure their companies can run smoothly if they become sick like he did. Instead of feeling that no one can take over, they need to appoint deputies who can assume their responsibilities.After suffering two weeks with COVID-19, the 50-year-old former head of Munich Re’s Digital Partners thought he was on the mend. Almost without warning, however, he began to worsen and then increasingly struggled to breathe.
Within a day, after consulting with his doctor, an ambulance was on its way to take him to the hospital. He was so sick he doesn’t remember the night the ambulance came. But his wife does.
“My wife said she’d never seen me really frightened in the 27 years we’ve been married,” Rear recalled from his UK home, where he is now in recovery. “She said I just looked frightened like a small boy.”
Rear, who is now chair of the InsurTech Buckle, shared his COVID-19 story with Carrier Management after highlighting his experience on Twitter. It is a story many others have experienced during the pandemic: initial COVID symptoms similar to the flu, a few tough weeks, some signs of improvement and then an unexpected negative turn.
