Navigators announces Asia leadership team
Global specialty insurer and reinsurer The Navigators Group, Inc. has appointed a leadership team in Asia. Mr Jon Doherty will serve as Managing Director of Asia, Mr Sang Kyoun Kim as Chief Underwriting Officer and Mr Paul D’Souza will be the region’s Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer. All three formerly worked for Chubb.
Mr Doherty has nearly 30 years of experience in the insurance industry and was with Chubb for more than 20 years. He served most recently as Strategic Marketing Manager of the Asia-Pacific Zone. Mr Kim was most recently Korea Branch Deputy Representative at Chubb, where he spent the majority of his 25-year career. Mr D’Souza, a finance veteran of two decades, was previously Chubb’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Asia-Pacific Zone.
The team will be based in Hong Kong pending completion of any required applications. Its initial focus will be on providing Navigators’ marine, casualty and other specialty products through agents and brokers as well as strategic partners across North Asia. It builds upon Navigators’ existing participation in Lloyd’s China, where the company has operated since 2010 under the leadership of Mr Junci Wu.
Asia: MS Amlin appoints new construction underwriter
MS Amlin has appointed Mr Steve Ng Ka Chuen, as Senior Construction Underwriter in the Singapore office. He will be responsible for the development and growth of the insurer’s construction business across APAC.
Mr Ng has over 14 years’ experience in insurance and reinsurance underwriting, with a major focus on construction. He most recently served as Senior Underwriter for Zurich Insurance Company Ltd in their Engineering Lines, Global Corporate team.
Asia: XL Catlin appoints new Marine Risk Engineer, Insurance
XL Catlin has named Mr Jarek Klimczak as Marine Risk Engineer for Asia Pacific. In his new role, Mr Klimczak will be responsible for providing marine risk consulting for cargo, hull and machinery risks. He will be based in Singapore.
Mr Klimczak is a qualified Captain and Master Mariner who has close to three decades of experience, with extensive Project Cargo and project management expertise within the shipping and logistics industry. He was formerly at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Singapore, where he held the position of Senior Marine Risk Consultant.
Asia: Great American Insurance hires new Director, Marine & Client Relationship Management
Great American Insurance Company’s Singapore branch has hired Mr Choi Moon Kee as Director, Marine & Client Relationship Management. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic management of Marine underwriting and portfolio management in Asia and will assist Great American’s Singapore CEO in leading the business toward its growth objectives within Asia.
Mr Choi has over 20 years of experience within the marine insurance sector in Korea, undertaking roles in management, insurance underwriting and claims specialising in cargo/hull as well as casualty and engineering. Prior to this, he was the Head of Marine & Channel Management with ACE American Fire & Marine Insurance Company in Korea. He is a certified loss adjuster.
SCOR appoints Eric Pooi as new Managing Director for Asia-Pacific Hub
SCOR has appointed Mr Eric Pooi, currently Chief Operating Officer of the Life division for Asia-Pacific, as Managing Director of the Asia-Pacific Hub, reporting to Group Chief Operating Officer Romain Launay. Mr Pooi replaces Mr Ben Ho, who has been appointed Advisor to the Managing Director of the Asia-Pacific Hub.
Mr Pooi is a qualified Chartered Accountant who has been in the insurance industry for over 22 years, covering captive insurance, P&C reinsurance, composite and life reinsurance. Over the course of his career, he has taken on several roles ranging from CFO, COO, HR, IT and Administration. He is currently the appointed Chief Executive for SCOR Global Life Singapore Branch, as well as the Chief Representative for the SCOR Global Life Taipei Representative Office.
Asia: Cunningham Lindsey launches Japan office, appoints new Malaysia CEO
Claims management services provider Cunningham Lindsey has opened an office in Tokyo, its first in Japan. It will be led by Mr Yutaka Tada, who will manage the firm’s operations in the country.
Mr Tada has worked in claims at a senior level for over 30 years. His experience includes involvement in loss assignments throughout Japan and all over the world. He has also been based for extended periods in the US and Singapore.
Cunningham Lindsey has also named a new Malaysia CEO in Mr Aldrin Wong, who was formerly its Senior Vice President of Major and Complex Loss. Mr Wong’s core focus as Malaysia CEO will be on enhancing client and partner relationships, improving client service delivery and managing claim costs. He had formerly successfully led Cunningham Lindsey Malaysia’s engineering and construction team for 17 years in the resolution of a range of major liability claims. Mr David Needham, the incumbent, will return to the UK in 2017.
The Malaysian operation also announced that Mr Lee Seet Chye and Mr Jaswant Singh have been appointed as Executive Directors, responsible for a range of additional Insurer Services, and Liability and Specialty Claims, respectively. All appointments were effective from 1 January 2017.
Australia – Gilchrist Connell appoints new principal in Melbourne
Specialist insurance law and defendant litigation firm Gilchrist Connell has appointed Mr Joel Zyngier as a Principal. Based in the firm’s Melbourne office, Mr Zyngier is the national head of Gilchrist Connell’s employment practices liability and management liability practice.
Mr Zyngier is certified by the Law Institute of Victoria as an Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations, and for over 8 years has advised and defended employers in employment law disputes and workplace safety prosecutions.
India: Bharti AXA General Insurance appoints CEO/MD
Bharti AXA General Insurance, a joint venture between AXA and Indian business group Bharti Enterprises, has appointed Mr Sanjeev Srinivasan as its CEO and Managing Director.
Mr Srinivasan’s main focus will be to drive Bharti AXA’s go-to-market strategy of creating a balanced portfolio, driving new distribution tie-ups and creating a customer centric brand to drive profitable growth.
