Zurich North America names new head of programs

Key hire succeeds retiring exec who has been with the insurer 20 years

Zurich North America names new head of programs

Insurance News

By Kenneth Araullo

Zurich North America has announced the appointment of Eric Cittadino as the new Head of Programs, effective Sept. 1. This move comes as Denise Olson, who has been with the company for 20 years, retires.

Before this appointment, Cittadino was part of Zurich's Programs leadership team, where he served as a strategic business unit leader. In this capacity, he provided strategic and operational management for various markets, including CAT Excess & Surplus, Industry-Focused, and Unique Programs.

Cittadino joined Zurich in 2000. Over the years, he held key roles, including serving as the construction regional vice president for the Midwest territory. In this role, he was responsible for managing and developing staff, annual planning, premium forecasting, regional profitability, and agency management.

Prior to his current position, Cittadino served as the chief of staff for the former alternative markets business unit. He holds bachelor's degrees in finance and marketing from Western Illinois University.

In this new role, Cittadino will be responsible for overseeing the strategic and operational aspects of Zurich's Programs unit. He will report directly to Alex Wells, the head of middle market for Zurich North America.

“With his strong leadership skills, extensive knowledge of the programs business and 25-plus years of underwriting expertise, Eric is uniquely positioned to drive continued success for the programs business,” Wells said. “Eric and I embrace this transition as an opportunity to build upon the strong foundation laid by our retiring colleague Denise Olson and drive forward fresh and flexible products and services for niche markets.”

Elsewhere for the company, the global headquarters of Zurich Insurance Group has recently been awarded WELL Platinum status, which is said to be the highest certification for employee wellbeing.

What are your thoughts on this story? Please feel free to share your comments below.

Related Stories

Keep up with the latest news and events

Join our mailing list, it’s free!