Zurich North America names executives for 2 new distribution regions
Ben Forster, Jana Maddox are promoted to Regional Executive for new East and South Central regions, respectively, to enhance proximity to brokers and customers.
Zurich North America has added two distribution regions and promoted experienced executives to lead them: Jana Maddox is the new South Central Regional Executive and Ben Forster is the new East Regional Executive. The additions to Zurich’s distribution structure reflect Zurich’s focus on being close and accessible to brokers and customers, and positioned to understand and support growth opportunities and unique needs.
Maddox and Forster will report to Carl Sutter, Head of Distribution & Regional Management for Zurich North America, with matrixed reporting responsibilities across all business and support units in their respective regions.
“I’m excited to have Jana and Ben take on these critical field leadership positions, leading strategic growth, profitability and operations for their regions and for Zurich North America as a whole,” Sutter said.Ben Forster “Each will oversee a team of Territory Leaders who focus on developing new distribution sources, strengthening existing relationships with distributors and customers, and representing Zurich to our distribution partners and customers across all Zurich North America businesses.”
Andy Peterson and Jason Sauer will continue in their current roles as Regional Executives; Peterson for the newly defined New York Metro region and Sauer for the newly defined Southeast Region. Marilyn Boss and Gerald Chiddick will continue as Regional Executives for the West and Midwest, respectively.
Maddox and Forster have held various leadership roles at Zurich and elsewhere in the industry.
- Maddox joined Zurich in 2018 and most recently held dual roles as Head of Operations for Customer Relationship Management and Senior Global Relationship Leader in the South. Her previous roles include Global Relationship Leader and Business Development Leader for the South Region. She has 18 years of experience in the insurance industry, starting as a commercial underwriter at The Hartford and later holding roles at Travelers Insurance, where she served as a Vice President of Sales for countrywide select commercial accounts. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin. Maddox is based in Dallas.
- Forster joined Zurich in 2016 as a Market-Facing Underwriter for North America Commercial. He has since served as Mid-Atlantic Large Property Area Manager and most recently Global Relationship Leader for the East Region. Forster began his insurance career 12 years ago with Travelers Insurance, where he was an Account Executive before moving to Zurich. Forster earned an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston College. He is based in Philadelphia.
“Ben and Jana blend knowledge of our organization and the marketplace with extensive background in underwriting and relationship management,” Sutter said. “This powerful combination positions them very well to lead our distribution and regional management strategies in the South Central and East Regions.”