Axel P. Lehmann

Group Chief Risk Officer

1959, Swiss Citizen

Axel P. Lehmann is a member of the Group Executive Committee and Group Chief Risk Officer of Zurich Financial Services (Zurich). In 1996 he joined Zurich as a member of the Executive Management team of Zurich Switzerland and subsequently held various executive management and corporate development positions within Zurich Switzerland. Mr. Lehmann became a member of the Group Management Board responsible for Group-wide business development functions in November 2000. In September 2001 he took over responsibility for the former Northern Europe region and subsequently was appointed CEO of the Zurich Group Germany. Mr. Lehmann was promoted to a member of the Group Executive Committee and CEO of the Continental Europe Business Division in March 2002. In 2004 he was in charge of integrating Continental Europe, UK and Ireland and in March he was appointed CEO to create the Europe General Insurance Business Division. In September 2004 Mr. Lehmann was appointed CEO Zurich North America Commercial (Schaumburg/Chicago). In January 2008 he assumed his current role as Group Chief Risk Officer and is in addition responsible for Group IT.

From 1985 Mr. Lehmann worked as a project manager and research associate at the Institute for Insurance Economics at the University of St. Gallen. In 1989 he was appointed a lecturer in business administration and in 1990 vice president and head of Consulting and Management Development at the Institute for Insurance Economics and the European Center. In 1994/95 he served as a visiting professor at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. He subsequently assumed the position of head of Corporate Planning and Corporate Controlling at Swiss Life in Zurich. Mr. Lehmann is an honorary professor for business administration and service management and chairman of the board of the Institut of Insurance Economics (IVW-HSG) at University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

He completed his studies in business administration and economics at the University of St. Gallen in 1984 with a focus on risk management and insurance economics. In 1989 he was awarded the title of doctor (Dr. oec. HSG) and his PhD thesis was awarded the Peter Werhahn Prize for the best thesis in the area of management science and academic theory. After research study at Harvard Business School and Arizona State University, he received his postdoctoral qualification in 1996 and was appointed senior lecturer and assistant professor at the University of St. Gallen. He is a graduate of the Wharton School Advanced Management Program.