Swiss Re unveils swathe of key appointments in Asia

Swiss Re has made four key appointments to strengthen its leadership team in the Asia Pacific region, adding to the executive bench strength to support its regional expansion.

Anna Lee has been appointed head of new business development, property & casualty (P&C) for Southeast Asia, India, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan (SID). Based out of Hong Kong, Lee will drive deal origination and business growth in the region, reporting directly to Victor Kuk, Swiss Re's head of P&C reinsurance, SID.

Lee’s career at Swiss Re has spanned over 17 years to date, involving senior positions such as the global reinsurer’s head of P&C Reinsurance for Hong Kong and Taiwan and, most recently, as the head of business services, Asia (including ANZ).

Simon Herbert has joined Swiss Re as its new head of casualty underwriting for SID. He replaces Siew Choi Yau, who has assumed the role of head of P&C solutions APAC since January 2020.

Herbert brings with him 25 years of industry experience and has held leadership roles across a diverse range of companies, portfolios and markets within the Asia-Pacific region. He was most recently the chief underwriting officer of AmGeneral Insurance, a joint venture between IAG and Ambank that is one of Malaysia's largest motor insurers. Between 2011 and 2016, he held the same role in IAG's associated companies in Indonesia and India.

Ronnie Tong has also assumed the role of head of P&C facultative Asia.

Tong was most recently the chief underwriting officer for facultative and specialty at Asia Capital Re Group (ACR). He has also held several leadership roles in AXA, Zurich Insurance and AIG, based in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing and Australia.

In the life and health (L&H) unit, Li Hui Lee will assume the role of Asia underwriting propositions lead. Based in Singapore, Hui Lee will join Swiss Re’s global underwriting propositions leads to draw on the group’s broad expertise and global insights to refine client offerings and core services in relation to automation, data insights, technology advancement, partnerships and the latest research and development.

Hui Lee joined Swiss Re’s regional L&H solutions team in 2015 and has over 15 years of experience in business development, product development and marketing across insurance and healthcare industries. Swiss Re said she has been a key driver of the firm’s pipeline of first-in-market solutions, including the Vitana blockchain health parametric product in Singapore and the Bao Wan Bettercare diabetes product with dynamic pricing and health management components in Thailand.

Sharon Ooi, managing director, head P&C underwriting, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, said: “Along with our recent key appointments to our senior leadership team, Simon and Ronnie’s addition reflects Swiss Re’s deep management bench strength. Simon’s wealth of industry knowledge across underwriting and reinsurance functions, as well as product development and portfolio and people management, will be a critical growth driver for our Casualty business across the growing region comprising SEA, India, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Ronnie is a highly regarded leader in the non-life insurance industry, with a proven track record in underwriting and strategic management. With his extensive network and technical experience, I am confident that he will be instrumental in enabling our clients and booking partners to seize new opportunities and drive facultative business growth across Asia Pacific.”

Jolee Crosby, head global life & health underwriting & medical reinsurance, life & health products, said: “In her five years at Swiss Re, Li Hui has successfully spearheaded, launched and executed numerous first-in-market innovations in multiple markets across Asia. We’re excited to have Li Hui take up the mantle in the region. Li Hui will join counterparts John Turner in EMEA and Nichole Myers in the Americas, who form a strong global team of Underwriting Propositions Leads. Their coordination and support further strengthens our ability to help insurers worldwide transform and adapt to the future of underwriting, especially as we tap into new forms of technology, data, distribution and risk selection methodology.”

Victor Kuk commented: “Anna has been a tremendous asset to our global team and her long standing career at Swiss Re over the past 17 years has contributed enormously to our growth across the region. I am confident that her proven track record and deep institutional knowledge will continue to provide strong strategic guidance to the growth of our P&C business in SID.”