IRM welcomes new CEO
The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) has appointed Mr Ian Livsey as the new CEO. One of his priorities will be to raise awareness of IRM’s professional standards for members and champion its new certification scheme.
Mr Livsey previously held Chief Executive positions at the Gangmaster Licensing Authority, the Centre for Rail Skills and the Guidance Accreditation Board.
He has also held a number of Chairman roles. These include the Government’s TrustMark organisation, which accredits trades; the Centre for Rail Skills, which sets national occupational standards for traction and stock maintenance; Summitskills, which defines standards for the building services engineering (BSE) sector; and charity JTL, which provides advanced apprenticeships and training to the building services sector.
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions names Head of Claims EMEA
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions has named Mr Ole Nyborg as Head of Claims for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Mr Nyborg will be responsible, in this Managing Director role, for all regional claims matters. He will be based in the Swiss Re office in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mr Nyborg has held leadership roles in insurance for more than 25 years. He joins Swiss Re Corporate Solutions from Vestas A/S, a Danish wind-turbine company where he was Head of Group Risk Management. Previously, Mr Nyborg filled senior positions in claims management at AIG and RSA.
Mr Alaa El-Zoheiry resigns as GAIF President
Mr Alaa El-Zoheiry has resigned as President of the General Arab Insurance Federation (GAIF) before the expiry of his present term, due to changes in the by-laws of the Insurance Federation of Egypt (IFE) concerning Egypt’s representation at GAIF.
Mr El-Zoheiry, who is also the Managing Director of Arab Misr Insurance Group (gig), took over as President last September as the representative of the Egyptian market at GAIF’s Council. He was supposed to hold the position until the upcoming GAIF General Conference in 2016 in Lebanon.
A statement, which Middle East Insurance Review received a copy of, stated that Mr El-Zoheiry’s resignation is tied to new rules issued by IFE. In its last meeting, IFE’s Board decided that for any member to be nominated as Egypt’s representative in GAIF Council should not hold this position for more than two executive terms. Mr El-Zoheiry has held this position for two terms at least, before becoming GAIF President. “Therefore, another colleague will hold this position as representative of the Egyptian market,” said Mr El-Zoheiry in the statement. His resignation took effect on 22 February 2015.
Established in Cairo in 1964, GAIF’s Council consists of 19 members including the President, representing the Arab insurance markets.
TT Club appoints EMEA Director
TT Club has appointed Mr Kevin King as Regional Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), replacing long-serving TT executive Andrew Kemp, who has joined the UK P&I Club.
Based in London, Mr King will be responsible for overseeing member service and business development across EMEA for the insurer.
Mr King is a qualified US attorney, having joined Thomas Miller in 1996, and has worked across both the TT Club and UK P&I Club operations in their New Jersey, San Francisco and former Houston offices. He joined Thomas Miller’s Americas regional headquarters in New Jersey in 2006 managing the UK P&I Club’s Americas regional claims team and the claims performance of the TT Club’s North American Chassis programme.
ACE creates new role for Eurasia and Africa
ACE Group has appointed Mr David Fedarb to the new role of Head of Travel Insurance for Eurasia and Africa. Based in Dubai, he will be reporting to Mr Giles Ward, Regional President for ACE in Eurasia & Africa and Mr José Luis Gomez, Regional Head of Travel for ACE in EMEA.
In his new role, Mr Fedarb will be responsible for the strategy and the profitable growth of ACE’s travel insurance portfolio across Eurasia and Africa, focussing on product and business development, establishing new partnerships with the travel industry, and managing and expanding the company’s distribution channels.
Mr Fedarb has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, including 12 in the international travel sector, six of them at ACE. Most recently, he was Head of Travel Insurance for ACE in South East Asia. Before joining ACE, he held management positions at several global insurance companies in Asia. His appointment is effective immediately.
Eurasia and Africa represents ACE’s newest regional business unit, established in 2014 and comprising ACE’s operations across the Middle East, Russia, South Africa and Turkey. The appointment reflects forecasts that the Middle East and Africa will become two of the world’s top three growth areas for airline travel by 2017.
