Zurich appoints Rick Gibbons President of Global Energy

New York City, April 21,2009 – Zurich, a leading property and casualty insurance provider in North America and globally, today announced Rick Gibbons has been appointed President of Zurich Global Energy. In his role, Gibbons will oversee Zurich’s efforts in providing comprehensive energy risk solutions, risk engineering services and claims support tailored to oil and gas, petrochemical, natural resources, mining and power generation customers worldwide.

“Global Energy is an integral part of Zurich’s overall strategy.  As the risks our customers face become increasingly more complex, we are very fortunate to have someone with Rick’s expertise and knowledge of the industry take over the leadership of Global Energy,” said Mario Vitale, CEO of Zurich's Global Corporate business.  “Rick’s knowledge of the needs of our customers will enable us to deliver the innovative solutions and excellent service global corporate customers demand.”

Leading up to this role, Gibbons brings more than thirty years of experience in the energy industry and in underwriting, engineering, and relationship management.  He began his career in the insurance industry in 1978 undertaking a variety of roles including loss control engineering at Factory Mutual and underwriting and management at Protection Mutual.  In 1984, Gibbons joined Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance (HSB) where he became Chief Operating Officer for HSB’s special risks division.  Gibbons most recently served as President for Global Energy Property at AIG.

Gibbons assumes his new position with Zurich on April 29. He will be based at Zurich’s Global Energy headquarters in New York City.

About Zurich
Zurich's North America Commercial and Global Corporate in North America business divisions are part of Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich), an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Founded in 1872, the Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It employs approximately 60,000 people serving customers in more than 170 countries. In North America, Zurich (www.zurichna.com) is a leading commercial property-casualty insurance provider serving the global corporate, large corporate, middle market, specialties and programs sectors.

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Media contact:
David Bishop
Zurich
(847) 605-8826
david.bishop@zurichna.com