Laura Lazarczyk, chief legal officer of Zurich North America. Courtesy photo

Zurich North America announced earlier this week that its interim chief legal officer has been made the permanent chief legal officer of the insurance company.

Laura Lazarczyk became the interim chief legal officer in April after Dennis Kerrigan left the company after nearly 11 years as the chief legal officer. As chief legal officer, she is responsible for corporate law, corporate investigations and security services, government and industry affairs and regulatory service functions. She reports directly to group general counsel Yannick Hausmann. Lazarczyk will be based in the company's North American headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois.

“I'm proud to work for a company with a focus on new ways of working; making people and organizations more resilient; and providing insight, protection and transparency around the impacts of a changing climate,” Lazarczyk said in the press release.

Lazarczyk was not immediately available for additional comment Thursday.

“Laura has provided legal counsel and guidance to so many areas of our business over the last 10 years. She is a highly regarded member of our team already and I look forward to her continued leadership, advice and advocacy as we go forward,” CEO Kathleen Savio said in the press release.

Lazarczyk joined Zurich North America in 2009 as associate general counsel. Before joining Zurich, she worked as the chief compliance officer, assistant general counsel and head of human resources at Rewards Network. According to the press release, she is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law.