Zurich UK has confirmed Sam Thomas (pictured) as its permanent chief underwriting officer (CUO), endinga seven-month interim tenure that began in March 2026. Thomas will oversee underwriting strategy across Zurich‘s UK Property and Casualty (P&C) business, with responsibility for sustainable growth, technical performance and broker relationships.
The confirmation follows Zurich’s completion of its £8.1 billion acquisition of Beazley on October 1, a transaction Zurich said would create the world’s leading specialty underwriter with approximately US$15 billion (around £11.3 billion) in pro forma gross written premiums. Thomas’s remit covers Zurich’s UK Property and Casualty business, with Beazley‘s specialty platform now also sitting within the broader group.
An internal appointment with broad scope
Thomas has spent nearly seven years at Zurich, moving through a series of senior underwriting roles including head of mid-market and, most recently, head of retail underwriting, which gave her oversight of 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.
Drazen Jaksic, chief executive of Zurich UK, said Thomas had made a significant impact during her interim tenure. “Her deep understanding of our markets, combined with her focus on collaboration and innovation, will be critical as we continue to evolve our underwriting capabilities,” Jaksic said.
The retail underwriting brief Thomas is stepping up from has been an active one. In June 2026, Zurich UK agreed a five-year capacity arrangement with Jensten Underwriting, providing more than £300 million of cross-class property, casualty and motor capacity and making Zurich the MGA’s primary capacity provider. The deal illustrated the direction Zurich has been taking its UK retail underwriting book, which is long-term, multi-class relationships with established distribution partners rather than short-cycle placements.
The strategic moment
Thomas pointed to Zurich’s broker relationships and underwriting teams as the foundations she intends to build on in the permanent role. “I’m looking forward to working with colleagues across the business to ensure we continue to provide market-leading underwriting expertise, support our customers’ resilience and drive sustainable growth,” Thomas said.
Beazley’s syndicates and carriers continue to write specialty lines – ncyber, professional liability, marine, property – through its Lloyd’s and company platforms, while Thomas’s P&C operation handles the commercial and retail book.
