Dubai, United Arab Emirates; January 25, 2012: Zurich, one of the world's leading insurance groups, announced today that it has been named "Energy Insurer of the Year" at the MENA IR Awards 2012 in Dubai. The awards recognise the outstanding performance of insurers, reinsurers and brokers across the Middle East.

Zurich was recognised for the skills and expertise of its team, its leading market position and strong financial performance over the past year. Since entering the market, Zurich has recruited the best international and local talent to become the only complete multi-line energy insurer in the region covering upstream, downstream and casualty.

"In a short space of time, Zurich has transformed the region's energy insurance landscape by building a world-class, fully empowered energy team who are able to draw on the underwriting capacity of one of the world's top five insurers," said Maroun Mourad, CEO of Zurich's General Insurance business in the Middle East. "The unrivalled technical underwriting skill and experience of the team means insurance that historically would have been written in London is now written in Dubai, resulting in faster underwriting decisions and a better outcome for cedants and the end customer." 

In addition to highly skilled underwriting and claims specialists, Zurich has also created a team of dedicated risk engineers who work closely with clients to manage risks. Over the past year, Zurich has worked with some of the region's largest energy companies to develop customised, region-specific risk management policies.

Tejal Bartlett, Head of Global Energy, Middle East, Zurich, said: "We are delighted to have been recognised for the work and effort the team have invested in the last year.  It's a great platform for us to build on as we continue to grow our Energy business in the Middle East.  The true measure of our success, however, will be being recognised as the best insurer by the people who matter most - our customers and distribution partners.  This is something we will continue to strive for in 2012 and beyond."

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About Zurich:
Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurance provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, as well as other markets. It offers a wide range of general and life insurance products and services for individuals, small businesses, mid-sized and large companies, and multinational corporations.

Zurich employs about 60,000 people, serving customers in more than 170 countries. Founded in 1872, the Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Financial Services Ltd (ZURN) is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

For further information, please visit: www.zurich.com.

For further information, please contact:
Zoë Gould
Head of Marketing & Communications, Middle East
Zurich
Tel: 971-4-3647316

Liam Turner / Tameem Al Kintar
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600
Fax: 971-4-4358040
Email: l.turner@asdaa.com / t.alkintar@asdaa.com

© Press Release 2012