He joined the company in August 2016 as Chief Commercial and Principal Officer and has over 20 years of experience spanning both life and general Insurance, manufacturing and logistics. Prior to Bharti AXA, Mr Srinivasan was at ICICI Lombard, where he was heading marketing, bancassurance and e-business.
Japan: Crawford & Co names new Japan Country Manager
Crawford & Company has announced the appointment of Mr Futoshi Suezawa as Country Manager for Japan with effect from 1 January 2017. He replaces Mr Eiichi Shigematsu, who has retired, having led the Japan operation since 2002.
Mr Suezawa will report to Mr Phillip Fong, the CEO for Asia. He has over 15 years’ experience with Crawford and has expertise in product liability, EAR, CAR, product recall, fidelity guarantee, property and non-marine claims. He played a key role in the company’s response to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake handling claims for factories, shopping malls and office buildings, said Crawford in a statement.
Mr Suezawa said: “Eiichi-San has provided invaluable leadership for Crawford and its long established operation in Japan. His consistent and resolute focus on quality and service has distinguished our company particularly through the challenging aftermath of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. With the support and engagement of Crawford employees in Japan, I look forward to building on his legacy and to leading the company to even higher levels of achievement.”
Japan: Dai-ichi Life Holdings announces changes in senior leadership
Dai-ichi Life Holdings has announced that Managing Executive Officer Mr Seiji Inagaki will succeed Mr Koichiro Watanabe as President from 1 April 2017, while Mr Watanabe will assume the position of board Chairman.
Mr Inagaki has worked in many different capacities for Dai-ichi Life over his three-decade career with the firm, including General Manager of Corporate Planning and Chief of its Group Management Strategy Unit.
Malaysia: New Malaysia representatives for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (BHSI) has named Ms Gaithrie Nandrajog as Branch Manager and Mr Koo Kang Wuu as Executive & Professional Lines and Business Development Manager at its new office in Kuala Lumpur. This follows Labuan FSA’s award of a license to BHSI to provide non-life reinsurance to the Malaysian market.
Both have more than a decade of experience in the Malaysian insurance industry.
Philippines: New Insurance Commissioner appointed
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has named lawyer and former Deputy Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa as the country’s new Insurance Commissioner.
Mr Funa replaces Mr Emmanuel Dooc, who was appointed last month as the President and CEO of the Social Security System. Mr Funa obtained his law degree at the San Beda College and passed the bar in 1992. He has served as a legal consultant to the National Power Corp and various members of the Congress. He was also managing partner at the Funa Balayan Fortes Galandines Villagonzalo and Jimeneo Law offices. Mr Funa was formerly the youngest presidential appointee of then President Fidel Ramos at the age of 28 and served the Ramos administration in various capacities.
Global: Markel names Mr Ryan Godfrey head of cargo
Markel International has appointed Mr Ryan Godfrey as senior underwriter and head of the cargo team within its marine, energy and property division. He joins senior underwriter Richard Burnett, under marine managing director Chris Fenn.
Mr Godfrey has over 20 years’ experience in the marine market and for the last eight years has been cargo class underwriter at XL Catlin Group. He will focus on broadening and deepening Markel’s broker relationships, while both consolidating and developing its established cargo business.
Global: Chubb has new Head of Multinational Claims
Chubb has announced Mr Graham Lambourne’s promotion to the role of Head of Multinational Claims for Overseas General Insurance, based in London, from the position of Global Clients Claims Manager, Europe. He succeeds Mr Graham Chesman, Vice President, Multinational Claims, Overseas General who retired in end 2016.
In his new role, Mr Lambourne is responsible for enhancing Chubb’s multinational claims capability, working with its offices in the Americas, APAC and Europe. He has more than 30 years of insurance claims experience and will report to Mr Simon Priebbenow, Vice President, Claims Service Development.
Global: Munich Re announces change to its Supervisory Board
Munich Re has appointed Ms Renata Jungo Brüngger to its Supervisory Board of Munich Re with effect from 3 January 2017. She succeeds Mr Wolfgang Mayrhuber, who resigned his seat on 31 December 2016, having been a member of the Supervisory Board since December 2002.
Ms Jungo Brüngger is a Swiss lawyer who has been a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG since 1 January 2016, with responsibility for Integrity and Legal Affairs. She is an expert in international commercial law and has more than 25 years of experience and expertise as a lawyer in various international companies.
Global: RIMS names 2017 President
RIMS, the risk management society, has announced Mr Nowell R Seaman, Director of Global Risk Management for Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc, as its 2017 president.
Mr Seaman, a Canadian, has been a member of RIMS for 21 years and on its Board of Directors for nine years. Previously, Mr Seaman served as the Society’s Vice President. He also served as the Chair of the RIMS Canada Council in 2003-2005, a director of RIMS Saskatchewan Chapter from 1997-2007 and chaired the secretariat responsible for the creation of the McGannon Foundation.
Global: Chartered Insurance Institute appoints new COO
The UK-headquartered Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has appointed Mr John Bissell as its new Chief Operating Officer. Mr Bissell commenced his new role on 3 January, following his most recent position as senior vice president at the not-for-profit Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD), where he was responsible for global operations and development.
In his new role at the CII, Mr Bissell has responsibility for the Business Operations, Customer Service, IT, Finance and Facilities functions of the professional body, and has joined the CII’s board of directors. He will also be a key contributor to the delivery of the CII’s recently launched Strategic Manifesto – 2021 Roadmap.