Zurich has appointed Johnny Chen as its Life and General Insurance Chairman in China, as it seeks further expansion in the fast-growing market.

Mr Chen is currently Asia-Pacific General Insurance CEO, with oversight over a number of countries including Australia. He will be based in Beijing and report to Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa Chairman Geoff Riddell.

“The new role of chairman in China will help increase Zurich’s ability to seize the important opportunity for growth in the country,” Mr Riddell said.

Mr Chen, a Chinese citizen, has been with Zurich since 2005. He previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a managing partner of its Beijing office.

He will help enhance the company’s relationships with government, regulators and business, and keep it in touch with legal, regulatory and political developments, Mr Riddell says.

“Johnny’s background facilitates delivering these goals by bringing insurance expertise and local knowledge to bear.”

Stuart Spencer will take over Mr Chen’s current role and will report to General Insurance CEO Mike Kerner.

Mr Spencer joins the company from Chubb, where he was COO worldwide accident and health, based in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the Zurich group has confirmed Tom de Swaan will continue as Chairman, having taken over on an acting basis after Josef Ackermann resigned last month. Fred Kindle has been appointed Vice Chairman.