18 May 2016
· Zurich International Life reaffirms commitment to region with appointment of region's top position

Dubai, UAE - Zurich International Life has appointed Walter Jopp as CEO Global Life Middle East & Africa with immediate effect.

In his role, headquartered in Dubai, Jopp will be responsible for leading Zurich's growth and development of the life business across the region, reporting directly to Matt Gosden, Interim Regional CEO of Global Life Europe, Middle East & Africa.  

"Middle East & Africa is a key region for our Global Life business. We have a sizeable business and market share there, and it is a cornerstone of our global growth and development strategy," said Matt Gosden. "Walter's appointment reaffirms our commitment to the region and sets the benchmark for our continued success in the market.

"He is ideally suited for this key role in Middle East & Africa having performed several different senior roles, last as Head of Market Management for the region. Prior to that he was the Head of Market Management for Asia Pacific and Middle East where he drove several major strategic initiatives."

Jopp has had a broad international career during his 22 years with Zurich, having begun his career in London working in various roles for Zurich's financial intermediaries division. He then took up a number of international roles helping grow the business in Latin America, managing Global Accounts and working as Regional Manager for Scandinavia. He returned to the UK to become Head of Global Sales for Zurich International Solutions before he took on the role as Head of New Market Development, where he was responsible for sales management of the business outside of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Europe.

Walter's extensive distribution and local market knowledge, his leadership skills as well as his customer and employee focus will be a great asset for further strengthening Global Life MEA.

After three successful years leading Global Life Middle East & Africa successfully, Jawed Barna has been appointed Head of Life in Germany and deputy CEO of the Zurich Group in Germany.

Interviews: Walter Jopp is available for interviews from May 30, 2016

-Ends-

About Zurich International Life:
Zurich International Life Limited is fully authorised under the Isle of Man Insurance Act 2008 and is regulated by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority, which ensures that the company has sound and professional management and that provision has been made to protect plan holders. Zurich International Life Limited is a part of Zurich Insurance Group.

Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurer that serves its customers in global and local markets. With around 55,000 employees, it provides a wide range of general insurance and life insurance products and services. Zurich's customers include individuals, small businesses, and mid-sized and large companies, including multinational corporations, in more than 170 countries. The Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1872. The holding company, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information about Zurich is available at www.zurich.com.

For further information, please contact:
Heike Dransmann
Head of Communications, Middle East
Zurich International Life
Direct: +971 4 425 2352
Mobile: +971 56 401 0596
Email: heike.dransmann@zurich.com  

© Press Release 2016