Editor’s Letter

Dear Leader,

The last few weeks have been busy and exciting ones following my appointment as Head of Programs for Zurich North America. We continue to make great strides in our goals as a team and in our working relationship with Program Administrators.

Program Leader is one of many ways we share information about what we’re doing at Zurich Programs, as well as company-wide news and market insights we think will be relevant to your business.

In this issue, Bart Shachnow, Head of Zurich Insurance Academy, writes about our continuing education (CE) courses for brokers and how they can help support Program Administrators. Our Program Spotlight shines on Distinguished Programs, PA for four of our city property programs. And as always, we share some time with some of our valued colleagues in “Our People.” We’re also proud to share our most recent Awards of Distinction honorees for top-performing Program Administrators and to report on Zurich’s second consecutive win as Program Insurer of the Year.

We also have an overview on some of Zurich North America’s thought leadership content covering a very hot topic: artificial intelligence (AI). We think you’ll be intrigued and encouraged at the potential AI has for the insurance industry. There also is a summary of the half-year financial results for Zurich Insurance Group and Zurich North America.

Finally, this issue features some heartfelt messages to Denise Olson who preceded me as Head of Programs and who has been a valued part of Zurich, both in and outside of Programs, for nearly 20 years. I have enjoyed working with Denise and so appreciate her contributions to Zurich Programs’ success over her time with us. Enjoy your retirement, Denise!

I hope you enjoy and find value in this issue of Program Leader. Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions you’d like to share.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Cittadino Head of Programs U.S. Middle Market Zurich North America

Editor’s Letter

Dear Leader,

It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by and that a new issue of Program Leader is now ready and available for our readers. My team and I are excited about the momentum we have with our current Program Administrators, and the forward-thinking approach we look to build upon when developing new relationships.

In this issue, we are focusing on some industry topics that may be top of mind for your business. October is Cyber Awareness Month, and we are sharing insights on cyber defenses provided by our colleagues at SpearTip. In addition, there is also an article on nuclear verdicts, penned by Lisa Bellino, VP Claims Judicial and Legislative Affairs. Our third industry topic focuses on secondary perils associated with natural catastrophes, such as convective storms. Secondary perils are on the rise, along with their increasing loss totals.

Now that I’ve completed a year in this role, I have been given the opportunity to share my thoughts and perspective as the Head of Zurich Programs. In my position, it’s important to recognize the talent we have on our Programs team. In this issue, we highlight our three Program Business Managers and their approach to supporting our Program Administrators. We also feature a section called Our People. It’s equally important to acknowledge the Program Administrators who we work with day in and day out. I’d like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to our Award of Distinction honorees for 2023.

To close out this issue, Bart Shachnow, Sales Performance Director at Zurich, draws on examples from the popular “Succession” television series to provide essential insights for managing family-run businesses.

We hope you enjoy and find value in this issue of Program Leader. Please feel free to share any comments or suggestions with us.

Thank you.

Eric Cittadino Head of Programs U.S. Middle Market Zurich North America

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