About

Nicola O’Connell, general counsel Ireland, leads a team of ten lawyers and three non-lawyers based at Zurich’s business in Ireland. The Irish legal team continually adapts to changes within the Zurich business and the legal and regulatory landscape. Zurich has put in place a composite management team in Ireland over the past two years, with responsibility for managing both Zurich’s life and non-life insurance businesses. As a shared service function already providing support across both businesses, in addition to Zurich’s treasury, investments and other ancillary functions in Ireland, the team was uniquely well placed to support management in this innovative approach. In addition, the team has advised on multiple transactions and strategic projects in the past two years. As the hub of Zurich’s European non-life insurance business is situated in Ireland, commercial transactions affecting Zurich’s non-life branches in Europe are attended to by the Irish legal team. The team has also guided the business through the implementation of many new laws and regulations in the past two years, most recently the successful implementation of the GDPR across all of Zurich’s Irish businesses. Finally, like many companies Zurich has had to consider in detail the implications of Brexit for the business, and the Irish team has supported the development of robust contingency plans in the face of an ever-evolving UK political landscape. Political events over the past two years have impacted the team’s work as the head office of Zurich’s European non-life insurance business is in Ireland. In addition to preparing for Brexit the team keeps a watching brief on political developments in other European countries which may require the business to adapt its operating model. For example, the new legislation which continued to be introduced, particularly in the investments space, with many legislative initiatives which started life in response to the financial crisis being commenced in the past two years. O’Connell highlights that ‘the Zurich Ireland Legal team is an outstanding group of talented and hard-working professionals with whom it is a genuine pleasure to work’ and have risen to all of these challenges and excelled.