Asia: XL Catlin appoints new regional Product Leader
XL Catlin’s insurance operations announced the appointment of Mr Todd Wilhelm as Regional Product Leader, Energy, Property and Construction for Asia Pacific.
In this role, Mr Wilhelm will be responsible for growing the Energy, Property and Construction book and leading the team to foster stronger relationships with key brokers and clients in Asia Pacific. He will be based in Singapore.
Mr Wilhelm has over 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry, specialising in property and construction. He joins XL Catlin from QBE Insurance.
Bupa Global appoints General Manager for Asia Pacific
Bupa Global, the international health insurance arm of Bupa, has appointed Mr Jonathan Quach to General Manager, Bupa Global Asia Pacific (BGAPAC).
Mr Quach previously led Business Development for BGAPAC, focusing on engagement and sales in the wealth management channel in Hong Kong and Singapore. Prior to this, he held senior leadership roles with businesses AIA, Zurich and Friends Provident International.
JLT Re appoints new CEO of JLT Re Asia Pacific
JLT Re has appointed Mr Jeremy Fox to the position of CEO, JLT Re APAC. He will also become a member of the Reinsurance Global Executive Committee.
Mr Fox has a long and distinguished career in the Reinsurance business having worked for EW Payne, Denis Clayton and Aon over his career. Much of this has been focused in the APAC region across both Treaty and Facultative business. Most recently he has been the COO for Aon Benfield, Asia Pacific.
Mr Fox will be based in Singapore, reporting to Mr Mike Reynolds, Global CEO of JLT Re and will be joining JLT Re later in 2018 when his current contractual obligations are satisfied.
Mr Stuart Beatty, currently based in Sydney, will be leaving JLT Re to pursue alternative career options.
QBE appoints CEO for Australian and New Zealand operations
QBE Insurance Group has appointed Mr Vivek Bhatia as CEO, Australian and New Zealand Operations (ANZO), following an extensive global search. The role reports to Mr Pat Regan, Group CEO, and forms part of the Group Executive Committee.
Mr Bhatia joins QBE from icare, the NSW Government public financial corporation managing the state’s insurance and care schemes. With more than A$30 billion (US$23.8 billion) in assets and A$6.7 billion in income, icare is one of the largest social insurers globally. He played a critical role in the formation of icare in 2014 and was appointed as the inaugural CEO and Managing Director.
Mr Bhatia replaces Mr Pat Regan who was appointed Group CEO in September 2017 from the role of CEO, ANZO. He will join QBE in the first quarter of 2018 and will be based in Sydney.
Malaysia: Labuan IBFC announces new CEO
Labuan IBFC Inc, the official promotion and marketing agency for Labuan International Business and Financial Centre, Malaysia, has appointed Ms Farah Jaafar-Crossby as its new CEO.
Ms Farah, who currently heads the Marketing Intelligence and Strategic Communications unit, assumed the role on 1 January 2018.
A law graduate from University of Sheffield, she was previously General Manager of the Association of Stock Broking Companies Malaysia, and had worked with the Bursa Malaysia as well as the Asian Institute of Finance.
ACR appoints new CEO in Malaysia
Asia Capital Re has appointed Ms Hue Yann Wei as CEO of wholly owned subsidiary, Asia Capital Reinsurance Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Ms Hue’s appointment followed the retirement of ACR Malaysia founding CEO, Mr A.K. Wong.
Ms Hue holds some 20 years of experience in the Malaysian (re)insurance industry. Before joining ACR Malaysia in 2011 as Head of Underwriting, she was Deputy CEO at Munich Re Malaysia.
New Zealand: Berkshire Hathaway Specialty names head of A&H lines
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co (BHSI) has appointed Mr Jared McGrath to head its new line of Accident & Health products in New Zealand. The product line includes Corporate Travel, Group Personal Accident and Expatriate Medical Insurance.
Mr McGrath comes to BHSI with 15 years of industry experience. He was most recently Chubb Insurance’s New Zealand corporate manager for Accident & Health.
