The U.K.-headquartered specialist insurer has appointed four underwriters to boost specialty lines and M&A capabilities at its Asia Pacific underwriting hub.
To support ongoing growth in the region, Beazley is adding Dindson Phua and Mike Lu to its international financial lines team, adding Reeta Ambaram to its specialty treaty team, and relocating Jordan Schwarz to its Singapore office as part of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) underwriting team, the company announced on Tuesday.
Phua, who joins from Asia Capital Reinsurance Group, brings a wealth of experience in the medical malpractice and professional indemnity sector, while Lu, with 12 years of insurance industry experience across North Asia, joins from Swiss Re where he spent six years. The two will be responsible for underwriting Beazley’s full suite of specialty lines products, including directors and officers (D&O), professional indemnity, financial institutions and cyber as well as healthcare liability. They will report to Nicholas Tey, international financial lines manager for Asia Pacific.
Ambaram, with more than 20 years of credit and surety experience, was most recently head of surety (Singapore & Hong Kong) at Zurich Insurance, and prior to that was based in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she led the bonds and guarantee business at Santam Insurance. Her new role will span specialty and surety reinsurance and she will lead the Beazley Product Solutions offering for the region, reporting to Thomas Moore, global head of specialty surety.
Schwarz joined Beazley in 2015 and moved into the M&A team in 2018, underwriting M&A risks across the U.K., Europe, U.S. and Asia markets. He moves from the firm's London office to strengthen the M&A team and meet the growing demand for the product across APAC. He will report to Jade Cummings.
Growing Capabilities
Since unveiling its growth strategy in October 2019, which centers on increasing its local underwriting presence and developing new products, the firm's regional underwriting team has grown by more than 40 percent, the company said.
«Attracting and developing talent remains as important as ever during this pandemic as we look to grow and enhance our offering for clients across the region,» Lucien Mounier, Beazley’s head of Asia Pacific, said about the new appointments.
Beazley launched its Virtual Care in Asia in July, providing comprehensive insurance protection against risks associated with technology-enabled healthcare and wellness services. It also announced the authorization of a new Labuan-based service company in April, and in February, launched myBeazley, an online e-trading platform that gives brokers in Hong Kong and Singapore access to Beazley’s management liability and cyber product suites.
