Market Head SEAN

About the Team

Are you an experienced reinsurance leader with a passion for developing client franchises, shaping market strategy and leading high-performing teams? Do you thrive at the intersection of business development, client engagement, regulatory stewardship and people leadership?

As Head of SRAL Malaysia Branch, you will play a pivotal role in advancing Swiss Re's Conventional and Retakaful business across Malaysia and selected Southeast Asian markets. This is a highly visible leadership position with accountability for business growth, underwriting, client relationships, branch governance, regulatory engagement and talent development.

As the designated Branch Head, you will serve as Swiss Re's primary representative with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), ensuring sound governance, regulatory compliance and operational resilience while driving commercial success and strengthening Swiss Re's position as a trusted risk knowledge partner in the market.

You will be a key member of the SID leadership community, contributing market insights and strategic direction to support Swiss Re's broader ambitions across the region.

About the Role

Business Strategy, Underwriting and Market Development

• Shape client and market strategies by identifying emerging opportunities, client priorities and industry developments, and translating these into business development initiatives and key account strategies.

• Provide strategic underwriting leadership for Conventional and Retakaful portfolio in Malaysia and selected Southeast Asian markets, aligning underwriting priorities with client strategy, market opportunities and business objectives.

• Drive profitable and sustainable portfolio growth, balancing disciplined risk selection, underwriting quality and portfolio performance.
• Provide senior underwriting judgement on significant, complex or strategic business opportunities, ensuring adherence to underwriting standards, authorities and governance frameworks.

• Contribute to the development and execution of SID's broader business strategy, bringing market and underwriting perspectives as part of the leadership community.

Client Leadership and Market Representation

• Build and strengthen strategic relationships with clients, brokers, regulators and industry stakeholders across the region.

• Position Swiss Re as a leading risk knowledge partner and reinsurance provider through deep client engagement, innovative solutions and market thought leadership

• Represent Swiss Re externally at industry forums, market events and professional associations, strengthening Swiss Re's brand, expertise and reputation in Malaysia and the broader region.

Branch Leadership & Regulatory Stewardship

• Lead the overall management of SRAL Malaysia Branch, ensuring effective execution of business objectives and sustainable business performance.

• Act as the primary liaison with BNM, maintaining constructive relationships and ensuring compliance with applicable legal, regulatory and governance requirements.

• Chair and lead the Branch Management Committee (BMC), fostering collaboration, accountability and alignment across Branch leadership.

• Promote a strong culture of governance, risk ownership and operational resilience, driving continuous improvement in operational effectiveness and execution across the Branch.

People Leadership and Talent Development

• Lead, develop and inspire a diverse and high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion and engagement where people can thrive and realise their full potential.

• Champion talent development and continuous learning, encouraging innovation, knowledge-sharing and growth across teams and functions.

• Harness the collective expertise of the BMC and wider leadership community to strengthen collaboration and advance Branch and SID objectives.

About You

We are looking for an inspiring and commercially minded leader with deep insurance or reinsurance expertise and a genuine passion for clients, markets and people. You combine strong knowledge of Conventional Reinsurance and Retakaful with sound underwriting expertise, enabling you to balance growth opportunities with disciplined risk selection and sustainable portfolio performance.

You lead by example, embody Swiss Re's values and bring a collaborative, inclusive and growth-oriented approach to leadership. Comfortable navigating complexity and change, you balance commercial ambition with regulatory and governance requirements while creating sustainable value for clients and Swiss Re.

You have a strong track record of shaping market strategy, developing high-performing teams and leading through influence. Curious, resilient and forward-looking, you embrace innovation and change and inspire others to perform at their best.

We are looking for candidates who meet these requirements: 

• Deep market expertise in the insurance or reinsurance industry across Malaysia and Southeast Asia, with a strong understanding of Conventional Reinsurance, Retakaful business, underwriting principles and portfolio management.

• Proven track record of driving profitable growth through market development, client engagement and the execution of successful commercial strategies.

• Strong decision-making capabilities, with the ability to navigate complex business and regulatory environments while balancing growth opportunities with effective risk management and governance.

• Executive-level stakeholder engagement experience, with the credibility to represent Swiss Re with senior clients, brokers, regulators and industry bodies.

• Proven leadership capability, including experience leading and developing high-performing teams, aligning talent with strategic priorities and inspiring transformation. 

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and drive collaboration across functions, geographies and levels of seniority.

About Swiss Re

Swiss Re is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. We anticipate and manage a wide variety of risks, from natural catastrophes and climate change to cybercrime. Combining experience with creative thinking and cutting-edge expertise, we create new opportunities and solutions for our clients. This is possible thanks to the collaboration of more than 15,000 employees across the world.

Our success depends on our ability to build an inclusive culture encouraging fresh perspectives and innovative thinking. We embrace a workplace where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive and develop professionally regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, skillset, thought or other characteristics. In our inclusive and flexible environment everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and their passion for sustainability.

If you are an experienced professional returning to the workforce after a career break, we encourage you to apply for open positions that match your skills and experience.

We may use AI-powered tools to support the review and evaluation of applications for this position. These tools provide additional insights to our recruitment teams, but all hiring decisions are carefully reviewed and made by people. To learn more about how we use AI in recruitment and how we handle your personal data, please review our Data Privacy Statement before applying.