Great Eastern appoints Christopher Wei Group CEO

Wei’s wide range of experience in product development, bancassurance, marketing and branding, customer value management, strategy and risk management earned him the post.

Great Eastern Holdings Limited announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Mr Christopher Wei as its new Group CEO. Mr Wei, a Canadian Chinese, will be joining the company with effect from 10 February 2011, according to a Great Eastern report.

A highly respected figure in the insurance industry, he was most recently the Executive Vice President and Group Chief Marketing Officer of American International Assurance Company Limited (AIA), where he oversaw the largest group-wide re-branding exercise in AIA’s history across 14 markets in the Asia Pacific region. He was instrumental in developing new capabilities in research and business intelligence, customer value management and innovative product development. Mr Wei was also an important member of the IPO team that achieved the successful listing of AIA on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange recently.

Among his varied experiences in the industry, Mr Wei also held the position of Chief Executive Officer of AIG United Guaranty Insurance (Asia) Limited in Hong Kong. His previous experience in the insurance industry includes working at ING Canada Inc. and Allstate Insurance Company of Canada where he held various positions including Chief Risk Officer. Aside from risk management, Mr Wei was also involved in developing strategies for the companies he worked in.

Mr Wei graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto in 1991 where he completed a specialist programme in actuarial science. He is an associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Mr Wei said, “Great Eastern is a very reputable company with 102 years of history and heritage. I am very excited to be joining a market leader in Singapore and Malaysia with a well-established brand, diverse distribution platforms, broad product capabilities and most importantly, strong customer focus. I look forward to working closely with the Board and management team to make Great Eastern a formidable player in the industry and in the region.”

Mrs Fang Ai Lian, Chairman of Great Eastern Holdings, said, “My Directors and I are delighted to welcome Chris to the Great Eastern family. He has broad-based experience spanning product development, bancassurance, marketing and branding, customer value management as well as strategy and risk management. All these, coupled with his vast knowledge and experience in the Asia-Pacific, and his strong strategic leadership, position him well to further grow the Group’s business.

“I have no doubt Chris will work well with the current management team. Under his stewardship, I am confident the Group will be able to further cement our leadership position in Singapore and Malaysia and grow our regional footprint.”