Zurich Australia appoints new Head of SME
Zurich Financial Services Australia (Zurich) today announced the appointment of James Garrett to the position of Head of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) for General Insurance in Australia & New Zealand.
Mr Garrett has worked with Zurich for more than 12 years, holding various positions in SME underwriting including most recently as a Digital Portfolio Manager with responsibility for a large portfolio of SME customers.
The announcement follows the appointment of Theo Pitsikas to the newly created role of Head of SME, APAC.
Alex Morgan, Head of General Insurance, Zurich said: “I am very pleased to welcome James to lead Zurich’s SME team, where he will be responsible for evolving our customer offering, engaging closely with brokers and accelerating technological investment.”
“James brings a wealth of SME experience and understanding to this role, including more than a decade of developing local broker relationships. This will bring both continuity and a fresh perspective as we seek to further advance our proposition and competitive position.”
“I also want to congratulate and thank Theo for his excellent leadership of Zurich’s SME team for more than eight years, which has seen Zurich grow to be considered a leader in this space. Theo’s appointment is both an excellent professional opportunity and an important strategic step forward that will see Zurich’s commitment to the SME market strengthen and scale in the region,” Mr Morgan said.
The appointments are effective from 16 June, 2025. Mr Garrett will continue to be based in Sydney. Mr Pitsikas will relocate from Australia to Singapore.
-ENDS-
For media enquiries contact:
Isabella Molinari
Media and External Relations Manager
+61 401 105 653
media@zurich.com.au
Zurich Financial Services Australia is a life insurance, commercial insurance and investments specialist that has been participating in the Australian market since 1920. Since its acquisition of OnePath Life from ANZ in 2019, the company provides life insurance to more than 1.5 million Australian customers under both the Zurich and OnePath Life brands. Further information about Zurich Financial Services Australia is available at www.zurich.com.au.
Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading global multi-line insurer founded more than 150 years ago, which has grown into a business serving more than 75 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories, while delivering industry-leading total shareholder returns.
Reflecting its purpose to ‘create a brighter future together,’ Zurich offers protection services that go beyond traditional insurance, to support its customers in building resilience. Since 2020, the Zurich Forest project supports reforestation and biodiversity restoration in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.
The Group has more than 63,000 employees and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information is available at www.zurich.com.