Executive Personnel Changes and high-ranking placements, dated June 23, 2025

Executive Personnel Changes and high-ranking placements, dated June 23, 2025

In the dynamic world of insurance and reinsurance, senior appointments and leadership changes are shaping the landscape in Asia. Here are some of the key developments that have taken place in mid-2025:

MetLife Investment Management (MIM) has appointed Brian Funk as its president. Funk, who previously served as interim president and global head of Private Capital for MIM, will be responsible for delivering investment performance and client growth to expand MIM's $616.9 billion in total assets under management (AUM).

In another significant appointment, Price Forbes has named Suvimol Sathanart as head of property, Asia. Sathanart, who brings more than 20 years of non-life insurance experience, will be based in Singapore and will report to chief broking officer Julian Coates. She will be responsible for the growth and development of Price Forbes' Asia-Pacific property business.

At Aon, several key appointments have been made to strengthen the company's presence in Asia. Tom Greenaway has been appointed Asia Strategic Growth Leader for Reinsurance, strengthening the Korean team. SP Hong has been appointed President for Korea, Reinsurance, while Jay Choi has been appointed Director of Korea for Reinsurance. Alfonso Valera, who has also been appointed CEO of International Reinsurance covering UK, EMEA, and APAC, and Steve Hofmann, who was named CEO of Americas for Reinsurance, are other notable appointments.

AXA Global Healthcare has appointed James Swatton as Senior Distribution Leader in Hong Kong, reinforcing the company’s commitment in Asia.

Tokio Marine Kiln (TMK) has named Alexandros Ampatzis as Head of Marine for Asia-Pacific, effective November 1, 2024.

FWD Group (Malaysia) has appointed Aman Chowla as CEO for FWD Takaful and Mak See Sen as CEO for FWD Insurance Berhad, both effective November 18, 2024.

Markel International has appointed Jasminder Kaur as Country Head for Malaysia, tasked with driving local business growth and underwriting capabilities in Malaysia and coordinating with their Singapore regional team.

Chubb has appointed Tim Benson as Executive VP, Multinational Insurance Leader for North America, impacting global strategy but not specifically Asia-specific. AXA XL Reinsurance has named Greg Schiffer as CEO for North America Reinsurance.

Fusion Specialty has appointed Alfonso Valera as CEO International covering UK, EMEA, and APAC, and Tomas Novotny as Chairman of International.

Other notable appointments include Paul Turner as Chief Executive Officer of the National House Building Council, effective September 1, 2025. Spectrum.Life has appointed Dr. Rizwan Khalid as its new Medical Director. Kennedys has appointed Tracy Watkinson as its inaugural Chief Operating Officer (COO). Barnett Waddingham has strengthened its bulk annuities team with the appointment of Oliver Ward as Principal and Risk Transfer Actuary.

In the financial services sector, Health Shield Friendly Society has appointed Graham Berville as the new chair of the board, who brings with him 40 years of experience. Arch Insurance UK has promoted Mark McGrady to Liability Underwriting Manager, effective immediately.

At Chubb, Elizabeth Geary has been appointed as President & CEO of North America P&C, effective June 30, 2025. Apollo has appointed Steve Portman as head of energy, effective June 2025. Steve brings 24 years of experience working in upstream and midstream energy insurance.

These appointments reflect a focus on strengthening leadership in key Asian markets such as Korea, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, and underscore an expansion of reinsurance and specialty insurance capabilities across the region. Several notable executives have been positioned to lead regional growth, underwriting, and strategic initiatives to enhance market presence and client services in Asia-Pacific.

[1] Source: Aon's official press release [2] Source: Insurance Business Asia [3] Source: Markel International's official press release [4] Source: Fusion Specialty's official press release [5] Source: Global Reinsurance's article on Aon's appointments

1. The insurance and reinsurance industry in Asia is witnessing significant leadership changes, as evidenced by appointments like Brian Funk's as president of MetLife Investment Management (MIM) and Suvimol Sathanart's as head of property, Asia at Price Forbes.
2. Innovation and underwriting capabilities are being strengthened in Asia, with Aon making key appointments such as Tom Greenaway as Asia Strategic Growth Leader for Reinsurance and Alfonso Valera as CEO of International Reinsurance, covering UK, EMEA, and APAC.
3. Specialty insurance and events sectors are also seeing changes, with AXA Global Healthcare appointing James Swatton as Senior Distribution Leader in Hong Kong and Tokio Marine Kiln naming Alexandros Ampatzis as Head of Marine for Asia-Pacific.
4. Financially, these appointments indicate a focus on business growth in key Asian markets like Malaysia, as seen in Markel International's appointment of Jasminder Kaur as Country Head for Malaysia. The industry is also showing a keen interest in reinsurance and strategic initiatives, as demonstrated by Fusion Specialty's appointment of Alfonso Valera as CEO International.

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