Zurich UK has appointed Sam Thomas as its permanent chief underwriting officer (CUO), ending her seven-month interim tenure that began in March 2026. In the role, Thomas will oversee underwriting strategy across Zurich’s UK Property and Casualty (P&C) business, focusing on sustainable growth, technical performance and broker relationships.
An Internal Appointment With Broad Responsibility
Thomas has been with Zurich for nearly seven years and has held several senior underwriting positions during her tenure. Her previous roles include head of mid-market and, most recently, head of retail underwriting.
As head of retail underwriting, Thomas was responsible for Zurich’s e-trade, schemes, MGA and regional mid-market portfolios across the UK. Before joining Zurich in 2019, she held senior positions at AXA UK and Allianz, where she began her career as a property and casualty underwriter in 2006.
Her move into the permanent CUO position follows an active period for Zurich’s UK retail underwriting business. In June 2026, Zurich UK agreed to a five-year capacity arrangement with Jensten Underwriting, providing more than £300 million in cross-class property, casualty and motor capacity and making Zurich the MGA’s primary capacity provider.
The agreement reflected Zurich’s focus on developing long-term, multi-class relationships with established distribution partners rather than relying on short-cycle placements.
Thomas will now take responsibility for Zurich UK’s broader P&C underwriting strategy, bringing experience across retail and mid-market underwriting to the role.
