Articles by Andrew Tjaardstra
AIR appoints COO
Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has appointed Bill Churney to the position of chief operating officer.
Q+A: Terence Cheung, head of claims, Greater China, Munich Re
Insurance Insight finds out the views of one of the leading claims' professionals in the region.
Insurers stop new policies after New Zealand earthquake
Some insurance companies are refusing policies to new customers in central New Zealand after Sunday's 6.5 earthquake.
United India Insurance to open 530 more branches
India's second largest insurer plans to open 530 more offices across India by the end of the year.
Ace makes leadership changes in Asia-Pacific
Damien Sullivan is to be promoted from the president of Ace's Asia-Pacific region to chairman from 1 September.
Earthquake in New Zealand causes minor damage
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand on Monday morning shaking buildings including the Parliament building in Wellington.
Strong earthquake hits China's Gansu province
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake has struck near the town of Dingxi in Gansu province on Monday morning killing at least 75 people with over 400 injured.
Lum appointed to Beazley Asia-Pacific role
Beazley has internally filled its political risks and trade credit underwriter role for Asia-Pacific, appointing Michael Lum.
Chinese insurers to trade in government bond futures
The Chinese Insurance Regulatory Commission has given approval to insurers to trade in government bond futures.
IAG improves claims guidance
Insurance Australia Group is expecting a better claims performance for its current financial year than forecast.
AIA and Discovery in lifestyle venture
Discovery to introduce its 'wellness-based' life insurance model to AIA's customers in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fitch affirms QBE's ratings
Fitch Ratings has affirmed QBE's long-term issuer default rating at A, and its subsidiaries' insurer financial strength ratings at A+, both with a stable outlook.
SAP appoints Pitcher to senior Asia-Pacific role
Andrew Pitcher, an Accenture veteran, has been given a newly-created role of senior vice president and general manager of financial services for SAP Asia-Pacific and Japan.
Macau's insurers see profit surge
The Macau insurance industry saw profits of MOP509m ($74m) in 2012, nearly three times the profits in 2011.
HKFI responds to criticism from Consumer Council over travel insurance policies
The Hong Kong Federation of Insurers has welcomed a report by the Consumer Council into high-risk activities covered by travel insurance.
China government catastrophe guarantee 'needed urgently', says Munich Re
He Hua, a catastrophe consultant for Munich Re in China, has called for the industry to put more pressure on the government to introduce a public private partnership to help guarantee the payments of catastrophe claims, especially for large earthquakes.
Insurers' investment income 'dropping quickly'
Low interest rates are hitting insurers hard as bonds mature, and regulators are not keeping up with the new investment environment, said Michael Morrissey, president and CEO of the International Insurance Society.
Typhoon Soulik causes havoc in China
Almost 300 people are missing after heavy rains and wind in mainland China.
Chinese insurers urged to become more customer-centric
Tony Compton, head of insurance consulting, mainland China at KPMG has urged Chinese insurers to center their respective business operations around the customer.
Seeking differentiation: Hong Kong's competitive market
Hong Kong is one of the most competitive insurance areas in Asia, but despite the strong market forces in play, the majority of insurers are failing to differentiate their products from their rivals writes Nicky Burridge.
Dual appoints Doyle as global CEO
Dual, the underwriting arm of Hyperion Insurance Group, has appointed Shane Doyle (pictured) as CEO and group chief underwriting officer of its global operations.
AIG appoints major account manager in Asia Pacific
Rudi Spaan has been appointed head of brokerage distribution and client management, Asia Pacific at AIG.
China's insurance premiums climb almost 10%
China's insurance premiums climbed 9.4% to $126.2bn in the first five months of 2013 compared to the same period last year.
Malaysian Insurance Institute in training revolution
The Malaysian Insurance Institute has 19 major projects in the pipeline to help expand its training.