Canadian insurer Manulife has announced a series of changes to its leadership team in Asia as its regional chief prepares to become the global boss.
Manulife Asia has appointed Dr. Kah Siang Khoo as CEO of emerging markets, according to a statement. In the role, he will oversee Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines. He first joined Manulife in 2018.
Khoo will continue to serve as Singapore CEO until the role is succeeded by Benoit Meslet on June 1, pending regulatory approval. Meslet has over 20 years of leadership experience in Asia’s insurance industry. He joined Manulife in 2020 and is currently CEO of Japan.
Ryan Charland, who has been Indonesia CEO since 2019, will become Japan CEO, effective May 1. Lauren Sulistiawati has been appointed as the succeeding Indonesia CEO, starting February 24, pending regulatory approval. She joins from Commonwealth Bank and in the new role, she reports to Dr. Khoo.
Asia CFO
In addition, global controller and group chief accounting officer Adrienne O’Neill has been appointed Asia chief financial officer (CFO), reporting to global CFO Colin Simpson and Asia CEO Phil Witherington. O’Neill has been with Manulife for over 17 years and has held a variety of key finance roles.
As part of the changes, Asia CFO Michael Thomssen and head of emerging markets Sachin Shah will be leaving Manulife. The Asia senior leadership team will report to Witherington, incoming president and CEO of Manulife globally, effective May 9, 2025, until a successor to his current role as Asia chief has been announced.
