Zurich names Himes Underwriting Head for U.S. Middle Market

Bennett Himes is joining Zurich North America as the new Head of Underwriting for U.S. Middle Market, effective May 12. Himes succeeds John Diaz, who was earlier selected to lead Zurich’s Customer & Distribution Management function. Himes will report to Alex Wells, Head of U.S. Middle Market.

Himes will be responsible for overseeing the overall portfolio strategy and maintaining the underwriting integrity of Zurich’s U.S. Middle Market business. He will collaborate closely with senior Middle Market underwriting leaders in Middle Market Commercial, Programs and Group Captives to further enhance Zurich's culture of underwriting excellence.

“Bennett’s deep knowledge and extensive experience in portfolio management, individual risk selection, pricing and product management will be invaluable assets to the Middle Market team as we continue on our growth journey,” Wells said. “Having known Bennett for many years, I can also personally attest to his caring, optimistic, growth-oriented and solution-focused style of leadership.”

Himes brings over 24 years of Property & Casualty insurance experience to Zurich, including 22 years with Chubb North America. He has extensive middle market experience across all lines of business. He most recently served as Executive Vice President and Casualty Leader for Chubb’s Middle Market division, covering the U.S. and Canada, where he oversaw a portfolio of General Liability and Excess Umbrella business.

Himes began his insurance underwriting career at The St. Paul Companies in 2001. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

He will be based in New York City.

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