Zurich Insurance’s AI Expert Hires from Domino’s & Nestlé

Insurers are increasingly looking at technology chiefs from outside their own world as they catch up on AI implementation. 

In response, Zurich Insurance Group has brought in two executives from decidedly non-insurance backgrounds to drive its AI strategy. 

Terry Powell joins as Group Chief Technology Officer (CTO) after he previously drove IT transformation at ANZ Bank and spearheaded AI-led customer initiatives at Domino’s Pizza, while Cristina Ghetti becomes Group Head of Digital Employee Experience, arriving from Nestlé. 

Both start on 20 October and report to Ericson Chan, the Group Chief Information & Digital Officer,

How Zurich Insurance is building AI into its foundations

It’s a deliberate break from tradition. 

Terry spent his time at Domino’s building AI systems that predicted delivery times and managed kitchen workflows. 

Before that, he ran technology transformation at ANZ Bank, the Australian financial services provider. 

Cristina, meanwhile, oversaw one of the consumer goods sector’s more ambitious AI rollouts at Nestlé.

“I am thrilled to welcome Terry and Cristina to Zurich,” Ericson says. 

“Their extensive leadership in AI in the retail and fintech space is precisely the expertise we need to accelerate our digital transformation and further drive AI-adoption.”

Terry’s job is to embed AI deep into Zurich’s technology infrastructure. 

His Domino’s experience is particularly relevant here. 

Running AI systems that handle millions of pizza orders teaches you things about scale and reliability that insurance companies are only now having to learn. 

He dealt with machine learning (ML) algorithms processing everything from order volumes to driver routes in real time.

Cristina faces a different challenge. 

Her role tackles the problem every company confronts when rolling out AI: actually getting people to use it properly. 

At Nestlé, she managed training programmes across divisions as AI systems went live for supply chain management and demand forecasting. 

That’s the kind of practical deployment experience insurers need.

“They bring a vital customer-centric approach that will significantly elevate the experience for both our customers and employees,” Ericson says.

The hires also follow Zurich’s recent internal innovation drive. 

The company’s ‘Agentic AI Hyper Challenge’ churned out over 200 prototypes – a step beyond traditional software, which needs explicit rules for every scenario.

From prototype to enterprise‑ready AI

Zurich has been experimenting with AI across multiple areas. 

Large language models (LLMs) now sift through underwriting data, processing medical records and property information to price risk. 

The same technology scans claims for fraud patterns, comparing new submissions against years of historical data.

The technology is also changing how insurers think about new risks. 

Zurich and its competitors are deploying AI to evaluate liability questions around autonomous vehicles and assess cyber-security threats to connected cars. 

Usage-based insurance policies, which adjust premiums based on how you actually drive, depend entirely on AI systems processing telematics data in real time.

Terry and Cristina’s backgrounds suggest Zurich wants to also apply lessons from sectors that figured this out earlier. 

Retail chains and consumer goods manufacturers have been using ML for inventory management and customer service for years. 

They’ve already made the mistakes insurers are trying to avoid – now the pattern is spreading. 

Financial services firms are increasingly hiring from industries that moved faster on AI. 

“Their extensive leadership in AO in the retail and fintech space is precisely the expertise we need to accelerate our digital transformation and further drive AI-adoption,” Ericson says.