If you’re going to open a new office, you might as well do it in style – and if that office happens to be in Scotland then having First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP on hand is quite the coup.
That is exactly what Zurich enjoyed yesterday as it officially opened a state-of-the-art location in Glasgow. The insurer has relocated from the Eagle Building on Bothwell Street to the seventh floor of the St Vincent Plaza in the heart of the business district.
“It’s testament to the skills and knowledge of the local workforce that a major employer such as Zurich is expanding its presence in Scotland and we would encourage others to follow their example,” said Sturgeon.
So, what can we expect from the new office? According to Zurich UK CEO Tulsi Naidu, it is “one of our most modern UK office spaces” having achieved both a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Excellent’ rating as well as an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ‘A’ rating. It is set to be a home away from home for 240 – with Zurich’s sales, underwriting and claims functions all to be located there.
The move also means that Zurich will have four claims hubs across the UK, each for a specific expertise – Glasgow being the hub for its motor and home claims and increasingly smaller commercial lines claims; London is where specialty, property and energy claims are handled; Birmingham is the home for casualty claims; and Whiteley, in Hampshire, houses claims services, including investigations and fraud, governance and vendor management. Life claims continue to be handled by a specialist team in Swindon.
“We want to make our whole organisation less complex and more innovative - and this is exactly what our new model for handling general insurance claims does,” added Naidu.
“Our customers want to know that we’re on hand with the right expertise at the time they need it – available quickly, and able to resolve their claims as fast as possible. By streamlining our claims model and creating four regional hubs across the UK, each with specialist expertise for servicing a particular type of claim, we’re confident that we will provide a better-quality service for our customers.”
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