Role Purpose: The Head of Underwriting Governance is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and governing the underwriting principles, rules, and authority frameworks that support sound commercial insurance decision-making across the APAC region. This role ensures consistent communication and alignment between regional and local stakeholders, and drives efficient, high-integrity underwriting practices through the facilitation of the Underwriting Committee and related governance forums. The successful candidate will ensure that underwriting decisions are made in a timely, informed, and aligned manner—anchored by data, supported by clear guidelines, and reinforced by effective reinsurance and audit mechanisms. The role also develops and executes long-term strategic initiatives to drive growth, profitability, and market share across commercial lines, aligning with corporate objectives and regulatory requirements. Finally, it leads Business Reviews to ensure entities are on track to achieve targets in a controlled and compliant way, with practical and impactful recommendations, to be followed up post-review.
Key Responsibilities: 1. Underwriting Governance & Oversight Own and maintain the underwriting governance framework across the APAC region, including rules, guidelines, and principles. Develop and issue Letters of Authority (LoAs) in accordance with role-based capabilities and market risk appetite. Ensure frameworks are regularly reviewed and updated in response to emerging risks, regulatory changes, and business needs.
2. Underwriting Committee Leadership Secretary of the APAC Underwriting Committee: driving timely, high-quality decision-making. Design and enforce standardised pre-read, data submission, and escalation protocols to support committee efficiency. Ensure committee decisions are appropriately recorded, communicated, and monitored for implementation.
3. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication Act as the primary bridge between local markets and regional governance, ensuring consistent and context-sensitive communication. Translate complex technical, regulatory, or policy requirements into clear, actionable guidance. Build trusted relationships with underwriters, market heads, and compliance leaders across multiple jurisdictions.
4. Business Reviews & Continuous Improvement Leads Business Reviews for underwriting, ensuring adherence to policies and identification of systemic risks or gaps. Collaborate with Risk and Compliance teams to align underwriting practice with internal controls and external expectations. Support remediation efforts and knowledge transfer to close identified gaps.
5. Reinsurance & Technical Integration Work closely with Ceded Reinsurance team to ensure underwriting standards align with treaty obligations and facultative support. Provide technical insight into product development and pricing discussions where governance implications exist.
6. Strategic Initiatives and Business Planning Coordinates Commercial Lines-specific Business Planning deliverables for APAC Develop and execute long-term strategic initiatives to drive growth, profitability, and market share across commercial lines, aligning with corporate objectives and regulatory requirements. Analyze market trends, competitive positioning, and portfolio performance to identify opportunities for product innovation, pricing optimization, and risk management strategies.
Key Performance Indicators: Reduction in turnaround time for Underwriting Committee decisions. Increase in guideline and authority compliance rates across markets. Positive stakeholder feedback on communication clarity and responsiveness. Audit outcomes and remediation timeframes. Improvement in data completeness and quality for underwriting governance. Self-sufficiency in role execution with minimal need for Head of Commercial intervention.
Key Requirements: Technical Experience & Skills Minimum 10 years’ experience in insurance industry, including underwriting, strategy or governance roles. Proven leadership of underwriting committees, frameworks, or cross-market governance initiatives. Strong familiarity with APAC market dynamics and regulatory environments.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to distill complex information into concise, actionable guidance. Experience navigating between regional and local business units with diplomacy and authority. Demonstrated ability to influence without overexplaining or delaying decision-making.
Leadership Attributes Highly self-directed, with a bias for action and clarity. Strong judgment and maturity in handling sensitive decisions and stakeholder dynamics. Demonstrates both high standards and pragmatic adaptability.
Working Style: Expected regular travel across APAC entities as needed. Must be comfortable operating with minimal supervision while managing a function critical to business integrity.
