Industry Veteran Selected to Lead Sustainability Efforts for Zurich North America

SCHAUMBURG, Illinois, Jan. 24 -- Zurich Insurance, a property-casualty insurance company, issued the following news release:

Ben Harper brings extensive experience in environmental, pollution and climate underwriting and product development to his new role as Head of Corporate Sustainability

Ben Harper has been named Head of Corporate Sustainability for Zurich North America.

In this new position, Harper will be responsible for coalescing Zurich's people and capabilities to create innovative solutions that advance the company's sustainability priorities of workforce in transition, climate resilience and confidence in a digital society. He will work closely with Zurich's business units, functions, customers, government organizations, NGOs, industry groups and trading partners to influence, deliver, connect and prioritize the company's current sustainability activities.

Harper has more than 31 years of sustainability and insurance experience and has been with Zurich for 18 years. Most recently, he served as the global environmental subject matter expert in Technical Underwriting and as head of the pollution team responsible for providing technical, policy, strategy and underwriting guidance in support of environmental coverages. He has also been active in Zurich's climate, environmental, social and governance initiatives through product development, actuarial modeling, green investment advising and internal evaluations. He served as part of Zurich Group's Climate Office from 2009 to 2013.

Harper will be based in Schaumburg, IL, and report to Chief Human Resources Officer Laura Rock.

"Ben's passion, experience and strong relationships internally and externally will be well placed in this new role as Zurich looks to continue our efforts to create a sustainable future," Rock said. "This new position for Zurich North America reinforces our commitment to deliver on our ambitious strategic sustainability goals."

Harper has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering degree from Southern Polytechnic State University, has earned a Certified Cost Engineer certification, and sits on sustainability advisory boards for the American Society of Civil Engineers, the U.S. Department of Energy and New York University.