Zurich appoints Penny Seach as Group Chief Underwriting Officer
Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) has appointed Penny Seach, currently Chief Underwriting Officer EMEA, to the role of Group Chief Underwriting Officer, effective January 1, 2023. Ms. Seach will report to Sierra Signorelli, CEO Commercial Insurance. Hayley Robinson, who has held this role since June 2021, has decided to step down at the end of the year for family health reasons.
“Penny is a very experienced and capable successor for this important role, which is also a testament to our strong internal talent pool,” said Ms. Signorelli. “She has successfully led the EMEA underwriting business, strengthened the team and further advanced alignment with the Group’s strategy and governance. I am very confident that Penny will continue to successfully drive underwriting performance and ensure consistency across markets.”
Ms. Seach has more than 25 years of insurance experience with various multinational insurance companies. She joined Zurich in 2017 and has a strong track record of leading large diverse teams across geographies and disciplines.
Ms. Robinson will continue in her role through the end of the year, working alongside Ms. Seach to ensure a seamless transition.
“I would like to thank Hayley for her immense contribution to Zurich and the underwriting businesses since she joined the Group in 2018,” Ms. Signorelli added. “She has been a tremendous asset to the Commercial Insurance team and a highly valued and respected colleague. I was saddened to hear of Hayley’s personal circumstances and her decision to step down from her role. I wish her and her family the very best for the future.”
Metlife completes sale of auto & home business to Zurich Insurance Group Subsidiary Farmers Group, Inc.
MetLife, Inc. announced the completion of its sale of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and certain wholly-owned subsidiaries to Farmers Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Zurich Insurance Group, for a purchase price of $3.94 billion in cash.
In addition, MetLife and Farmers Exchanges have established a 10-year strategic partnership through which Farmers Insurance® (Farmers) will offer personal lines products on MetLife’s industry-leading U.S. Group Benefits platform, which reaches 3,800 employers and approximately 37 million eligible employees. Farmers assumes responsibility for MetLife’s previous retail property and casualty customers.
“We look forward to continuing to deliver a broad range of benefits that meet the needs of our group customers, maintaining strong relationships with our distribution partners, and ensuring employees across the U.S. have access to auto and home coverage through our relationship with Farmers,” said Ramy Tadros, president, U.S. Business, MetLife.