Zurich names David Nichols UK head of retail after David Martin exit

He replaces David Martin who as previously revealed by Insurance Age left the provider in October. Martin will start work at Aviva early next year taking over from Gareth Hemming.

Nichols, pictured, will take up the job on 1 January bringing more than 18 years’ experience at Zurich to the post.

He joined the provider in 2004 as head of small business for commercial insurance. Nichols has since held a variety of senior roles at the company, including director of technical operations for general insurance, customer operations director for the then Zurich-owned Endsleigh, and head of personal lines.

In 2016, he was made UK chief operating officer before taking on his current job in 2017.

Prior to joining Zurich, Nichols worked at Aviva across a number of different roles.

Strength

Tim Bailey, Zurich’s UK CEO, said: “David is a highly accomplished leader, with a deep understanding of our business.

“He is widely respected for his strong customer and broker focus and passion for using technology to deliver faster and more efficient services. David’s breadth of strategic and operational expertise make him the outstanding candidate to drive our retail business forward.

“His appointment is testament to the strength of our internal talent pool.”

Nichols said: “It’s an exciting time to lead Zurich’s retail business.

“With an exceptionally talented team and momentum in the market, I see strong opportunities for sustained growth. I’m looking forward to working with brokers to maximise trading opportunities, deepen our relationships and serve our customers in the best way we can.”

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