About

With around 55,000 employees serving customers in more than 170 countries, Zurich Insurance Group is one of the world’s largest insurers. It serves all levels of clients, from individuals, small businesses, mid-sized companies, to multinational corporations. Amongst other tasks it also distributes non-insurance products, such as mutual funds, mortgages and other financial services products. The Zurich legal team is headed by Yannick Hausmann, group general counsel who has overseen the continuation of the insurer in recent years. Andres Christen, senior legal counsel, has also been praised by peers for his role navigating the company through some of the most critical deals. Recently the team has solidified a better integration into the business through its strategic outsourcing transactions partnership, support of major real estate projects and building up shared services centres. The team has had a substantial contribution to the innovation of the business and has received the group operations and technology recognition award for its pivotal contribution to a worldwide network and telephony outsourcing deal. Christophe Marclay, head legal group operations said: ‘The team has a strong focus on continuous improvement. All team members have at least a yellow belt certification for the “Lean” process improvement methodology and most of them have received green belt training. The team has a strong reputation for driving continuous improvement in our area’. Despite the increased cost pressure and organisational changes started by a new CEO, the team has remained agile by improving internal process and strengthening the “know-how” company-wide. The diversity within the team, the mutual support and keeping up the team spirit, grants the team the ability to align with the wider business: ‘The efforts being invested in these aspects are substantial, but so are also the resulting benefits when done correctly’.