Zurich North America has announced the appointment of Mark Way as head of sustainability underwriting. Way (pictured above) will report to Chief Underwriting Officer Brandon Fick and will serve as a member of the company’s technical underwriting leadership team.
In his new role, Way leads Zurich’s newly formed Office of Sustainability Underwriting, where he is joined by David Edsey, technical underwriting climate director, and Jonathan Charak, emerging solutions director.
“The Office of Sustainability Underwriting will approach climate change as both a risk and an opportunity when it comes to establishing underwriting strategy guidelines, engaging with our customers and working with sustainability partners,” Fick said. “This team will also lead a cross-functional committee that will bring together various disciplines to address Zurich’s sustainability commitment across all dimensions within and outside of Zurich.”
Way has more than 20 years of industry experience, with a specific focus on sustainability for the last 15 years. Before joining the company, he served as both acting global climate adaptation director and global climate risk and resiliency director at The Nature Conservancy. He has also served at Swiss Re, where he worked closely with underwriting and business units to create products to manage climate and natural catastrophes.
Way holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics and Middle East studies from the University College of Wales and an advanced degree in sustainable business from the University of Cambridge. He has also completed the executive education climate change and energy program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
