Gallagher Re, PartnerRe, Swiss Re, Willis: 9 APAC insurance people moves of the week
April 24 2026 by Roshan Nambiar
InsuranceAsia News wraps up the people moves from the insurance industry in Asia this week.
1. Gallagher Re taps Willis’ cyber head
Gallagher Re has tapped Willis’ Carlos Grijalva to lead its Asia Pacific cyber business, IAN exclusively reported.
He is due to join the reinsurance broker in Hong Kong in May, having been Willis’ head of Asia cyber sales since November.
Read the full story here.
2. PartnerRe hands APAC trio new leadership roles, with regional CEO to retire
Partner Re has handed Sasa Hu the role of CEO for P&C in APAC, with incumbent James Beedle set to retire.
David Xu will take over Hu’s role as regional P&C CUO, while John Mok has been named CEO for Partner Reinsurance Asia.
Beedle has been APAC CEO since January 2017, and is also currently the chairman of the Singapore Reinsurers’ Association.
Read the full story here.
3. Swiss Re elevates veteran to lead P&C Re across multiple APAC nations
Swiss Re has appointed Anna Ziswiler as head of P&C reinsurance for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, effective from May 1.
Ziswiler has been at the reinsurer for nearly 16 years and currently leads Swiss Re’s P&C Re business in 20 markets across the Middle East, Pakistan, Israel, the Mediterranean, and Switzerland.
Read the full story here.
4. Willis appoints new Pacific head of natural resources
Willis, a WTW business, has appointed Scott Kirkwood as head of natural resources for the Pacific
Brisbane-based Kirkwood will focus on strengthening the Pacific natural resources business, expanding the team’s strong global mining capability to other natural resources sectors and enhancing its offering across the full natural resources value chain.
Read the full story here.
5. Newline make multiple underwriting appointments in Singapore and Australia
Lloyd’s specialty insurer Newline Asia has promoted Cayden Lim to the role of liability underwriter while elevating Songju Lee and Jayrius Lai to financial lines underwriters, all based in Singapore.
Lim reports to head of liability Susan Chew, while Lee and Lai report to Asia CUO Simon Moi.
Rebecca Smith has been appointed as senior underwriter for its Australia professional indemnity team.
Sydney-based Smith, who has been with Newline as an underwriter since joining in October 2024, will work under head of professional indemnity Nick Beswick.
Newline Group has also promoted Jack Rowsell to underwriter within its Australia liability team.
Rowsell has been with Newline for over nine years, having joined as an assistant underwriter in June 2016.
Read the full story here, here and here.
6. Aon New Zealand elevates professional risks, construction manager to specialty GM
Aon has promoted Michael Twyman to general manager of its specialty business in New Zealand.
Twyman has been with Aon New Zealand for over 12 years, most recently role was as general manager of professional risk and construction.
Read the full story here.
7. bolttech names Japan GM, succeeds new head of business development
Insurtech bolttech has appointed Kohei Watanabe as general manager for Japan, succeeding Akiko Anzai, who has assumed a new role of head of business development, the company confirmed to InsuranceAsia News.
Based in Tokyo, Watanabe will oversee all domestic and international Japan business, and lead selected Japanese strategic partners such as Tokio Marine and Sumitomo.
Meanwhile, Tokyo-based Anzai joined bolttech in November 2022 as a product manager, before being promoted to general manager and then to her current role.
Read the full story here.
8. Australia’s PSC Insurance Brokers appoints head of trade credit and surety
Australian broking group PSC Insurance Brokers has appointed James Thornberry as its head of trade credit and surety.
Sydney-based Thornberry has more than 25 years of experience in credit insurance, banking and financial services.
Read the full story here.
9. Chubb Malaysia hires new head of motor claims
Chubb Malaysia has hired Ariel Llugdar as its head of motor claims, according to a LinkedIn update.
Kuala Lumpur-based Llugdar has more than 30 years of insurance experience, most recently as head of damage motor claims and expert technical advisory at Allianz Singapore, where he worked for nearly three years.
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.
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