Corporate Responsibility

It is our belief that a responsible company is one which takes measures to create value for both the company and society by proactively addressing material social, environmental and governance issues. To further improve our corporate responsibility performance, we will continue to better integrate pertinent issues and related stakeholder expectations into Zurich's core business and to leverage best practices throughout the group.

Oversight of corporate responsibility activities and performance at the group level, as well as advice on the formulation of strategy and priorities, will be provided by the Corporate Responsibility Council, which includes top management and key functions.

We will prioritize issues based on the potential impact on the business, level of societal concern and our ability to make a difference. Focus areas for 2008 include: improved performance in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) and FTSE4Good Index Series; microinsurance; climate change; corporate giving and employee engagement.

Several of Zurich's business units, including those in the United Kingdom and Australia, have established comprehensive corporate responsibility programs. Stakeholder engagement, including close cooperation with our business units, will be integral to the implementation of the group strategy and will allow us to build on existing processes and value-adding activities.