JLT Re has new APAC MD
JLT Re has announced the appointment of Mr Stephen Punch as Managing Director, Asia Pacific for Regional Clients and Retrocession. Mr Punch is expected to join JLT Re in early 2017.
Mr Punch joins from Willis Re where he is Executive Director. He will be based in JLT Re’s Sydney office but will spend time in JLT Re offices across the region.
Friendsurance names Australia head
German peer-to-peer insurer Friendsurance’s expansion into Australia will be led by Mr Perry Abbott and backed financially by Ellerston Ventures, the venture capital arm of Ellerston Capital.
Mr Abbott has been a director at Friendsurance since December 2012. He said the time is right for Friendsurance to start operations in Australia because “customers are looking for new and different options in the insurance space”.
Australia: Talbot Underwriting appoints new Managing Director
Talbot Underwriting Ltd has appointed Mr Andrew Case as managing director of Talbot Underwriting Australia.
During his 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, Mr Case established and led several businesses in Asia and Australia including Catlin Australia, where he held the role of head of country for more than 10 years.
He also recently served as a member of the XL Catlin Regional Asia Pacific Board, where he held joint responsibility for the overall management of subsidiaries in Dubai, India, China, Malaysia and Singapore.
Hong Kong: MetLife appoints Lee Wood as CEO
MetLife has appointed Mr Lee Wood as CEO for its Hong Kong business. Mr Wood will be based in Hong Kong and will report to Mr Damien Green, Regional Executive of MetLife Asia.
Mr Wood is a seasoned insurance professional with over 15 years of broad industry experience at leading insurance companies throughout Asia. He was most recently Senior Vice President at Allianz Taiwan Life Insurance Company Limited with responsibility for marketing, product development, and the direct marketing channel.
Hannover Re appoints CEO of India operations
Hannover Re has appointed Mr G L N Sarma as the CEO of its India branch that would be operational soon. Hannover Re had received the R2 approval from IRDAI to establish a branch in India last month. It now expects a quick R3 and plans to be ready for the reinsurance renewals in the first quarter of 2017.
Mr Sarma, an actuary by profession, is currently the Managing Director of Hannover Re Consulting Service India Pvt Ltd. He has been with Hannover Re from 2010 and earlier was with Bharti Axa Life Insurance Company as an Appointed Actuary.
With the R3 approval, Hannover Re India branch will be able to write life, health and property & casualty business in India.
BHSI makes local appointments in Macau
Upon receiving its licence to provide insurance and reinsurance in Macau, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (BHSI) has filled key positions in its newly established office there. BHSI Macau will be providing commercial property, energy, construction, terrorism, casualty, executive and professional lines, surety, accident and health, and marine insurance.
The addition of the Macau office expands BHSI’s regional presence in Asia, which already includes the insurance hubs in Hong Kong and Singapore. The company named Ms Yasmin Chan as Branch Manager, and Ms Ivory Chong as Underwriting Manager, in Macau.
Ms Chan and Ms Chong comes to BHSI with 20 years and 15 years of experience in the Macau market respectively.
LOC boosts presence in Singapore
London Offshore Consultants (LOC) has boosted its presence in Singapore with two new appointments – Mr Mark Board as Marine Consultant, and Mr Dan Niklas Ahlgren as Naval Architect.
Mr Board joined LOC Singapore as Marine Consultant in September 2016. He brings with him experience in bulk carriers, roll on–roll off vessels, FSO’s and container ships and is well versed in vetting, ship inspection, Flag State issues as well as ISM, and ISPS. Mr Board is a trained auditor and Root Cause Analysis investigator.
Mr Ahlgren joined LOC in September 2016 as a Naval Architect based in Singapore. Prior to joining LOC, he worked for DNV GL (Noble Denton), where he was a Consultant since 2007. With 19 years of experience, he had been a naval architect, project manager/engineer, consultant and marine warranty surveyor, amongst others, in the maritime and, oil and gas industry.
Singapore: Chubb strengthens executive team
Chubb has appointed several new executives for its business in Singapore.
Mr Koh Wei Lee was named Division Head of Accident & Health (A&H) and Personal & Business Insurance (PBI).
