Zurich Insurance Group (Switzerland) celebrates its 150th anniversary this week, according to the insurer’s website.
Since the company was founded in the city of Zurich on October 22, 1872 – originally as a marine reinsurer known as the Versicherungs-Verein – Zurich has grown into a global business spanning more than 210 countries and territories.
“Today, Zurich can celebrate this with its ability to successfully navigate a volatile world,” said Michel M. Lies, Chairman of Zurich. “The last few years have shown that Zurich, as always, is agile and successful, and is in a very strong position. As we celebrate this special milestone, we want to celebrate our history and thank our customers, our communities and our employees in every corner of the world.”
Since the beginning of 2016, Zurich has risen from 10th to 7th place among the largest insurance companies in the world by market capitalization and now ranks 2nd in Europe. During this period, Zurich’s total shareholder return was 145% compared to 27% for the STOXX Europe 600 insurance index, and customer and employee satisfaction improved. This figure was achieved against the backdrop of extreme weather events, a global pandemic, war in Europe and inflation.
Zurich Insurance Group is the largest insurance company in Switzerland, with the US, Germany, Spain, Australia, UK, Brazil and Italy being its second main markets. As of 2021, Zurich was the 75th largest company on the Forbes Global 2000 list and ranked 168th on the Fortune Global 500 list.
