About

A Norwegian insurance company founded in 1923 but with history dating back to the early 19th century, Gjensidige Forsikring today provides a variety of offerings to its customers including a full range of insurance services, retail banking, pensions and savings products. Navigating the malleable, complex and technical business environment the company operates in is Gjensidige’s legal department, which contains within it the tools necessary to provide expert counsel regarding all insurance and more general business issues. Chief legal officer Bernard Zysman has worked within the company for almost two decades including as head of compliance, a position he held between 2009 and 2015, and is a crucial part of guiding the team through a variety of business challenges and assisting with projects. Such projects include an agreement announced in July 2018 where Scandinavian banking giant Nordea has entered into an agreement with Gjensidige Forsikring to acquire all shares in Gjensidige Bank, also including a long-term strategic mutual distribution cooperation with Gjensidige in Norway. The sale is reported to an estimated cash consideration of NOK 5.5bn (€578m), and is subject to regulatory and other approvals, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019.