Howden, Ardonagh, Antares, Swiss Re, Sedgwick: 12 APAC insurance people moves of the week
May 15 2026 by Roshan Nambiar
InsuranceAsia News wraps up the people moves from the insurance industry in Asia this week.
1. Howden names new HK CEO, Asia chief strategy officer
Howden has announced a leadership transition in its Hong Kong business, effective from July 1, with Alaric Lee appointed as chief executive officer, succeeding Alfred Sham, who will relocate to Singapore to take on the role of chief strategy officer for Asia.
Lee is currently chief commercial officer for Asia, and will lead Howden’s Hong Kong business, focusing on building on its strong momentum, deepening client relationships, and driving continued growth in one of the region’s most important markets.
Sham has led the Hong Kong business for the past two years, during which time it has doubled in size, and will now take on a broader regional remit, where he will focus on driving Howden’s growth ambitions through new initiatives, acquisitions and entry into new markets.
Read the full story here.
2. Ardonagh continues to strengthen Asia leadership with new appointment
The Ardonagh Group has announced the appointment of Jason Anthony to lead its MGA proposition in Asia, subject to regulatory approval.
Reporting into the newly appointed Asia CEO, Andrew Minnitt, Anthony will lead Ardonagh’s efforts to build a pan-Asian MGA at scale, expanding Ardonagh’s existing MGA operations in Hong Kong, Charter Union, and expanding the product line focus and geographic reach across Asia.
Read the full story here.
3. Antares appoints deputy Singapore CEO
Lloyds’ syndicate Antares has appointed Sri Ram Pappu as deputy chief executive officer for Singapore.
Pappu has been with the Lloyd’s carrier as a senior energy and marine underwriter since joining in October 2018.
Read the full story here.
4. Swiss Re elevates ANZ CEO to global specialty head, confirms new APAC head of fac
Swiss Re has appointed Australia and New Zealand CEO Trent Thomson as head of global specialty, effective from July 1.
Thomson will be based in London, and succeeds Anne Lohbeck, who assumed the role of chief risk officer for P&C Re on May 1.
Swiss Re has also confirmed the appointment of Yusuke Matsumoto as head of facultative reinsurance for APAC.
Tokyo-based Matsumoto has been the interim head since Ronnie Tong stepped down in early April, as first reported by InsuranceAsia News.
Read the full story here and here.
5. Sedgwick taps executive director for energy and global specialty
Sedgwick has hired Keith Lee as executive director for energy and global specialty.
Singapore-based Lee was most recently regional director for natural resources for Asia at Charles Taylor, where he had been working since 2014.
Read the full story here.
6. Sompo reshuffles Asian, Australia teams
Sompo has appointed Gally Wong as a senior construction underwriter for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
Hong Kong-based Wong will report to Szeto Ophelia, head of property and construction for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
Sompo also expanded its Australia team with the addition of Sophie Morrison from Everest as a senior property underwriter.
Sydney-based Morrison is the latest underwriter to join from Everest, where she had been a senior property underwriter since April 2024.
Sarah Lee was also appointed as multinational network manager for APAC.
Lee will be based in Hong Kong and report to Lena Liu, Sompo’s Asia Pacific multinational business unit head.
The insurer has also confirmed Kelvin Woo’s appointment as chief distribution officer for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Read the full story here, here, here and here.
7. Gallagher Re hands expanded role as head of MGA solutions for APAC
Gallagher Re has handed Russell Hails an expanded role as executive director and head of MGA solutions for the Asia-Pacific region.
Hails joined Gallagher Re in Sydney in September, with a mandate to re-establish the reinsurance broker’s MGA proposition in the Pacific region, and in his new role, he will work closely with colleagues across APAC and Gallagher Re’s global program solutions team to source opportunities.
Read the full story here.
8. Santam appoints India country head as part of Gift City buildout 
South African insurer Santam has named Hemant Gulati as its India country head and principal officer of its Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (Gift City) operations, subject to regulatory approval.
