Insurance firms Zurich, Rare Earth and Coface have announced senior leadership appointments in Asia-Pacific.
Zurich Insurance has appointed Digbijoy Joseph Shukla (pictured, left) as head of digital for Asia Pacific, tasking him with leading the company’s regional customer and digital agenda through Zurich Edge, its digital and embedded insurance platform. He replaces Roopa Malhotra, who has moved to a senior executive role within Zurich’s Japan business.
In his new role, Shukla will oversee efforts to accelerate Zurich’s digital growth across the region, deepen partnerships with platform and technology companies, and further integrate insurance into customer journeys. Zurich Edge, launched in Singapore in 2022, now operates across the company’s Asia-Pacific markets with more than 100 partners, including Cathay Pacific, Trip.com, Traveloka, and GXS Bank.
Matt Reilly, Zurich’s chief operating officer for Asia Pacific, said Shukla brings “a truly unique combination of entrepreneurial drive, deep ecosystem expertise, and proven leadership at scale.” He added that Zurich Edge has grown into a multi-market, multi-award-winning platform and that the company expects to “accelerate that momentum even further” under Shukla’s leadership.
Shukla most recently served as chief executive of two Carsome subsidiaries, iCar Asia and WapCar AutoFun, and previously spent nearly seven years at Amazon Web Services, where he led startup ecosystem business development across India and ASEAN.
Coface has appointed Darren Chan as country manager for Malaysia and head of the Philippines, effective April 1, 2026. In the role, Chan will oversee business operations and strategic direction for both markets, reporting to Hugh Burke, chief executive officer of Coface Asia-Pacific.
The appointment reflects Coface’s efforts to strengthen its leadership bench in key Southeast Asian markets. Burke said Chan’s “proven talent for connecting market needs to regional and group strategies” and his commitment to client excellence make him well positioned to guide the company’s Malaysia and Philippines operations through their next phase of growth.
Chan joined Coface in 2016 and most recently served as head of commercial at Coface Japan. He has also held leadership roles in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Malaysia. With more than 20 years of experience, Chan brings expertise across trade credit insurance, property and casualty insurance, and banking, having previously worked at Berjaya Sompo Insurance Berhad, Hong Leong Bank Berhad, and Maybank Berhad.
Rare Earth Insurance Partners, an independent wholesale insurance broker headquartered in Hong Kong, has announced a series of senior promotions across Asia and Europe. The firm has offices in Shanghai, Taiwan and the UK and is part of the +8 Partners global insurance ecosystem.
Wang Wei (pictured centre) has been promoted from chief executive to chairman, Rare Earth Insurance Partners, Asia Pacific. He joined the firm in July 2019 with more than 20 years of professional experience across the region.
Meanwhile, Candace Chan (pictured right) has been appointed chief executive, Rare Earth Insurance Partners, Hong Kong and Taiwan. She joined in 2018 to oversee the shipping division and became managing director of the Hong Kong office in 2019. An industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, Chan has held leadership roles at Jardine Ship Management, Charles Taylor Adjusting and as regional director of a major marine insurance broker serving the global shipping and logistics sectors.
In China, former Shanghai chairman Mark Gu has been named chief executive, Rare Earth Insurance Partners, China. Gu joined Rare Earth in 2017 with more than 20 years of marine insurance experience. He began his career as an underwriting assistant at Tokio Marine China, later working at AIG and RSA China as head of marine, before moving into broking in 2013 to focus on marine reinsurance solutions for cedants in mainland China and inward overseas opportunities.
In the UK and Europe, Martin Ham has been promoted from director to chief executive, UK and Europe. Based in the UK, Ham will be responsible for growth and expansion in marine reinsurance and other specialty lines across the UK, Europe and the US. He brings more than 30 years’ experience in the UK and Asia, including roles at Steamship P&I Club, HSBC and other Lloyd’s brokers, as well as serving as head of marine at Chubb in Hong Kong before joining Rare Earth.