Leadership changes at Tokio Marine Group
Tokio Marine Group has announced that Mr Ajmal Bhatty will assume the role of CEO for Tokio Marine’s regional office at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and Mr Jun Hemmi will be appointed as CEO of Alinma Tokio Marine Company (ATMC) in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Bhatty was the CEO of ATMC since the start of the company’s operations in 2012. Prior to that, he was the CEO of the Tokio Marine’s regional office in the DIFC. He will be responsible for guiding Tokio Marine’s growth in the MENA region, which at present has operations across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. He will also be responsible for new growth opportunities for the Group in the region.
Mr Hemmi has more than 31 years of experience with the Tokio Marine Group, and has set up and successfully grown both life and general insurance companies as CEO or Executive Director in previous assignments. His experience with life insurance is expected to be a strategic advantage as the company looks to set up its life business.
Mr Hemmi also has extensive experience in takaful, having established Hong Leong Tokio Marine Takaful in Malaysia. He was also a Board member of Tokio Marine Retakaful. He has worked across multiple geographies including Saudi Arabia with the Tokio Marine Group, and has also held senior leadership roles in Tokio Marine’s corporate functions. He will be responsible for growing ATMC as the company enters its fourth year of operations.
RFIB names Head of Medical Reinsurance Middle East
Lloyd’s insurance and reinsurance broker RFIB Group has appointed Mr Wolfgang Petz as Head of Medical Reinsurance for the Middle East. He takes up his position with immediate effect, reporting to Mr Martin Pyrke, Deputy Senior Executive Officer in RFIB’s Dubai office.
Mr Petz brings over 25 years of medical insurance and reinsurance experience to RFIB and has worked for over a decade in senior positions in the Middle East. He joins from Munich Health, Munich Re’s global medical reinsurance arm.
During his time with Munich Health, where he was latterly responsible for underwriting medical business in Saudi Arabia, Mr Petz obtained a deep understanding of the medical insurance and reinsurance requirements of insurers around the globe and especially in the Middle East.
Malaysia: AIA makes appointments to strengthen takaful business
AIA Bhd has made two key appointments to its Executive Committee to further strengthen its takaful business and life planner distribution channel.
Mr Elmie Aman Najas has been appointed as CEO of AIA PUBLIC Takaful (AIA PUBLIC) effective 15 January 2015, while Mr Kelvin Ang has joined as AIA Bhd’s National Chief Agency Officer, beginning 1 February 2015.
Mr Elmie will play a key role in driving AIA PUBLIC’s product development strategy to ensure alignment with the company’s multi-channel distribution approach. Mr Elmie, who has close to 20 years of experience in insurance, was Chief Agency Officer of AIA Bhd’s Central region. In that role, he gained experience in distribution channel management and strategic planning as he helped to drive AIA’s business goals in the takaful space through the company’s life planner force.
Mr Elmie joined AIA in 2011 as Head of Operations & Partnership for the former AIA-AFG Takaful Bhd (AATB). He was subsequently appointed Head of Channel Management of AIA PUBLIC, where he played a critical role in ensuring the successful integration of the two entities’ multi-channel distribution lines following the integration of AIA’s businesses in Malaysia in 2013.
Mr Ang will be responsible for driving AIA’s Premier Agency strategy in Malaysia, focussing on the recruitment of full-time life planners. AIA’s recruitment agenda over the past two years has centred on attracting young adults, including those from the Malay segment, to boost sales productivity and unlock the growth potential of family takaful in Malaysia.
Mr Ang brings a wealth of experience gained during his 17-year tenure with the AIA Group. His most recent role was with AIA China, where he served as the Chief Agency Officer since 2013. He has also served in various senior agency management and agency distribution roles in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Vietnam. Prior to joining AIA, Mr Ang acquired some 10 years’ of experience in sales management and marketing within the banking, telecommunication and automobile distribution industries.