Zurich announces appointment of Edwyn O’Neill as CEO Southern Africa

Zurich is pleased to announce the appointment of Edwyn O’Neill to the position of CEO Southern Africa, subject to regulatory approval. He joins Zurich as CEO Designate on 1 May and will assume the CEO role on 21 May. Mr O’Neill succeeds Guy Munnoch who, a

Mr O’Neill, who holds a BCom (Hons) and is a qualified Chartered Accountant, started his career at KPMG. Of the 16 years he spent with the company, 8 were as a Partner in charge of the bank audit division in financial services. In 2006, he joined the ABSA/Barclays Group as CFO for Barclays Africa, responsible for all finance activities across twelve countries. In the year that followed, he was appointed as CFO of ABSA Financial Services, the Group’s Bancassurance business and a year later also assumed responsibility for the COO portfolio. Mr O’Neill is currently Managing Executive for ABSA Insurance – the sixth largest short term insurer in South Africa.

Saad Mered, CEO of Zurich’s Middle East & Africa Region of which Southern Africa forms a part commented: “I am delighted we have appointed a CEO with Edwyn’s experience and proven track record of success. Having transformed and stabilised the business we are now well positioned to deliver profitable growth and I am confident that Edwyn is the right individual to lead the organisation going forward.”

Saad continued: “Finally, I would like to thank Guy for his outstanding service to Zurich Southern Africa and the Group. He has been a valued colleague and a recognised industry leader and we wish him all the best as he pursues a number of interests outside the industry.”