Zurich Financial Services has named Robert Shine as the new head of its North America commercial specialties business unit's casualty group.

In this role, Mr Shine will lead a nationwide team that develops and markets Zurich’s portfolio of excess casualty, umbrella, special casualty and railroad insurance products.

Mr Shine joined Zurich in 1998 as the senior vice president of the excess casualty team in Zurich’s northeast region and was subsequently promoted to manage the excess casualty profit center. Prior to joining Zurich, he spent four years with AIG, in various roles with its excess casualty group, and was vice president with Great American Insurance Company.

Seraina Maag, president of specialties unit at Zurich, said: Bob brings the depth and breadth of knowledge to this leadership role with our casualty group. Throughout his career, Bob has combined exemplary technical knowledge with insight into the needs of the market. He has consistently maintained the highest underwriting standards while expanding new business opportunities and building high-performance, responsive teams.