Zurich is shaking things up with several executive team changes.
Patrick Cohen is replacing David Nichols in running Zurich’s personal lines and Endsleigh. Following the departure of Tim Holliday in July this year,
Nichols held the role on an interim basis. He will continue in his role as customer operations director.
The company’s chief claims officer, Tony Emms, is set to leave in December after 12 years with Zurich. Karl Hegelsen, the current motor claims and casualty claims director, will replace him.
Cohen is making the move over from his previous Swiss-based role as group head of customer and distribution for general insurance.
"I'm delighted that Patrick Cohen has joined us to run personal lines and Endsleigh, and I'm looking forward to benefiting from his experience in leading retail customer transformations,” UKGI CEO Vibhu Sharma,
who moved over from Zurich earlier this year, said. "I'm sure he will bring some great ideas and be a driving force behind the development of our retail propositions.
"Karl's achievements in leading operational transformation, together with his knowledge of Zurich and extensive experience, will bring a new perspective to our drive for claims excellence and ensure a seamless handover."
The company also announced that UKGI chief operations officer, Barry Perkins, will take on the role of program director for ITI transformation, EMEA, staring in January 2016.
He will take on responsibility for managing IT implementation and planning across Zurich's European business units. Recruitment for his successor is currently underway.
The changes follow a tumultuous 2015 for Zurich following news that its general insurance profits dropped 50% and that the insurer was set to cut 440 general insurance unit jobs, 50 of which could be broker facing.
