The Zurich-based global reinsurer has made appointments, effective September 2020, to strengthen its business in Asia Pacific.
Sharon Ooi will relocate to Sydney to become head of Australia and New Zealand, taking over from Mark Senkevics, the firm announced in a statement on Thursday.
Ooi, who has been with Swiss Re since 2006, is currently the firm's managing director, head of P&C underwriting APAC, based in Singapore. She also leads the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts across APAC, and will continue to do so from Sydney.
Role Swap
In turn, Senkevics will take over Ooi's current role and lead Swiss Re's APAC property and casualty (P&C) underwriting business from Sydney.
Mark Senkevics, incoming head of P&C underwriting APAC, Swiss Re
Senkevics (pictured above), who has been with the firm since 2003, has led Swiss Re in Australia and New Zealand across both the Life and Health (L&H) as well as the P&C businesses. He had previously held branch head roles in Taiwan and South Korea, and currently sits on the Board of the Insurance Council of Australia and is a committee member on the Life Board for the Financial Services Council.
Recovery Expected
Earlier this month, Swiss Re said in a report that it expects global life premiums to contract by 6 percent and non-life by 0.1 percent as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, it also said that global insurance premium volumes should recover to pre-crisis levels in 2021, led by China, as emerging markets will underpin global market strength with total premiums up 1 percent this year and 7 percent in 2021
