ArgoGlobal Asia names marine head
Mr David Lim will join ArgoGlobal Asia as Head of Marine from 1 December. Based in Singapore, he will report to Mr Ivan Chan, CEO of ArgoGlobal Asia.
Mr Lim joins the company from Allied World where he served most recently as Regional Head of Marine Hull and Liabilities, Asia Pacific. Prior to that, he was the Head of Hull and Associated Liabilities, Asia/Middle East, and provided direct reporting to the RSA Insurance group in the UK. He has also held key positions at Aon and was instrumental in building the marine portfolio as the business development director.
Asia: Manulife announces senior appointments
Manulife has promoted Mr David Grant to the role of Regional Chief Agency Officer for its Asia division.
Based in Hong Kong, he will be responsible for the regional strategic leadership of the insurer’s agency force in 12 markets across Asia. He will also focus on ongoing agency development including selection, recruiting, training and compensation as well as advancing Manulife’s Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) program.
Meanwhile, Mr Jonathan Hekster has been appointed to Corporate Senior Vice President, Regional Head of DBS Partnership, Manulife, and will be responsible for preparing for the Manulife-DBS partnership launch, as well as the delivery of all strategic goals and targets across Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and China.
Nexus Underwriting appoints CEO for Asia business and Non-Exec Director
Mr Jeremy Austen has been appointed Principal Officer of Nexus Underwriting Asia. He has worked in the (re)insurance industry for over 30 years on both the broking and underwriting sides and has built up an extensive Asian network, having spent the majority of his career in the region.
Mr Austen began his career in the London market as a company underwriter then with Lloyd’s syndicate F.R. White (now Liberty Syndicate Management Ltd) before moving to Asia in 1995 to establish an office for a Lloyd’s broker. Four years later, he established Arthur J Gallagher Asia and over the next eight years had built up a successful and profitable business employing over 35 staff with offices in Singapore, Malaysia Hong Kong, China and representation in Indonesia. He then moved back to underwriting to establish Talbot Syndicate in Singapore in 2007.
Meanwhile, Mr Jeremy Adams has joined the board of specialist MGA Nexus Underwriting Management Limited (NUML) as an independent Non-Executive Director. An industry veteran, he has been in the industry since he began his career in 1978 with Willis Faber & Dumas in UK. He was founding director of Special Risk Services, worked at Minet/Aon Group and Archer Managing Agents as well as Novae Group’s Lloyd’s managing agency.
Asia: QBE expands credit & surety team
QBE’s Group General Manager of Credit & Surety, Mr Richard Wulff, will be relocating to Hong Kong, effective January 2016.
He will support the Asia Pacific teams and increasing number of clients located across Asia, and remains responsible for the Group’s Trade Credit, Surety and Political Risk portfolios in Australia & New Zealand, Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America as well as Austral Mercantile Collections, an agency active in Australia.
Asia: Zurich names Chief Market Management Officer for life business
Ms Paula Choi has been named Global Life Chief Market Management Officer, Asia Pacific at Zurich. The appointment is in addition to her current role as Global Life CEO of Zurich in Hong Kong.
Prior to her new role, she had played a key role in a range of regional initiatives including establishing Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad and Zurich Indonesia Life Company.
Asia: Swiss Re appoints Marine lead
Swiss Re has appointed Ms Priscilla Foo as its new Director and Head of Marine Reinsurance Asia in its property and specialty unit. In her new role, she is responsible for developing the regional marine reinsurance portfolio and will be based in Singapore.
Australia: IAG unveils CEO successor
Insurance Australia Group (IAG) has announced that Mr Peter Harmer will succeed Mr Mike Wilkins as CEO. Mr Wilkins will retire as Managing Director and CEO but will remain in an executive capacity until 31 March 2016 to ensure a smooth transition.
Mr Harmer joined IAG in 2010 as CEO of CGU Insurance. He has held a number of executive roles across IAG and was appointed CEO of IAG Labs in July this year with responsibility for driving digital initiatives and innovation as well as creating incubator areas to explore new opportunities across IAG and its brands.
BMS Australia adds to senior management
Independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker BMS Group has recruited Mr Sam Mayne as Director of Wholesale and Facilities, reporting to Mr Brett Field, CEO of BMS Australia.
Mr Mayne joins BMS from Cooper Gay (Australia), where he served as Head of Wholesale. He started his career at Denis M Clayton, now JLT Re, where he progressed to be manager of the global facilities team. In 2013, he relocated from the UK to Australia, where he continued to specialise in the binding authority and wholesale space as a Director at JLT Re.
Markel appoints China head
Mr Hu Qianhai has been appointed to lead specialist insurer Markel International’s China operations, with the aim of providing on-the-ground local solutions to Chinese insurers. Based in Shanghai, he will report to Mr Matthew Cannock, Principal Officer & Managing Director of Markel Asia Pacific.
Malaysia: MPI Generali appoints CEO
Mr Oliver Tan has joined MPI Generali as CEO and will be responsible for the overall insurance operations of the company. He will drive the strategic growth plans for the company and ensure the business operates efficiently. In line with the regional strategy, he will lead the local team to achieve market share and distribution channel expansions.
UIB Asia names senior appointments
UIB Asia Reinsurance Brokers has appointed Mr Teh Chin Fong as Senior Manager and Head of Treaty Broking Support. He will oversee the support function and primarily focus on delivering results to UIB’s treaty clients and reinsurers.
Ms Debbie Lee has been appointed as Associate Director in the Treaty Division. Her main responsibilities are largely to support the main brokers with servicing of specific treaty accounts in Malaysia, including key relationships with the Indonesian partners.
Global: Aon Benfield adds to accident, health and life team
Aon Benfield has named Mr Colin Dutkiewicz Director of the firm’s Accident, Health and Life team. In his new role, he will be based in London and will report to Mr Roger Smith, Head of Aon Benfield’s Accident, Health and Life team.
Mr Dutkiewicz joins Aon from Swiss Re, where he spent five years in the roles of Head of Pricing (Africa), Client Markets Director (UK & Ireland), and most recently Global Corporate Actuary.