Zurich Canada names new CFO

Zurich Canada has named Björn Bierfreund as its new chief financial officer.

He replaces Lori Cassidy, who was recently appointed CFO for Zurich Commercial Insurance.

In his new role, Bierfreund will be responsible for the continued financial stewardship of Zurich Canada, the insurer said in a July 6 press release.

The appointment was effective July 1. Bierfreund will form part of Zurich Canada’s executive committee and the Zurich North America finance leadership team. He will be based in the insurer’s Toronto office, reporting to Zurich Canada CEO Saad Mered.

“I am excited to welcome Björn to the Zurich Canada team as we continue to grow our business, execute our strategic priorities and build on our strong foundation,” Mered said. “Björn has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and business acumen during his many years with Zurich, taking on many key roles within the global organization.”

Bierfreund joined Zurich in 2009 and has held several roles of increasing seniority across geographies. As a commercial insurance industry veteran, he was previously the global head of business performance management, and interim CFO for Zurich Commercial Insurance from 2021 to 2022.

For the past year, Bierfreund has been a senior investor relations officer with Zurich Insurance Group in Switzerland. He was responsible for delivering Zurich’s financial and equity story to the investor and analyst community, as well as monitoring key industry developments and rating issues in support of financial and strategic decision-making.

Bierfreund is a chartered financial analyst and earned an executive MBA from Columbia Business School. He also holds a Master’s degree in international business from Furtwangen University in Germany.