Singapore: AXIS Insurance promotes Deputy Chief Underwriting Officer
AXIS Insurance has promoted Ms Nicole Lim to Deputy Chief Underwriting Officer, Singapore, with immediate effect. Ms Lim will oversee AXIS’ insurance business in Singapore, along with managing the office’s day-to-day operations.
Ms Lim was previously Vice President, Underwriting, for AXIS’ Singapore office. She will continue to report to Mr Rory MacGregor, the former Executive Vice President and Singapore underwriting manager for AXIS Insurance, who was promoted to Head of Regional Hubs and International Distribution last October.
Ms Lim joined AXIS in 2013. A 16-year insurance professional, she previously held various underwriting roles within Allianz, Liberty and Aon Risk Services.
Chubb appoints Singapore Bancassurance Division Head
Chubb has appointed Mr Koh Wei Lee as Head of Bancassurance for Singapore since 1 January 2018. This appointment is in addition to Mr Koh’s current responsibilities as Division Head of Accident & Health (A&H). He will continue to report to Mr Adam Clifford, Country President for Chubb in Singapore.
Mr Koh joined Chubb in 2016 and has more than 17 years of industry experience. In his new role, he will drive the strategy, development and growth of the bancassurance channel for the local operations.
Thailand: Tilleke & Gibbins promotes new partner
Regional Southeast Asian law firm Tilleke & Gibbins has promoted Ms Athistha (Nop) Chitranukroh as a new member of the firm’s partnership.
Based in the firm’s Bangkok office, she is ranked as a leading insurance lawyer in Thailand in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2018. She will lead the firm’s non-contentious insurance practice across Southeast Asia, while maintaining an active practice in other corporate and commercial areas, including client matters focused on technology and data privacy.
Prior to joining Tilleke & Gibbins in 2016, she served as Senior Vice President – General Counsel at a multinational insurance company, where she oversaw all operations within the legal department in Thailand.
Board changes at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty in 2018
Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) has made changes to its Board of Management, which take effect in 2018.
From 1 July 2018, COO Ms Sinéad Browne moves to a new Board-level role at AGCS, taking over from Chief Regions and Markets Officer, Mr Carsten Scheffel, who retires from his role at the end of June. In her new role, based in London, Ms Browne will oversee AGCS Regional Unit London, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Nordics, Russia, Dubai and Australia, plus Asia and South America regions.
Ms Bettina Dietsche, currently Head of Group Operations at Allianz SE in Munich joins AGCS on 1 April 2018, succeeding Ms Browne as COO, subject to approvals of the regulator and the Supervisory Board.
In addition, Chief Claims Officer Mr Alexander Mack will retire from AGCS on 30 June 2018, with Mr Philipp Cremer taking on the non-Board level role of Global Head of Claims, reporting to AGCS CEO Mr Chris Fischer Hirs.
Global: MS Amlin names successor for CEO role
MS Amlin announces that Mr Simon Beale, MS Amlin’s Chief Underwriting Officer, will succeed Mr Charles Philipps as CEO on 1 April 2018.
With immediate effect Mr Beale will become Deputy CEO, Mr James Illingworth will become Chief Underwriting Officer and Mr Martyn Rodden will become Chief Risk Officer. Both Mr Beale and Mr Illingworth have been longstanding members of MS Amlin’s Senior Executive Team.
Norton Rose Fulbright names new global vice chair
Norton Rose Fulbright has appointed Ms Tricia Hobson, Australian chair and head of insurance for Asia Pacific, as 2018 global vice chair. She will replace previous appointee Mr Stephen Parish, who will continue on in his role as chair of Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Ms Hobson’s new role is an ambassadorial and leadership position, lasting one year, effective 1 January, focused on innovation, cross-border collaboration and client relationship development while promoting inclusion and diversity.
Ms Hobson will take on the responsibility in addition to her other activities at the firm, which include co-heading the national cyber insurance incidence response practice and acting as a partner in the insurance practice, advising both local and London insurers on coverage disputes and working on multi-party litigation as well as class actions, with a particular focus on financial services and construction. A