Markel International, part of Markel Group Inc, has named Sucheng Chang as managing director for its Asia-Pacific operations, effective July 14.
Based in Singapore, Chang will lead regional operations spanning Australia, Hong Kong, mainland China, India, Malaysia, and Dubai.
Chang will be responsible for steering the insurer’s regional strategic plans, including business development, underwriting direction, and broker relationships.
His appointment comes as Markel advances its multi-year initiative to scale operations across Asia, with investments made under its Accelerate Asia-Pacific programme.
Since the strategy’s introduction in 2019, the company reports a sixfold increase in gross written premiums and significant improvements in underwriting results. Staffing levels across the region have also tripled during the same period.
Chang takes over from Christian Stobbs, who remains with Markel in a different role outside the Asia-Pacific remit.
Markel International president Andrew McMellin said Chang’s experience aligns with the insurer’s regional ambitions.
“Sucheng is a highly strategic and well-respected leader within the Asia-Pacific market, and I’m thrilled that he’s joining Markel to lead our regional business in the next phase of its development. The Accelerate Asia-Pacific strategy is a cornerstone of the profitable growth agenda at Markel International. I’ve no doubt that Sucheng’s leadership qualities and his significant experience of scaling insurance operations in Asia will help us to build on this momentum as we push it forward to even greater success,” he said.
Prior to joining Markel, Chang served as chief executive of Aon’s Hong Kong office. He has also held senior leadership roles at Liberty Mutual, including chief distribution officer for Global Retail Markets East and CEO of Liberty Insurance Singapore.
Chang holds an MBA from Yale University and a bachelor's degree from Boston University.
Chang said he is focused on building on the insurer’s foundation in Asia-Pacific.
“I couldn’t be more excited to lead the next phase of the expansion of Markel’s Asia-Pacific business, building on the progress that’s been made to expand our presence even further and take advantage of the opportunities available in the US$300-billion GWP Asia-Pacific insurance market,” he said.
The appointment follows the creation of a new executive position to lead broker engagement in the region.
In January, Markel appointed Jack Taylor as executive for distribution strategies and business development. He is based in Singapore and collaborates with Markel’s underwriting and territory leadership teams to enhance broker connectivity and product delivery.
Taylor reports to Stobbs and is tasked with supporting Markel’s specialty proposition in Asia-Pacific.
He was previously with Zurich Insurance, holding positions in both Singapore and London across underwriting and business development functions.
