ZURICH--The death of Zurich Insurance Group AG's (ZURN.VX) chief
financial officer is believed to have been a suicide, a company
spokeswoman said Tuesday, potentially the second suicide of a
top-ranking executive at a Swiss company in recent weeks.
Pierre Wauthier, a dual French and British citizen, was found
dead at his home on Monday. Mr. Wauthier had worked at the
insurance giant since 1996 and served in multiple roles before
taking the CFO position in 2011.
"The authorities have concluded it is most likely that Pierre
Wauthier took his own life," the Zurich Insurance spokeswoman said
in an emailed statement. "Zurich (Insurance) is deeply saddened by
his death."
Carsten Schloter, the CEO of Swisscom AG (SCMN.VX), was found
dead at his home in Freiburg, Switzerland, last month. Police there
have said Mr. Schloter's death was a suicide.
Zurich Insurance said Monday that Group Controller Vibhu Sharma
would take over the role of group CFO on an interim basis.
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires