Smith will stay in the role until April 2015 as the search for his permanent replacement is underway

Zurich has confirmed that interim UK general insurance chief executive Dave Smith will stay in the role until April next year after which he will retire from the business.

Smith, formerly the managing director of Zurich’s UK commercial broker division, stepped in as the interim boss following the departure of predecessor Steve Lewis last month to RSA.

Lewis will join RSA on 1 January and replaces Adrian Brown, who will leave the insurer on 31 August to join Arthur J Gallagher as executive chairman of underwriting and distribution

The search for a permanent Zurich UK GI chief executive is currently underway.