Two Macquarie managers join Zurich in preparation for acquisition

Daniel Longden and Dave Evans are due to join Zurich on 1 October, the date on which the firm aims to finalise its Macquarie Life acquisition, Zurich said in a statement.

Mr Longden joins Zurich as head of strategy and propositions, also taking a place on the life and investments executive team.

The firm noted he will oversee the development and implementation of strategy and key initiatives, as well as proposition management and development across Zurich’s life risk and investment portfolios.

Mr Longden has held senior roles at Asteron, including that of chief actuary for the Australia/New Zealand region, as well as chief financial officer for Australia, the statement said.

Mr Evans will join the retail risk division as national sales manager, assuming responsibility for driving sales across Zurich’s life insurance product range.

He will report to Zurich’s head of distribution, Kristine Brooks, and will join the senior panel of sales professionals on Zurich’s business development management and distribution team.

Prior to joining Macquarie, Mr Evans held senior business development roles at both TAL and MLC.

Zurich life and investments chief executive, Tim Bailey, emphasised the significance of the appointments, given the looming Macquarie Life acquisition.

“Combining Macquarie Life with Zurich’s existing operations is a fantastic opportunity that will shape our business into a leading market competitor,” Mr Bailey said.

“Daniel and Dave’s talent will both balance and bolster the capacity already within Zurich, and ensure that we maintain and enhance the level of service we offer to our combined group of customers and advisers.”