Zurich has appointed Anita Gabat (pictured) as head of commercial insurance in the UK, subject to regulatory approval.
Gabat currently serves as head of property in Zurich's UK commercial business and will take on responsibility for the full commercial insurance portfolio.
She succeeds Frank Streidl, who moves into a new global role as head of energy, overseeing Zurich's strategy and portfolio across that specialty line worldwide. Streidl joined Zurich in November 2010 and has held roles spanning energy, marine and construction, including head of energy EMEA and global head of upstream energy, before becoming head of UK commercial insurance on January 1, 2023. Before joining Zurich, he worked at Hannover Re and Accenture.
Gabat's elevation follows a pattern Zurich has used before. Streidl's own move into the UK commercial role in 2023 was itself an internal promotion, stepping up from head of energy, marine and construction after his predecessor, Rob Kuchinski, retired and returned to the US.
Gabat brings nearly 20 years at Zurich across finance, strategy, distribution and commercial underwriting roles in Austria, Spain, Switzerland, New York and London, having led both international portfolios and multinational programmes during that time.
Drazen Jaksic, Zurich UK's chief executive, said Gabat's appointment reflects the insurer's commitment to developing talent internally, and that her leadership and experience in property underwriting, combined with a focus on customer-led solutions, make her well placed to lead the commercial business. He thanked Streidl for his contribution over many years and wished him success in the new global role.
Gabat said she began her career with Zurich in Austria, and that each subsequent role across multiple markets and disciplines has helped shape the experience needed to lead the UK commercial business now, adding that she is looking forward to working with the UK team, brokers and customers to build on the foundation Streidl has established.
Gabat's appointment lands inside a broader, multi-year strategic priority for Zurich globally. Sierra Signorelli, chief executive of commercial insurance at Zurich, previously told Insurance Business that middle-market and specialty lines are the areas the group is focused on for further diversification, adding that even with a strong commercial lines brand, "middle-market isn't an area where you can just show up and be relevant," which is why Zurich has spent several years acquiring capability specifically to support that segment.
That strategy has continued to deliver results: Zurich's Q3 2025 results showed middle-market growth of 11% in Europe and 7% in core US segments, alongside continued momentum in its commercial insurance unit more broadly.
Zurich UK's own recent moves reflect the same priority. The insurer expanded its multinational mid-market offering in 2025, letting UK-based mid-market businesses with operations across seven EEA countries trade under a single combined policy rather than needing separate local arrangements in each jurisdiction, a change Zurich said was aimed squarely at businesses that increasingly find themselves operating internationally almost by accident as their customer base grows online.
Streidl's shift into a dedicated global energy role, rather than a lateral move elsewhere in commercial lines, points to where Zurich is placing strategic weight outside mid-market specifically. Streidl has described upstream energy as his professional "natural home," having chaired the IUMI Offshore Energy Committee from 2013 to 2020 and served on the board of the International Underwriting Association, giving him a specialist pedigree in exactly the sector Zurich is now asking him to lead globally.
Two consecutive UK commercial leadership changes built around internal promotion, first Streidl from energy and construction in 2023, now Gabat from property in 2026, suggest Zurich UK treats this role as a proving ground for specialists who've already run a major line within the commercial book, rather than a position it looks to fill externally.
That continuity matters more given the wider context: Zurich's commercial arm globally has spent years deliberately building mid-market capability rather than simply repackaging existing large-corporate expertise, and leadership stability in the UK commercial role is likely to matter to how consistently that strategy gets executed on the ground with brokers.
