Chris Colahan has been appointed AIG Asia Pacific Regional President, a role that encompasses oversight of the Australian business.

Mr Colahan was most recently Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) President of UK & Europe, and has more than two decades of insurance industry experience, including as President of BHSI Australasia and RSA Asia Regional CEO.

He will report to AIG International General Insurance CEO Jon Hancock, who says the Asia Pacific region is an important market for AIG’s business.

"With Chris’ leadership, we expect to expand our business and capabilities, deepen relationships with distribution partners and clients, and continue to demonstrate our risk management expertise,” Mr Hancock said.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Chris’ industry experience and vast knowledge of the Asia Pacific marketplace join AIG.”

The appointment comes after AIG Australia CEO Nigel Fitzgerald departed to join Steadfast as COO. A spokesperson told insuranceNEWS.com.au today there is no update yet on his replacement. Sydney-based Mr Fitzgerald was AIG's local CEO since December 2019, when he took over from Noel Condon.

Mr Colahan says he looks forward to working with a talented group of colleagues throughout the region and company, and it is a privilege to join AIG, an “industry leader with world-class capabilities”.

“AIG is known for delivering excellence in everything it does and I am confident we will successfully execute on the Asia Pacific strategy with precision and a focus on quality outcomes,” he said.

Current regional president Steven Barnett, who is based in Singapore, is leaving to pursue opportunities outside the company after 31 years at AIG.