Gulati has joined the South African insurer from Unison Insurance Broking Services, where he was an executive vice president and business head of reinsurance for Gift City. He had been at Unison since 2008 in various roles.
Read the full story here.
9. Delta Insurance New Zealand hires tech, cyber product lead
Delta Insurance New Zealand has tapped Petr Dorofeev as technology and cyber product lead.
Auckland-based Dorofeev has joined Delta Insurance from Suncorp New Zealand, where he was a portfolio manager from November 2024 until April.
Read the full story here.
10. Envest names Norm Casamento as head of technical motor claims
Envest has appointed Norm Casamento as head of technical motor claims.
Sydney-based Casamento joins from QBE Insurance, where he spent over a decade in claims roles, last holding the position of head of motor claims since November 2016.
Read the full story here.
11. RiskPoint appoints tax underwriter in Singapore
MGA and Lloyd’s coverholder RiskPoint has appointed Allen Ng as a tax underwriter in Singapore.
Ng brings a depth of knowledge from across APAC, having spent over 20 years advising on taxes throughout the region and emerging markets.
Read the full story here.
12. MSIG Australia hires claims manager for partner distribution
MSIG Australia has tapped Doron Grossman as claims manager for partner distribution
Sydney-based Grossman brings over 40 years of insurance experience, including almost 18 years at QBE from 2000 to 2018, holding several managerial roles across Singapore, London and Hungary.
Read the full story here.
For more InsuranceAsia News (IAN) people moves at brokers, insurers, reinsurers, insurtechs, specialty players, MGAs and loss adjusters across Asia Pacific’s fast-growing (re)insurance markets click here.
-
Willis Re, Lockton, Sedgwick, Deutsche Rück, AIG: 15 APAC insurance people moves of the week
- May 8
Zurich, Munich Re, Aon, MS Amlin, Howden, Oneglobal Broking, Swiss Re CorSo, Gallagher Re, Suncorp, Axa XL and Sompo also made personnel changes over the last week.
-
Ardonagh, Sompo, Howden, Aon: 12 APAC insurance people moves of the week
- May 1
SBI General Insurance, HDFC Ergo, MLX Risk Partners, Zurich, Allianz Trade, Fusion Specialty, Pacific Prime and Lockton also made personnel changes over the last week.
-
Gallagher Re, PartnerRe, Swiss Re, Willis: 9 APAC insurance people moves of the week
- April 24
Newline, Aon, bolttech, PSC Insurance Brokers and Chubb also made personnel changes over the last week.
-
XS Global, Sompo, Swiss Re, Marsh, Berkley Re: 14 APAC insurance people moves of the week
- April 17
Rare Earth Insurance, Aon, Specialist Risk Group, Zurich, Coface, Starr, Tokio Marine Management Australasia, Community Broker Network and Agile Insurance Group also made personnel changes over the last week.
-
Sedgwick | Investing in people is shaping the future of loss adjusting in Asia
Sedgwick Asia says it is ready to meet the evolving challenges of Asia’s dynamic insurance markets.
-
PartnerRe | Understanding ageing in APAC: why perception, planning and protection don’t always align
Ageing is shaping finances, family dynamics and insurance needs of the caregiving ecosystem, but current product propositions and underwriting frameworks are not keeping pace with protection needs, finds PartnerRe survey.
-
BHSI | D&O in Asia in 2026: navigating geopolitics, insolvencies, and digital crackdowns without breaking the bank
A soft market presents organisations with opportunities to strengthen resilience, although the abundance of capacity is unlikely to persist.
-
QBE | Elevating customer experience, humanising claims: QBE Asia’s ‘Solutions in a Box’
Vastly improving turnaround times and personalising service delivery, QBE Asia’s award-winning, end-to-end bundled claims solutions is a game-changer for the insurance industry.
