Zurich Canada has appointed Björn Bierfreund (pictured) as its new chief financial officer.
Bierfreund joined Zurich in 2009 and has since held various senior roles across different regions. He will report directly to Zurich Canada CEO Saad Mered and join the Zurich Canada Executive Committee and the Zurich North America Finance Leadership Team.
Bierfreund will be based in Zurich Canada’s Toronto office. He replaces Lori Cassidy, who recently transitioned to the role of CFO for Zurich Commercial Insurance.
“I am excited to welcome Björn to the Zurich Canada team as we continue to grow our business, execute our strategic priorities, and build on our strong foundation,” said Mered. “Björn has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and business acumen during his many years with Zurich, taking on many key roles within the global organization.”
For the past year, Bierfreund has been serving as senior investor relations officer with Zurich Insurance Group in Switzerland. In this role, he was responsible for effectively communicating Zurich’s financial and equity story to investors and analysts. He closely monitored key industry developments and rating issues to support the company's financial and strategic decision-making process.
He also served as global head of business performance management and acted as the interim CFO for Zurich Commercial Insurance from 2021 to 2022.
Bierfreund holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He earned an executive MBA from Columbia Business School and holds a master’s degree in international business from Furtwangen University in Germany.
In other Zurich Canada news, CEO Saad Mered was recently tapped to join the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s (IBC) board of directors. He was appointed to the board in late May, alongside London Bradley, president and CEO of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada.
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