From car dreams to corner office: Zurich North America CEO’s journey

When Kristof Terryn was finishing high school, he didn’t aspire to become a chief executive. He wanted to be a car mechanic or racecar driver. Fast forward a few decades and thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean, and he was recalling this and other pivotal moments in his career with the underwriting trainees at the Chicago-area headquarters of Zurich North America. It’s the commercial insurance business he leads today as CEO.

Terryn was joined by Heather Fox, Head of U.S. National Accounts, for a conversation that was part of a week of education sessions for Zurich’s Underwriting Training Program (UTP). The 44 trainees — one of the largest UTP cohorts in the history of the program — converged in Schaumburg, Ill., from cities across the U.S. as they launched their underwriting careers. They are based in Zurich’s Middle Market, National Accounts and Specialties businesses.

In this session, trainees asked questions of Terryn and Fox, who shared career lessons and a few recommendations to help the trainees chart their path. Here are some highlights.

‘The most important quality’

Terryn: I think underwriting is a fascinating job. People outside the industry often don’t understand how complex and exciting insurance is. When you underwrite a commercial risk, you need to understand the current risk, what could change it and what’s happening in the environment that could impact it. So the most important quality I look for in an underwriter is curiosity. Don’t accept the status quo. Stay curious about the world, your industry and your customers.

Fox: That’s such an important point. Whether you’re just getting started or have years of experience, if you don’t understand something, never be self-conscious about asking the question.

And it’s not just about underwriting. It’s about people. You need to be able to sit at a customer dinner or lunch or cocktail party and talk about current events and what’s challenging their business. That curiosity helps you connect with your customers.

Terryn: I read several news publications — the Wall Street Journal; Financial Times; my local Belgian newspaper, because I’m still interested in what happens there; The Economist. It helps me stay current and understand different perspectives.

A best-kept secret that needs to get out

Terryn: One of the biggest challenges in our industry is that people don’t dream of working in insurance. We need to change that. I’m on the board of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) and the Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science (at St. John’s University), and we talk about this all the time. It’s a complex, fascinating industry — but we need to do a better job telling that story.

We're trying different things: Our Apprenticeship Program, Internship Program, this Training Program. A while back I had lunch with some of the apprentices, and one of them told me he was the third sibling in the family to join the Apprenticeship Program. But we still have work to do, in terms of this industry and also explaining how many great careers you can have here.

<<Applications for our 2026 training and internship programs are open through Oct. 31! See open positions here.>>

Fox: Even in my own house, it took years to convince my son to consider insurance. There are so many paths — tech, legal, client-facing, analytical. Some of you may be extroverted and love the prospect of the client dinners and the entertaining and social part of the business. But, some of you may think “that’s not the thing I love.”  And that’s OK. There are lots of roles in insurance that don’t have that element.

Becoming a leader

Terryn: I didn’t focus on getting to CEO. But I learned along the way that what I am really good at is figuring out something complex, rallying people around that, delivering an answer and executing it. That, for me is when I thought, maybe I do want to be a leader.

Leadership changes as you move up. Early on, you’re focused on getting things done. Probably one of the most challenging transitions is when you become a people manager the first time. Then, as you become more senior, it’s about setting direction, building the right team and shaping culture. You can’t do everything yourself — you have to manage through others.

Fox: And you have to be open. I started in this new role recently, and I spent the first several weeks focused on listening to employees throughout the organization at all levels. You can think you have a good understanding of the challenges, but sitting down with people and hearing their perspectives firsthand can be eye-opening.

Execution matters, but so does this

Terryn: Heather is going to laugh, but I think I’ve mellowed a bit over the years. I’ve learned to be more patient, to give people room to fail and grow. We do these personality profiles and I’m a “D” on the DiSC® profile, which means I like to make decisions quickly. But I’ve learned there’s value in letting people take the time to discuss things, versus always focusing on speed of execution.

Fox:  Especially as you ascend to larger leadership roles, you need to keep in mind that when you speak first, people might not offer their opinion if they disagree. So it’s better for you to sit back and hear what people have to say so you can benefit from other perspectives.

How AI may change underwriting

Terryn: Fundamentally I think the role of an underwriter is not going to change. All the support from AI to look at unstructured data and synthesize it for you means you’re going to have more information to make the decision and it may be a better decision. We’re still going to need underwriters making that decision. One challenge is how we train people when some of the foundational tasks are automated.

Fox:  AI is changing how we work. Some underwriting roles are evolving. We will need less administrative support, but I believe this will allow for a shift to more roles that support our customers. Relationships cannot and will not be automated. 

Habits that support balance

Terryn: No matter what’s happening, I pull out some time and work out. I aim for at least four or five times a week. Sometimes that means I leave the office at 4 and go to the gym and then go back online. But for me, working out is really important. It helps me disconnect and reset.

Fox: I’m a big believer in getting up early — has anyone read “The 5AM Club”? And having a routine, whether that’s meditating, working out or whatever sets you up for the day. The sooner you start that and remain disciplined, the more valuable it will be.

I have three children, and at certain times, my work-life balance changed. When my children were young, I took a different job because I wanted to be closer to home. I still stayed focused on my career, including continuing to grow and maintain my network, but working closer to home, with less travel, allowed me to have more time with my family when the children were young.

How they got from there to here

Terryn: In high school in Belgium, I had aspirations of being a car mechanic. Second was a Formula 1 driver. My parents insisted I pursue one of three degrees: law, engineering or medicine. I ended up in law school, though it wasn’t my passion. In hindsight, it’s very useful in insurance to have a legal background — especially if you’re on the casualty side.

After law school, I studied economics and worked for a bank, went to business school in the U.S. and spent some years in consulting. About half of my clients were in investment banking, half in insurance. I was based in Chicago and married an American.

Someone suggested I look at Zurich. I joined in 2004.

So I’m still a big fan of cars, but somehow I made my way into insurance.

And what’s kept me here at Zurich is the culture. It’s truly international, with strong values and great people. And we’re doing well — which means we can keep creating opportunities for people like you (trainees).

Fox: I began my career practicing law and sort of fell into insurance. I decided early on that being a litigator was not my passion. I was looking for a job that would enable me to relocate back to New York, and a friend told me she loved working at a carrier. I didn’t know anything about it, but I decided I'll try it. I ended up staying there for a very long time, as an underwriter, then in the legal group and a variety of other roles. Learning how to underwrite at the start of your career provides a strong foundation for whatever you do in the industry.

I worked in a brokerage and had a friend here at Zurich who told me what a great place it is. I enjoyed what I was doing. But I met Kristof and a lot of the leadership, and I got super excited about joining this organization and taking on a new challenge.

This is a company with a lot of long-tenured employees. And what keeps people here is opportunity. We create an environment where people can grow, where they’re supported and challenged.

Throughout the course of your career, you’ll change. Be reflective on, where am I right now, where do I want to go, what are the things I should focus on more. That’s insight you can get from some good mentors and sponsors.

I had an intern this summer who asked me, "Did you know when you started insurance that you were going to have this great career?" I didn't, but I got into it, I started to understand it, I started to develop a passion for it, and now, I feel so lucky I found it.

Learn more about Zurich career opportunities here.