Canopius Group Asia Pacific CEO Mark Newman has been appointed to lead the company’s UK business, effective from the start of next year.

Mr Newman takes up the UK CEO position after seven years with the specialty insurer, joining as APAC CEO in 2016 and becoming part of the Global Leadership Team two years ago.

Canopius is shortlisting internal and external candidates to take over the APAC role, with Mr Newman to continue to support the region in the interim and beyond, to ensure a smooth continuation of leadership, the company says.

Group CEO Neil Robertson says Mr Newman led the successful evolution of the APAC operations, exceeding the five-year growth plan for the Singapore and Australia businesses.

“He has proven himself to be the right candidate to take on the role of UK CEO, and I’m confident that he will build on his strong track record and assist our UK teams execute their growth plans,” he said.

APAC increased revenue five-fold under Mr Newman’s leadership and the business has exceeded all key performance indicators in its strategic plan, cementing its position as the largest Lloyd’s Managing Agent in the region, Canopius says.

Mr Newman has held a series of leadership positions over his three-decade career, including joining the formerly known Catlin as APAC CEO in 2008. He became Head of Asia and Deputy CEO Asia at XL Catlin between 2015 and 2016, based in Singapore. He has also chaired the Lloyd’s Asia Pacific market strategy group.