Zurich Financial Services makes SA a hub for global talent training programme

The International Businesses Division of the Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) has selected SA Eagle, its South African operation in Johannesburg, as the training hub for its Global Associate Programme (GAP). The programme was launched in Johannesburg on September 14, 2006. GAP is a Group-wide talent initiative designed to recruit university graduates who want to start a technical career with Zurich, the global insurer. Within the programme, sixty associates will start with Zurich in 12 different countries.

The five women and five men that will be trained in Johannesburg have been recruited locally in Australia, Chile, China, South Africa and Taiwan and have distinguished themselves as top performers in their universities. The programme will groom them for future leadership positions within the Zurich Group. All together they speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Afrikaans, Zulu, French, Japanese, Bahasa, Malay, Xhosa, English and Tswana.

Martin South, CEO of Zurichs International Businesses Division, commented: "This group of graduates, with its varied skill sets and backgrounds, reflects the diversity of Zurich. He added: The fact that Johannesburg was selected as one of the main training centres for the Global Associate Programme underscores Zurichs commitment to the South African market."

Zurich actively supports the South African governments Black Economic Empowerment initiative (BEE). In fact, in 2005, the Zurich Group sold a 10 percent stake in SA Eagle to Royal Bafokeng Finance in support of BEE, to demonstrate its commitment. said Nick Beyers, Managing Director of SA Eagle. He added: "The fact that three of the graduates joining GAP are South Africans from previously disadvantaged backgrounds is one more way of putting our commitment into practice."

Martin South further added: "Bringing in and cultivating top talent is an important means for Zurich to achieve its strategy of becoming the leading global insurer in our chosen markets of General and Life insurance. In order to fulfil our growth aspirations we need to deliver innovative, broad based insurance solutions, adapted to a rapidly changing world well into the future. GAP is one of the ways in which we foster the next generation of insurance professionals to ensure that we can do just that."

GAP is a Group-wide graduate training programme, which runs over 44 weeks.

Besides extensive classroom technical training i.e. the theory and tools connected with finance, risk assessment, underwriting and claims handling the programme allows the associates to benefit from on the job training in a global environment while getting to know the insurance business from various angles.