Former SiriusPoint CEO Sid Sankaran appears at Asian insurer

Sid Sankaran (pictured), the former chief executive officer of SiriusPoint who made a  surprise exit from the Bermudian re/insurer mid last year, is to join a pan-Asian life insurer as managing director and group chief financial officer.

Sankaran, who was CEO of SiriusPoint from 2021 when it went public to 2022, will join FWD Group Holdings as a senior advisor from June 1 and take up his permanent roles effective September 1, subject to regulatory approvals.

Sankaran succeeds Jon Nielsen, who will be pursuing a career opportunity in North America. Nielsen has committed to remain with FWD Group until August 31, 2023, including through its half-year results.

Sankaran serves on the board of directors at health insurance company Oscar Health, where he is acting as interim CFO.

He was chairman and CEO of SiriusPoint from the company's inception and listing in 2021 until May 2022, having served as the chairman of the board of directors of Third Point Reinsurance during its acquisition of Sirius Group.

Earlier in his career, Sankaran worked from 2010 until 2018 at American International Group (AIG), first as chief risk officer and later as chief financial officer. He was a key member of the executive team that led AIG through its restructuring from government support and re-IPO as an independent company.

Huynh Thanh Phong, chief executive officer of FWD Group, said: "We're very pleased to welcome Sid's leadership for the next stage in FWD's development as we cross our 10th anniversary year. Sid's extensive public company CFO, global insurance industry and listed company board experience will be a fantastic addition to our group executive team."

Sankaran said: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining a life insurance company and team that's successfully positioned itself at the heart of the middle-class growth story in Asia. FWD rapidly gained scale and demonstrated the resilience of its differentiated business model during the pandemic years. The company is operating in the most dynamic region in the world for digitally-enabled financial services."

Did you get value from this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.