Zurich UK has appointed Paul Norcott (pictured above) as UK operations director, effective immediately.
The move comes as the insurer continues to strengthen its operational resilience, governance and customer delivery capabilities. Norcott also joins the UK executive committee, furthering operational oversight into the group's senior leadership structure.
In the role, Norcott will oversee a wide-ranging portfolio including operations and information governance, financial crime, business and supplier resilience and customer operations.
Norcott brings extensive experience from across the financial services sector, having held senior roles at Tesco Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, The Co-operative Bank, Barclaycard, Bank of America and American Express. He joined Zurich in 2024 and now takes on a role that connects operational execution directly with risk management and customer service outcomes.
Drazen Jaksic, Zurich UK CEO, said the appointment reinforces the insurer’s commitment to strong governance, secure processes and continuous improvement, noting that operations play a central role in delivering reliable service and supporting innovation.
The appointment builds on Zurich UK’s recent efforts to reinforce its operational framework, particularly as insurers face closer scrutiny under the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) operational resilience regime and an increased focus on customer outcomes across the insurance value chain.
Norcott’s promotion also follows a series of leadership and structural changes within Zurich UK aimed at sharpening accountability and delivery. Over the past year, the insurer has made targeted investments in technology, governance and customer operations, alongside senior appointments designed to strengthen risk management and execution across underwriting, claims and distribution.
By elevating the operations function to executive committee level, Zurich said that it signals a continued shift towards tighter integration between operational performance, risk oversight and customer experience.
The move also highlights how insurers are increasingly prioritising operational leadership as regulatory expectations, cyber risk exposure and customer service pressures intensify. Zurich’s focus on operational governance and resilience mirrors a broader market trend, with insurers seeking to ensure that scale, efficiency and compliance keep pace with underwriting growth.
Norcott said his priority would be to ensure Zurich’s operations remain secure, efficient and shaped around customer needs, while supporting innovation and making it easier for customers to do business with the insurer.
