Liberty, part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has appointed Cynthia Sze (pictured) as chief executive officer for Hong Kong, effective May 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The appointment follows Liberty’s plan to place its Hong Kong activities under a single insurance licence from April 1.
The change will bring together Liberty’s personal, commercial, and specialty insurance operations in Hong Kong into one legal entity and operating platform. The combined business will serve agents, brokers, corporate customers, and other partners through a single franchise across multiple business lines.
Sze will be based in Hong Kong and report to Matthew Jackson, president of Liberty International Insurance, Asia-Pacific. “2026 is a defining year for Liberty in Hong Kong and across Asia-Pacific. Operating as one Liberty in-market enables us to deliver greater clarity, consistency, and capability to our customers and distribution partners. Cynthia’s leadership experience and deep market expertise position us well for the next phase of growth,” Jackson said. Sze has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance sector in Hong Kong and North Asia. In the new role, she is expected to focus on bringing together teams from Liberty’s former Hong Kong entities, aligning distribution and underwriting processes, and overseeing implementation of the unified Hong Kong operation.
The restructuring is accompanied by leadership changes linked to the integration. Eddie Young, vice president and chief executive of Liberty Specialty Markets, and Cynthia Leung, finance leader of Liberty Insurance, will leave Liberty at the end of July following completion of the unification. “Eddie and Cynthia have provided dedicated leadership and stability during a significant period of change for our Hong Kong operations. Their contributions have been instrumental in positioning the business for successful integration and future growth. We thank them for their commitment and wish them continued success in their next chapters,” Jackson said. Once the licence consolidation is in place, Liberty’s Hong Kong operations will trade as Liberty International Insurance Limited under the Liberty brand, offering personal, commercial, and specialty insurance products in the local market.
At the single-market level, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group has also made structural changes in Singapore and created a country CEO position for its combined business in the city-state. In early February, Liberty confirmed the appointment of Jimmy Tong as CEO for its Singapore operations, effective April 27, subject to regulatory approval. Liberty previously operated in Singapore through two entities – Liberty Insurance and Liberty Specialty Markets – which were merged under one insurance licence on Jan. 1. The combined business now trades simply as Liberty.
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Tong will be based in Singapore and report to Jackson in his Asia-Pacific capacity. His remit covers Liberty’s Singapore operations across retail, SME, and corporate segments, including general insurance and reinsurance written from the market. He joins Liberty from Great Eastern, where he spent the past decade responsible for the general and group insurance businesses in Singapore. Before that, he held senior positions at United Overseas Bank for about 15 years. His career has included roles in general insurance, employee benefits, and institutional distribution at both an insurer and a bank.
