Smith succeeds Trevor Bull, who left the company earlier this year and reports to Mark Hartigan, chief executive of Zurich’s life Insurance business in Asia Pacific and Middle East.
The company said Smith will be responsible for “further strengthening” Zurich’s business in Malaysia.
On his appointment, Hartigan said: “He will continue to build our presence in Malaysia and drive profitable growth.”
Most recently, Smith was head of business development and strategy for Zurich’s life business in Asia Pacific and Middle East and since February has also been acting as interim general manager responsible for the day to day running of business in Malaysia.
In early January, Zurich Malaysia entered into a bancassurance pact with Bank of China for distributing its products in Malaysia.
