Zurich appoints new chief financial officer of Canada

Zurich Insurance Group has appointed a new chief financial officer (CFO) of its Canadian business.

Björn Bierfreund (pictured) has been named CFO for Zurich Canada. He replaces Lori Cassidy, who was recently appointed the CFO for Zurich Commercial Insurance.

Based in the Toronto office, Bierfreund reports to Zurich Canada CEO Saad Mered and forms part of the Zurich Canada executive committee and Zurich North America finance leadership team.

Bierfreund joined Zurich in 2009 and since then, has held several roles of increasing seniority across geographies. Bierfreund is a commercial insurance industry veteran. He was previously the global head of business performance management and was the interim CFO for Zurich Commercial Insurance from 2021-2022.

For the past year, Bierfreund has been a senior investor relations officer with Zurich Insurance Group in Switzerland, where he was responsible for delivering Zurich’s financial and equity story to the investor and analyst community, as well as monitoring key industry developments and rating issues in support of financial and strategic decision making.

Mered said: “I am excited to welcome Björn to the Zurich Canada team as we continue to grow our business, execute our strategic priorities, and build on our strong foundation. Björn has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and business acumen during his many years with Zurich, taking on many key roles within the global organisation.”

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