Swiss Re appoints David Cole as finance chief

ZURICH, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Reinsurer Swiss Re SRENH.VX appointed David Cole as its new finance chief on Thursday, and raised its dividend after reporting an unexpected rise in net income.

The company proposed raising its dividend to 3.85 Swiss francs a share and proposed a special dividend of 4.15 francs per share.

The company reported a net profit to $1.206 billion in the fourth quarter, compared to forecasts for $656 million in a Reuters poll.

(Reporting by Alice Baghdjian)

((alice.baghdjian@thomsonreuters.com)(+41 58 306 7461)(Reuters Messaging: alice.baghdjian.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: SWISSRE/RESULTS