How long have you been associated with IUMI?

I have been involved with IUMI actively as a committee member since 2017 and it has been a very rewarding participation.

 

What is your IUMI role today and what does it involve?

I am the Chair of IUMI’s Ocean Hull Committee, having taken over the helm from Mark Edmondson in September 2018 during the IUMI Annual Conference in South Africa. The role of this committee is to support the work of IUMI, drawing on the knowledge and experiences of all our committee members, and to highlight the issues and risk trends that impact hull marine insurance. We strive to raise awareness of these issues and to help IUMI’s Policy Forum lobby where necessary and appropriate.

 

And what is your day job?

I am the Head of Marine, and Asia lead for hull and liability for QBE Insurance (Singapore).

 

What benefits do you get from being associated with IUMI? 

IUMI is an established organisation that is well known to all marine underwriters globally. The benefits include being able to steer the thought leadership in our evolving risk landscape and it helps my passion, which is to educate and train the next generations of marine underwriters.

 

If you could change anything at IUMI what would it be?

The role of IUMI has changed very positively in the last five years with increased active participation from many stakeholders. But I think that the organisation’s viability depends on this being dialed up even further with more engagement from stakeholders across the wider maritime industry, such as asset owners and oil majors.

 

How did you reach your current position in marine insurance?

Simply put, through hard work and a little luck. I began my career at sea as a cadet, sailing with Neptune Orient Lines Singapore for eight years, where I worked my way up to become a chief engineer before coming ashore to work as a surveyor.

I worked as a marine surveyor for 13 years before joining Swiss Re as a marine insurance underwriter – a completely new ball game with a steep learning curve. Since joining the marine insurance industry, I am pleased to have remained put, taking on a variety of roles within the sector. I believe in pushing yourself to constantly learn and use all your experiences to provide a better service to customers as well as to educate the new generation of marine insurers.

 

And what do you do away from the office?

A big part of my life has been in the maritime industry and I am involved with many associations in this sector. As a result, apart from being with my family (and my wife has more sea time than many of the underwriters in our industry!), I am actively involved in the social and community work around the Singapore based maritime industry.