As part of its expansion drive for 2015, MENA Insurance CEO Club (MICC) welcomes two new members: Mr Julio Garcia-Villalon, Regional Head, Middle East & Africa of MetLife; and Mr Ahmad Idris, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company (ADNIC); bringing the total membership to 21.
Mr Villalon was appointed to his current position in 2012. Prior to assuming this position, he was General Manager of MetLife Spain and Distribution Director of Wealth Management in Western Europe. Mr Villalon joined Alico in 2003, assuming the position of General Manager of Alico Spain. In 2006, he was appointed General Manager of both Alico Spain and Alico Portugal.
Mr Idris, who took over former MICC Member Walid Sidani as CEO of ADNIC, has extensive management and leadership experience, with a 36-year experience in the insurance industry. Prior to assuming his current role, he served as CEO of Insurance House, though he had worked for more than 20 years in ADNIC where he was also Deputy CEO. He began his career at Kuwait Insurance Company in 1977.
Mr Sidani, who stepped down as CEO of ADNIC in December 2014, has resigned from the Club. The Club is grateful to Mr Sidani for his active contribution to the Club for more than four years.
The MICC was set up in 2010 as a by-invitation-only Club by pro-active leaders in the industry, with the vision to become the mouthpiece of and think tank for the MENA insurance industry. It has achieved several milestones and firsts and is set to launch a Public Insurance Forum this year to mark its fifth Anniversary.
The Club is led by the Steering Committee consisting of Dr Bassel Hindawi, immediate past Insurance Commissioner of Jordan; Mr Yassir Albaharna, CEO of Arig; and Mr Sivam Subramaniam, Editor-in-Chief of Middle East Insurance Review & Asia Insurance Review.
Its members now include:
• Mr Ahmad Idris, Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company, UAE;
• Mr Brian Reilly, Zurich Insurance Company, UAE;
• Mr Christian Vogel, Gulf Reinsurance Ltd, UAE;
• Mr Elie Nasnas, AXA Middle East SAL, Lebanon;
• Mr Fahad Al-Hesni, Saudi Reinsurance Company, Saudi Arabia;
• Mr Farid Chedid, SEIB Insurance & Reinsurance Company, Qatar;
• Mr Fateh Bekdache, AROPE Insurance, Lebanon;
• Mr Imad Abdel Khaleq, Jordan Insurance Company, Jordan;
• Mr Julio Garcia-Villalon, Regional Head, Middle East and Africa, MetLife;
• Mrs Lamia Ben Mahmoud, Société Tunisienne de Réassurance, Tunisia;
• Mr Mahomed Akoob, Hannover ReTakaful, Bahrain;
• Dr Michael Bitzer, National Health Insurance Company – Daman, UAE;
• Mr Michael Jensen, AIG, UAE;
• Mr Mohamed Larbi Nali, Société Centrale de Réassurance, Morocco;
• Mr Nagib M Bahous, MIG Holding, Bahrain;
• Mr Patrick Choffel, Oman Insurance Company, UAE;
• Mr Ronald Chidiac, Arab Reinsurance Company, Lebanon; and
• Mr Tarek A Hayel Saeed, United Insurance Company, Yemen.
The MICC’s secretariat services are provided by Middle East Insurance Review.