Career Biography

Jill Lankin is a strategic legal and regulatory leader with more than 24 years of experience in corporate law and multinational insurance. As executive vice-president and chief legal officer of Zurich Insurance in Canada, a $2.4 bn. multi-line insurer, she leads the corporate law function and advises executive leadership on legal, regulatory and governance matters across the Canadian business. She combines sound legal judgement with a pragmatic, transparent approach that enables responsible growth while managing risk in a highly regulated environment.

Since joining Zurich in 2018, Jill has strengthened and expanded the legal function to meet the needs of a rapidly growing and transforming business, including its move into highly regulated personal lines. She has positioned the team as a trusted business partner, focused not only on protecting the organisation but also on helping it achieve its strategic and commercial objectives. Her work spans complex transactions, regulatory strategy, enterprise risk management, privacy, governance and business transformation. She also builds constructive relationships with federal and provincial regulators and supports practical, well-informed decision-making on issues affecting the company and the broader insurance sector.

Before joining Zurich, Jill was vice-president, general counsel and corporate secretary of ACE INA Insurance and ACE INA Life Insurance, now part of Chubb. She led the Canadian legal function and the legal and regulatory amalgamation of ACE and Chubb in Canada.

Jill began her career at Stikeman Elliott LLP, one of Canada’s leading corporate law firms, where she spent more than a decade working on international corporate transactions. Her practice included lending, project finance, private mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganisations and insolvency. She frequently coordinated complex, multi-jurisdictional matters and contributed to the firm’s recruitment, training and mentoring of articling students and junior lawyers.

Beyond Zurich, Jill chairs the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s regulation standing committee, contributing to industry dialogue and advocating for constructive regulatory outcomes. She has also volunteered as a lawyer with Pro Bono Ontario, taught students through Junior Achievement programmes and acts as a mentor to both Zurich employees and individuals outside the organisation.

Building strong legal teams and developing future leaders are central to Jill’s leadership. She invests in mentoring, creates opportunities for team members to grow and combines high expectations with empathy, collaboration and clear communication. Her commitment has received external recognition: she was a finalist for Insurance Business Canada’s Woman of Distinction award and one of two women shortlisted for the Mentorship Excellence Award at the ISC Women’s Excellence Awards 2026.

Jill holds an LL.B. from the University of Windsor, an honours B.A. in psychology from Brock University and the Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada designation. She has pursued executive education through the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and Harvard Law School. Outside work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two young daughters and their dogs.