Swiss Re announced today that Sharon Ooi, who is presently Head of Property and Casualty (P&C) Underwriting APAC based in Singapore, will start in September as the Sydney-based Head of its Australia and New Zealand operations.

She replaces Mark Senkevics, who will take up her current position. He will remain in Sydney to oversee the regional P&C underwriting arm.

Mr Senkevics took on his current role in May 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before this, he was Head of Korea for over two years.

Swiss Re says the changes to its Asia management team are aimed at placing the business in a strong position to deal with challenges and continue growing.

“These appointees bring decades of experience into their new roles,” Swiss Re Asia CEO Russell Higginbotham said. “But more importantly, what they bring is an ever-present desire to innovate to meet the challenges of today and the future.

“I have no doubt that they help will steer us – and our clients – through these unprecedented times.”

Ms Ooi says she has “big shoes to fill” and is looking forward to her new assignment.

“I want to thank [Mr Senkevics] for handing over a business that is growing and solving our clients’ needs at their point of need,” she said. “I hope to be able to play a small part in helping Australia become a more resilient place to live, work and thrive.”

Ms Ooi was previously Singapore CEO before she was appointed in 2017 as Head P&C Underwriting APAC.

Mr Senekvics says her “demonstrated client focus, deep industry knowledge across a wide range of markets, and more recently her experience leading our underwriting team across [the region] positions her well to support our clients as they navigate these challenging times and into the future”.