In a surprise move, Zurich Chief Claims Officer for Australia and New Zealand Daniel Franzetti is returning to the US.

A Zurich spokesman could not confirm whether Mr Franzetti will remain an employee of Zurich in his home country.

“We don’t have an announcement around that at this stage,” the spokesman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

Mr Franzetti had held the role since October 2013. The spokesman says he will remain in the position until November 1.

Elizabeth Gallagher has been appointed to succeed Mr Franzetti.

She is a lawyer with more than two decades of experience with Australian law firms and large insurers. She joined Zurich in 2012 as head of claims governance and quality assurance for Australia and New Zealand. She is currently Head of Liability & Specialty Lines Claims.

Zurich says Mr Franzetti is “returning to North America after a two-year international assignment”.

When his appointment was announced there was no indication of a timeframe for his appointment.

At the time, then-CEO Daniel Fogarty – who left the company last week – described Mr Franzetti’s appointment as an “exceptional opportunity” and said he was “highly regarded in industry circles” and “deeply committed to fostering a culture dedicated to employee engagement and development” at Zurich Australia.

Before his move to Australia Mr Franzetti was Chicago-based senior VP claims technical shared services for Zurich North America.

Last year he told Insurance News (the magazine) he had resisted many opportunities to work overseas in a two-decade career with Zurich, but had no qualms about moving to Australia with his wife, two young children and a dog that had to be quarantined.

 “With Zurich being such a global company, I’ve had lots of opportunities over the years internationally, but it always had to be the right place, the right role for me and the right time for my family, and this was the first one that checked all three boxes.”