Mr Koh joins Chubb with more than 16 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining Chubb, he was most recently the Chief Marketing Officer in Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad (a subsidiary of Prudential Financial Inc). Mr Koh spent the last six years in Hong Kong and Malaysia in a variety of roles covering regional product management, business development and product marketing. In his new role, he will have the responsibility for leading and directing the business development, general management and overall growth of the A&H and PBI division in Singapore.
Mr Kevin Xiong has been appointed the new Head of Agency. Mr Xiong joins Chubb with over nine years of experience in agency management as well as business development. In this appointment, he will be responsible for implementing various strategies to expand and drive business opportunities for the agency distribution channel.
Ms Risa Wong has been appointed as the Head of Travel, A&H and PBI. Ms Wong is a seasoned professional in the tourism and travel insurance industry. She has over 20 years of experience in advertising, sales and marketing across the South-east Asian and Indian markets. In her new role, Ms Wong will be responsible for the growth and profitability of the Leisure Travel portfolio.
Mr Koh and Mr Xiong will report to Mr Adam Clifford , Country President for Chubb in Singapore while Ms Wong will report to Mr Koh.
Global: Liberty hires reinsurance development chief
Liberty Specialty Markets has recruited Mr Miguel Martinez Álvarez as head of business development for its reinsurance business. Mr Martinez Álvarez joined from Munich Re, where he previously served as senior strategy consultant in the company’s Madrid office.
Global: Aon Benfield hires new UK CEO
Aon Benfield has appointed Mr Nick Frankland as CEO of its UK business. He will join in April 2017.
Mr Frankland was previously CEO of Guy Carpenter’s EMEA operations, where he was responsible for the firm’s regional business and offices in the UK, Continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Based in London, Mr Frankland will be responsible for driving UK growth strategies, building client relationships and strengthening collaboration across Aon to bring the best of the firm to insurance companies. He will have oversight of the following business units: Global ReSpecialty, Specialities, ReSolutions and UK & Ireland broking teams.
Global: Zurich names UK CEO
Zurich has promoted Ms Tulsi Naidu to CEO of its UK business. Ms Naidu joined the company from UK life insurer Prudential in September this year as head of business development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
She will lead the UK business, which includes both general insurance and life operations under the new regional Zurich structure.
Global: Prudential UK reveals new CEO
There is a new CEO of insurance at Prudential UK and Europe, with Ms Clare Bousfield taking that role.
In a release announcing the move, Ms Bousfield was touted for her strong reputation for leading and developing high performing teams, noting that she was also a former chief financial officer at Swiss Re.
Global: Aspen names new international insurance head
Aspen’s international COO and global head of marine Mr Don Harrell has been appointed head of international insurance at the Bermudian carrier, replacing Ms Anne Haugh.
He will relinquish his role as COO of international to take up the new position, but will retain his responsibilities as global head of marine. Mr Harrell will report to Aspen Insurance president and chief underwriting officer Mr David Cohen.
Global: PartnerRe appoints new Chief Medical Officer
Partner Re has appointed Dr Achim Regenauer as its Chief Medical Officer of its Life & Health unit with effect from 1 January 2017. He will be responsible for further strengthening PartnerRe’s expertise in biometric risks.
Based in Zurich, Dr Regenauer will play a key role within PartnerRe’s Life Solutions team, working closely with actuaries and medical underwriters on the development of PartnerRe’s critical illness and longevity propositions. A specialist in internal medicine, Dr Regenauer brings more than 25 years of experience in international life insurance. He previously held the position of Chief Medical Officer at Munich Re.
Global: New Chair for ICMIF announced
The International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) has announced that Ms Hilde Vernaillen, Chair of the Management Committee, P&V Group (Belgium) will be the Federation’s new Chair. Ms Vernaillen has been working in the financial services industry for more than 20 years and is a committed defender of the mutual/cooperative business model in insurance.
She is a member of the ICMIF Board and was President of AMICE (the Association of Mutual Insurers and Insurance Cooperatives in Europe) from June 2013 until June 2016. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Euresa Holding, a European Economic Interest Group for cooperation and collaboration among the European insurance companies belonging to the Social Economy, and President of the Board of Directors of Febecoop which promotes and defends the co-operative model at regional, federal, European and international level.
Furthermore, she is a member of the Board and the Executive Committee of the Belgian insurance association (Assuralia), and several other organisations in Belgium and other European countries.