Fintech Leader Catherine Bessant Nominated To Join Zurich's Board Of Directors

Zurich Insurance Group, one of the world's largest global insurance companies, proposed earlier this month the addition of a notable fintech leader to its board of directors.

Zurich's Annual General Meeting will take place on March 29 and investors will chose to elect Catherine Bessant for a one year term.

Bessant has held the title of Chief Operations and Technology Officer at Bank of America Corp BAC since 2010. The executive was ranked the top financial sector tech professional by Institutional Investor magazine in 2016.

The magazine pointed out Bessant is overseeing various initiatives at Bank of America, including overseeing the transition to a software-defined network infrastructure that will handle 80 percent of the bank's workload by 2018. She's also working on the implementation of cardless ATMs and a web-based loan origination system called iFulfill.

Related Link: A Day In The Life Of A Fintech Executive: Acorns Chief Commercial Officer Manning Field

Zurich noted Bessant is "widely recognized for her leadership in business and in the financial services and technology industries."

Tom de Swaan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zurich, said, "We are delighted that Catherine P. Bessant has accepted our nomination to join the Zurich Board. Her core strengths, experience and constituency management capabilities make her an ideal candidate."

If you’re looking for cool fintech startups and access to top financial institutions, and are sick of attending stuffy corporate conferences, the Benzinga Global Fintech Awards is the event for you. From its first year in 2015, the competition grew to over 250 applicants and over 500 attendees in 2016.

Connect with us on social media — use the hashtag #BZAwards and #Fintech to spread the word!