Markel, RiskPoint, Howden Re, Tower, Chubb: 12 APAC insurance people moves of the week
June 13 2025 by Andrew Mullen
InsuranceAsia News wraps up the people moves from the insurance industry in Asia this week.
1. Markel names new greater China CEO, APAC MD
Specialty (re)insurer Markel International has hired Axa’s Chelsea Jiang as greater China chief executive officer, InsuranceAsia News understands.
Jiang is currently the chief technical and innovation officer for general insurance in greater China at Axa Hong Kong and Macau. She is set to start at the specialty insurer in July, IAN understands.
Markel has also appointed Sucheng Chang as managing director for Asia Pacific, effective from July 14.
Chang will head up Markel International’s regional business and will be responsible for leading the strategic direction of the operation. He will take over from Christian Stobbs, who earlier this year announced his decision to leave the Asia Pacific region and return to the UK, remaining with Markel in another role.
Read the full story here and here.
2. RiskPoint hires head of W&I in Asia
Specialty MGA RiskPoint has appointed George Blackborow as head of W&I in Asia, Maria Steeples, managing director and head of M&A for Asia Pacific, has exclusively confirmed to InsuranceAsia News (IAN). Singapore-based Blackborow, who started in the new role on Monday, is reporting to Steeples.
Read the full story here.
3. Howden Re names MD and ANZ head
Global reinsurance broker Howden Re has appointed John Philipsz (pictured) as managing director and head of Australia and New Zealand. Sydney-based Philipsz succeeds Stuart Beatty, who will remain at Howden Re, focusing on its MGA strategy alongside Stephen Greener, managing director of Bowood Insurance Brokers.
Read the full story here.
4. Kiwi insurer Tower confirms CEO
New Zealand insurer Tower has confirmed Paul Johnston as its permanent CEO, effective from Wednesday. Johnston has been serving as interim CEO since February 12 after succeeding Blair Turnbull, who had stepped down following his resignation in November.
Read the full story here.
5. Chubb hands James Brown expanded role as head of major accounts for Asia
Chubb has handed James Brown an expanded role as head of major accounts for Asia, in addition to his current position as head of global broking in the region. In his expanded role, Singapore-based Brown will focus on managing and growing the major accounts division, driving business direction, and collaborating on strategic plans.
Read the full story here.
6. McLarens confirms Australia MD
Loss adjuster McLarens has appointed Torben Bell (pictured) as managing director of its Australia operations, confirming an earlier report from InsuranceAsia News. Bell assumes the leadership responsibilities previously held by Martyn Wicht, who was promoted to managing director for APAC in 2024.
Read the full story here.
7. Swiss Re promotes head of cyber for regional markets
Global reinsurer Swiss Re has promoted Giv Kahrom to head of cyber regional markets. In his new role, Singapore-based Kahromwill lead cyber underwriting and business development across all markets globally, excluding the US and the UK, “to strengthen cyber capabilities and drive sustainable growth in this critical area”.
Read the full story here.
8. Shipowners’ Club unveils Singapore branch succession plan
The Shipowners’ Club has announced the appointment of Jon Holmes (pictured) as CEO of its Singapore branch as of August 2026, subject to regulatory approval, with Steve Randall set to retire after 48 years of service. Holmes has initially been appointed as the commercial director for the Singapore branch, with Randall taking on the role of ambassador from August 2026.
Jeremy Slater, meanwhile, assumes the role of underwriting director for the Singapore branch.
Read the full story here.
9. Howden Australia lands AIG veteran as head of marine, logistics
Howden Insurance Brokers Australia has hired Grant Sheppard as head of marine and logistics. Sydney-based Sheppard joins from AIG, where he has spent 23 years in senior marine roles, including the last 15 years as head of marine for Australasia.
Read the full story here.
10. Miller expands in Korea, snaps up credit and political risk broker
Specialist (re)insurance broker Miller Insurance has appointed Marsh marine specialist Justin (Jaehyun) Roh as senior vice president in South Korea. Seoul-based Roh joins Miller after spending more than six years at Marsh, where he held various roles since March 2019.
Miller has also appointed Melissa Kumazaki (pictured) as a credit and political risk broker as part of its Singapore-based credit and political risks team.
Read the full story here and here.
11. Lockton bolsters Australia finpro team with senior hires
Lockton has appointed Craig Claughton as national manager for financial institutions and Dennis Moens as client manager, with both appointments effective from early July.
Read the full story here.
12. HDI Global reshuffles APAC engineering team
HDI Global has made two leadership changes in its APAC engineering team to “respond to the growing demand for specialised insurance expertise in construction, energy, infrastructure, and renewables across Southeast Asia”. Engineering underwriting manager Haris Michaels will relocate from Sydney to Singapore early in Q3 to take on an expanded regional role, with Stevan Bonic taking over as engineering underwriting manager for Australasia.
Read the full story here.
Other moves you may have missed
Global loss adjuster Crawford has appointed Keira Blair as national strata operations manager in Australia, while Aon has appointed Tisha Soh as head of client services for health solutions in Singapore.
Australian specialist insurer NTI has appointed Janelle Greene as its next chief executive officer, effective from July 1, while Indian carrier SBI General Insurance has appointed Mohd Arif Khan as its deputy CEO.
Zurich Cover-More, the travel insurance and assistance provider which is part of Zurich Global Ventures, has appointed Jeff Rutledge as CEO, effective from July 1, as incumbent David Fike is set to retire, while Aon Thailand has appointed Chalisa Maythangkul as director for natural resources.
Japan P&I Club, meanwhile, has promoted Yuichi Tanaka to director and general manager for the reinsurance and regulatory affairs department, effective from July 22.
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.
-
Chubb, Canopius, Rokstone, QBE, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions: 11 APAC insurance people moves of the week
- June 6
Everest Insurance, AIG, Howden Specialty, Lockton, WTW and Mecon Insurance also made personnel changes over the last week.
-
Swiss Re CorSo, Gallagher Re, Aon, Beazley, Sompo: 9 APAC insurance people moves of the week
- May 30
Berkley Insurance Asia, Lead Insurance Services, Cornerstone Risk Group and Howden also made personnel changes over the last week.
-
AIG, Axa XL, Howden, Canopius, Lockton: 9 APAC insurance people moves of the week
- May 23
Lloyd’s, MSIG, Gallagher and Athene also made personnel changes over the last week.
-
WTW, Gallagher Re, HDI Global, Axa XL, Zurich: 11 APAC insurance people moves of the week
- May 16
Aon, Dual, Gallagher, Allianz Commercial, Howden and CFC also made personnel changes over the last week.
-
HSBC Asset Management | China’s underestimated innovation capability – AI and beyond
DeepSeek’s breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI) has gained a considerable amount of investor attention, lifting sentiment towards Chinese assets. We believe China’s innovation ability is not limited to AI.
-
Beazley | Turbulent Waters: the maritime energy transition challenge
Businesses are facing a complex transition to non-carbon energy sources amid a push to achieve net-zero emissions for the marine sector by 2050.
-
Aon | Navigating shifts in the global and Asia insurance markets
Neelay Patel, Aon head of growth for Asia, says the market in Asia is at an ‘interesting stage of the cycle’.
-
Sompo | Accelerating Sompo Group’s sustainable growth through the evolution of the P&C business
Sompo Holdings is taking significant steps to enhance its organizational structure and business strategy to achieve its ambition to become a Japan-born truly global company.
