Marsh, QBE, Allianz Partners, Aon, Time Machine: 16 APAC insurance people moves of the week

July 10 2026 by

InsuranceAsia News wraps up the people moves from the insurance industry in Asia this week.

1. Marsh appoints London SVP to HK for finpro role, names Pacific head of technical claims advocacy

Wincy Choi is set to relocate from London to Hong Kong to take up a role as senior vice president for financial and professional liability (finpro) practice at Marsh Risk for Hong Kong and Macau, she told InsuranceAsia News.

Choi (pictured) has been in London for the last 12 years across roles with Aon and Marsh, most recently as a client executive and senior vice president with a focus on management liability.

Marsh has appointed Melody Carr as national head of technical claims advocacy for the Pacific region.

Sydney-based Carr has been with Marsh McLennan for almost seven and a half years, most recently as head of finpro claims and head of technical

Read the full story here and here.

2. QBE Australia Pacific chief executive to retire, appoints cargo, marine underwriting market lead in Asia

QBE Insurance Group has announced that Australia Pacific chief executive Sue Houghton intends to retire from QBE at the end of 2026.

Houghton (pictured), who joined QBE in August 2021 as CEO of the division, will remain in the role and continue to lead the business while it undertakes a search for her successor to ensure an orderly leadership transition.

QBE Asia has appointed James Lo as market lead for cargo and marine underwriting.

Hong Kong-based Lo (pictured) joins QBE following over 12 years at HDI Global, where he was most recently head of marine for North Asia and lead underwriter since April.

Read the full story here and here.

3. Allianz Partners taps new APAC chief

Allianz Partners has appointed Carsten Staat as its new regional managing director for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.

Staat succeeds Vinay Surana, who is shifting to a new role as senior adviser to CEO Tomas Kunzmann from August 1.

Read the full story here.

4. Aon reshuffles multiple APAC teams

Aon has named Jess Kang as its Asia-Pacific head of data and analytics.

A qualified actuary, Singapore-based Kang has joined Aon from QBE Insurance in Singapore, where she was the Australian insurer’s Asia head of data and analytics from November 2022.

Aon India has hired Taranjeet Walia as senior client director for commercial risk solutions and growth.

Mumbai-based Walia (pictured) will work with large companies and financial institutions, advising them on integrated risk, capital and strategic solutions.

Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions has appointed Matthew Chae as growth leader for life and health in South Korea.

He brings more than 20 years of experience across life insurance and reinsurance, and served as the head of actuarial during his seven-year tenure at TAL Australia before moving to Aon.

Read the full story here, here, and here.

5. Mitsui Sumitomo-owned Time Machine makes pair of senior underwriting hires

Japanese W&I-focused MGA Time Machine Underwriters has bolstered its underwriting team with the appointments of Shuko Shikatani as an underwriter and chief financial officer, and Sumiyo Yamamoto as an underwriter.

Shikatani joins from Yamap Nature Insurance, a startup specialising in outdoor leisure coverage, where he served as executive officer overseeing finance and regulatory relations since February 2024.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, joins from AIG, where she was senior legal counsel.

Read the full story here.

6. Howden hires trio to grow employee benefits, financial lines in Hong Kong

Howden has strengthened its Hong Kong team with the appointment of Eugene Wong as employee benefits practice lead, Alan Sze as an associate director for employee benefits sales, and Jason Lam as an associate director for financial lines.

Lam brings experience from Marsh, where he served as an assistant vice president for four years.

Wong, meanwhile, brings over 20 years of industry experience, having led large-scale benefits strategies for multinational corporations.

Meanwhile, Sze joins with a strong background in domestic and international health insurance business development and operations.

Read the full story here.

7. Sompo appoints Maureen Ung as director for commercial distribution

Sompo has appointed Maureen Ung as director for commercial distribution.

In this new role, Ung will be based in Singapore and focus on developing Singapore retail and wholesale distribution for APAC, key client management, and regional broker development, strengthening Sompo’s platform to build a leading specialty and commercial insurance presence across Asia Pacific.

Read the full story here.

8. Lockton Asia appoints regional director for healthcare, head of wholesale for regional placement team

Michael Griffiths has joined Lockton Asia’s professional and executive risk and credit team as regional director for healthcare.

In his new role, Griffiths will lead Lockton’s regional healthcare portfolio, ensuring clients receive tailored, forward‑looking solutions that address the increasingly complex risk environment facing healthcare providers.

Lockton Asia has appointed Martin Allain as the head of wholesale for its regional placement team, following a brief retirement.

Singapore-based Allain will report to Piers Hughes, head of placement for Asia, and work closely with Lockton offices across Asia to enhance market engagement and support specialty placement solutions

Read the full story here and here.

9. Niyam Group taps director for India engineering, construction buildout

India-focused reinsurance start-up Niyam Group has tapped Ritesh Shah as director of engineering and construction.

The Lloyd’s carrier said that Shah has joined the firm in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, to drive the growth of its construction and engineering portfolio in India.

Read the full story here.

10. AIG appoints interim CEO, general manager for Australia

AIG Australia has hired Claudio Saita as interim CEO and general manager, following the departure of former CEO Kathleen Warden in April.

Sydney-based Saita will report to the AIG APAC regional president, Scott Leney, and the board of AIG Australia.

Read the full story here.

11. Aviso Specialty hires trade credit head

Australian broker Aviso Specialty has appointed Kerin Rathgeber as its head of trade credit.

Based in Melbourne, Rathgeber joins the Envest-backed firm from GSA Insurance Brokers, where she had served as business development manager.

Read the full story here. 

12. WTW-backed Zest Insurance names new head

Zest Insurance, the digital insurance platform launched by WTW to target small and medium enterprises in Australia, has appointed Natasha Golden as its new head.

Melbourne-based Golden brings extensive experience working with businesses across construction and trades, engineering, accounting, and medical and allied health sectors, and was most recently the head of professions for finex at WTW, where she joined in January 2025.

Read the full story here.

13. Markel appoints senior casualty underwriter in Malaysia

Global specialty insurer Markel has appointed Weng Fatt Tan as a senior underwriter for casualty.

Kuala Lumpur-based Tan has over 10 years of insurance experience, most recently as head of liability at Berjaya Sompo Insurance, where he worked for less than a year.

Read the full story here.

14. Echo Re taps lead for Gift City business

Zurich-based reinsurer Echo Re has appointed Ankur Sharma as the principal officer of its Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (Gift City) operations.

Sharma joins Echo Re from Swiss Re, where he was most recently vice president and had worked in different roles in the Mumbai and Bangalore offices for nearly 10 years.

Read the full story here.

15. Vero Insurance New Zealand hires Chloe Donnelly as marine underwriter

Suncorp-owned Kiwi general insurer Vero has appointed Chloe Donnelly as a marine underwriter.

Auckland-based Donnelly joins from Aon, where she spent four years as a marine account executive.

Read the full story here.

16. Willis appoints senior director for workplace risk

Willis has appointed Gary McMullen as senior director of workplace risk.

Brisbane-based McMullen joins Willis in the newly-created role following a near 10-year tenure as director of workplace risk at Aon.

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.

MORE FROM: People Moves of the Week
Partner Content
Join the mailing list Designed to help you stay ahead, our daily newsletter provides a round-up of the latest news and insights, delivered straight to your inbox.
Print Edition
Subscribe to receive our quarterly print magazine.