Thirty years. That is how long Asia Insurance Review has been published, without fail.
For some of our readers, 1991 will be the ‘old days’ – before they were born.
For others, it will seem like only yesterday.
But we should all be grateful for the vision of the hardy few who took the plunge all those decades ago – under the expert eye of Mr Sivam Subramanian – to bring the region ‘the voice of Asia’s insurance industry’.
There was a vision – and the team delivered on it – consistently, year in and year out.
Being part of that legacy today is a rare privilege.
Back in 1991 I was still based in London working for the Financial Times, but visiting Asia Pacific regularly – mostly Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Tokyo and Melbourne.
From a business perspective, not many of those great cities look today the way they did then, and the growth of the insurance, reinsurance and risk management sectors are largely responsible for underwriting the brave steps that it took to build such vibrant business and finance capitals.
And who would have picked, 30 years ago, that China would be one of the biggest economies in the world? I remember visiting Shenzhen towards the end of the 1980s and it was little more than a village. Now look at it today.
What makes Asia Insurance Review such an important part of the insurance landscape in Asia Pacific is that it has covered every significant development over the past three decades. Back issues of the magazine are a roadmap of how the industry got here from way back there.
They form a chronicle of all the big developments – from regulatory changes and M&A through to InsurTech and insurance-linked securities. The people may come and go, but the relentless growth of the sector – in terms of premium sizes, in terms of lives and businesses covered – would appear to go on forever.
The first editions of Asia Insurance Review can’t help but raise a smile to anyone flicking through them. The sparing use of colour on the inside pages. The paucity of high-quality photographs of some landmark events. The stylised typography.
But there was never a lack of passion – which comes through in every story. It is a passion that still burns today.
Many things have changed in those 30 years. Apart from anything else, Asia Insurance Review got a sibling in the form of Middle East Insurance Review which reached the ripe old age of 15 just a few months ago.
Naturally Asia Insurance Review has had a website for many years as well as an App for most platforms – and we have built a premium content service in the form of AIR+. In addition to that we have a highly informative video series and much more besides.
There is no telling what the financial centres of Asia Pacific will look like in another 30 years – or what the insurance, reinsurance and risk management sectors will look like – but you can rest assured that there will be a team of dedicated professionals here to cover the events.
Paul McNamara
Editorial director
Asia Insurance Review