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Alumni Profile: Dirk Lohmann

Graduation year: 1980

Major/degree: Political science; economics

Home state/country: Born in Germany; raised in Michigan

Current state/country: Zurich, Switzerland

Current employer: Secquaero Advisors AG

 

Why did you originally decide to study at Michigan?

I grew up in Michigan. My parents immigrated to the States when I was a couple months old, and they ended up in the Detroit metro area—first in Detroit, and then in Lincoln Park. Then we lived right in downtown Detroit and later in the Grosse Pointe Area. U-M for me was the natural choice. Obviously, it’s a great school, and it has a great reputation. It was the only school I applied to!

 

What do you miss most about campus and/or Ann Arbor?

The last time I visited, I got to see all of the stuff going on up on North Campus. I barely recognized it! I enjoyed walking around the Diag, which hasn’t changed very much. The Fishbowl (aka the Angell Hall Campus Computing Site) isn’t what it used to be! I’m so jealous of what students now have in terms of computer labs. It’s amazing! I also visited the dorms; I used to live in Mosher-Jordan, which has since been renovated, leading to some real improvements in the overall quality. All very nice!

 

What ways have you found to keep in touch with the Michigan community while living outside of the U.S.?

When I came to Ann Arbor two years ago in October, I met with some people from the math department. My business is in managing an alternative asset, which is called insurance and securities. So I met with students in the actuarial math department and then also decided that I would make a donation to Curtis E. Huntington Honorary Fund there in support of the actuarial mathematics program.

 

Are there any interesting projects that you’re currently working on in your personal or professional life?

At Secquaero Advisors, we are investing advisors for alternative asset funds—essentially, high-yield bonds that have catastrophe risk embedded in them. If the catastrophe doesn’t happen, you get a high return; if a catastrophe does happen, you lose your principal. This asset class is now 21 years old. It’s growing and is a form of reinsurance. Right now, it’s a very dynamic and growing business. We’re also working together with [insurance] companies and brokers to structure new types of transactions that can be syndicated in the capital market.

 

Any other details about yourself that you’d like to share?

My wife and I enjoy supporting conservation efforts for endangered species, specifically through the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. It operates on a minimal budget, but it has a massive impact on saving species. They train people from all around the world to do conservation projects in their home countries, and we sponsor students to take those courses. These are all very dedicated people who do a lot with very little. That’s something I think we need to work on and support: the preservation of these species.  

If you’d like to get in touch with Dirk, he can be reached at dirk.lohmann@secquaero.com.