Zurich names chief risk officer

Zurich Financial Services Australia has appointed a top risk executive for Australia and New Zealand.

David Wainwright has close to 25 years' experience in financial services and joins from Zurich in the United Kingdom where he is currently chief risk officer of the life business.

Commencing 6 January 2025, Wainwright will relocate from the UK to Sydney and report to Zurich's regional head of risk for Asia Pacific Sid Medappa.

He will succeed Jaimie Sach as chief risk officer who held the role for five years and has an extensive career in the wealth industry spanning more than 30 years.

Before working for the life office, Wainwright held various risk management and leadership roles at Zurich UK, Nomura Securities, Halifax Bank of Scotland and Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking CorporationGlobal Banking and Markets.

ZurichJustin Delaney, Chief Executive Officer at Zurich said: Wainwright brings a strong breadth of global experience to this role, paired with an impressive technical and leadership capability."

"He will play a key role in driving Zurich's local risk strategy against the backdrop of an increasingly complex environment. We look forward to welcoming him to Zurich's local leadership team in the new year."

Commenting on the appointment Wainwright said: "I am delighted and honoured to be joining the Zurich team in Australia and look forward to further evolving the team's strong risk management capability."