Yassir Albaharna
Chief Executive Officer
Arab Insurance Group - ARIG

Yassir Albaharna graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor degree in Engineering (Mechanical) from McGill University in Montreal and then in 1986 obtained dual Masters in Engineering (Manufacturing) and an M.B.A (High Honors) from Boston University. He subsequently joined the Arab Insurance Group (Arig) in 1987 and was elected as “Fellow” and “Chartered Insurer” of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) in 1993.

Yassir worked within the reinsurance division of Arig during his entire working career and assumed various underwriting and managerial positions. Throughout, he has traveled extensively and represented Arig in numerous regional and international forums.

Yassir is currently the CEO of Arig, Chairman of Arig Insurance Company Limited (UK), Chairman of Arima Insurance Software (Bahrain), Chairman of Gulf Warranties (Bahrain), Board member of Takaful Re (Dubai International Financial Center) and Board member of the Arab Jordanian Insurance Group (Amman). He is also a member in the Boards of the Bahrain Insurance Association, the Specific Council for Vocational Training - Banking Sector and the Human Resources Development Fund - Banking & Financial Sector. 

Mohammad A. Al-Shayea

Mohammed Al-Shayea is the Director of Insurance Supervision with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Central Bank).

Mr. Al-Shayea joined the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency in 1992 and became the Director of Banking Inspection in 2005 and the Director of Insurance Supervision in 2006.

Mr. Al-Shayea is also, the Vice-Chairman of the Saudi National Committee for Combating Anti-Money Laundering, a member of the Board of the GCC Accounting and Auditing Organization, a member of the Saudi Accounting Standard Committee, as well as a member of several Subcommittees of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.

Mr. Al-Shayea holds a Masters Degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Business Manager, a Certified Internal Auditor, and a Certified Fraud Examiner

Michael J. Casella
Senior Vice President & Managing Director
Asia Pacific Zone Officer
Chubb Group of Insurance Companies

Michael Casella has held a variety of management positions within the Chubb Group of Insurance companies since joining the company in 1983.  In June 2002, he was named Asia Pacific Zone Officer.  He is based in Singapore and he has oversight for Chubb’s operations in nine countries.

Prior to this assignment, he was the Marketing Manager for Europe and Nordic Regional Manager.  In that combined role, he was responsible for leading the company’s sales and marketing team and strategy in twelve countries as well as for expanding Chubb’s operations in Scandinavia.  Throughout his 22 year career with Chubb, Michael has held a variety of marketing and administration management roles in Chubb’s operations in the U.S., Europe and Asia.  In his previous role in Asia, he was the Services Manager for the Asia Pacific zone with responsibility for Marketing , Operations and IT.  Michael has a degree in Business and Economics from Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, USA.  He is married and has three sons.

The Chubb group of Insurance Companies is a multi-billion dollar insurance organization that has been providing specialty property and casualty insurance for personal and commercial customers worldwide for over 125 years.  Insurance products are underwritten and serviced by more than 10,000 employees through 5,000 independent agents and brokers around the globe.  Chubb’s operations in the Asia Pacific include offices in Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangkok, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.

Mr. Steve T. H. Chen has been in the insurance industry for over 31 years. He obtained a bachelor degree in business mathematics at Soochow University in Taiwan, and his MBA at Roosevelt University in the United States.

Mr. Chen started his career at Fubon Insurance as an entry-level staff and has climbed all the way to the current position as the President of the company. Mr. Chen carries a lot of respect not only in the company but also in the local insurance industry. He has served as Director of the Non-life Insurance Association of R.O.C., Executive Director of the Non-life Underwriters Society of R.O.C., Director of Nuclear Energy Insurance Pool of R.O.C., Executive Director of Risk Management Society of Taiwan, as well as Executive Director of Chinese Insurance Service Association.

Ever since he took the responsibility to pilot the company, Mr. Chen has endeavored to outperform the market competitors through innovative and professional approaches. As a manifestation of the commitment, Fubon Insurance has maintained at the leading position and becomes one of the most profitable players in the industry. This otherwise could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication by the Mr. Chen and his management team.

Given that it is essential for an insurance company to maintain a strong financial strength and be professional in risk control, Mr. Chen believes that the nature of an insurance company is not only to compensate the insured for their losses, but also be responsible for taking good care of the parties that are suffered from the accident. Therefore, the responsibility of an insurance company should settle the claim both efficiently and attentively in hope to maximize the customer satisfaction and fulfill the role of social responsibility.

In recognition of the great efforts he made together with the elite management team, Fubon Insurance has won many awards including the “Insurance Excellence Award” sponsored by most of the nation's insurance associations and “Insurance Company of The Year” by Asia Insurance Review. In respect to his contribution to the industry and society, Mr. Chen was awarded " Golden Merchants Award 2006" by General Chamber of Commerce of ROC.

Robert A. Cook
Senior Executive Vice President and General Manager, Asia
Manulife Financial

Robert A. Cook is Senior Executive Vice President and General Manager, Asia, responsible for Manulife Financial’s insurance and wealth management operations in Asia. He is a member of Manulife Financial’s Executive Committee, and is the Chief Executive Officer of Manulife (International) Limited.

Mr. Cook is responsible for Manulife’s operations in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Macau.
Prior to moving to Asia in January 2007, Mr. Cook was Executive Vice President, U.S. Insurance Group, with overall general management responsibility for the John Hancock Life Insurance, John Hancock Long-term Care, and John Hancock Financial Network business units.

During Mr. Cook’s 30-year career at Manulife, he has held management positions in the Company’s U.S., Canadian, International and Corporate divisions. His experience spans a number of areas including: strategic planning, product management for insurance and annuities, sales, and marketing.

Mr. Cook is a graduate of the Universities of Toronto and Calgary and holds an MBA in Finance.

Ian Dilks is the Global Insurance Leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is based in the London office of PricewaterhouseCoopers and has specialised in financial services, particularly insurance, for 25 years. In addition to chairing the Global Insurance Leadership Team, Ian is a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Financial Services Leadership Team. He is specifically responsible for co-ordinating the firm’s response to the impact of market reporting developments, including International Financial Reporting Standards on Financial Services clients globally, and is responsible for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ support to the European Insurance CFO Forum.

Over the last 15 years Ian has worked for a number of international and regional clients and industry bodies, and his experience encompasses a wide range of audit, regulatory and advisory assignments. In addition to his internal responsibilities, he continues to work with a number of PwC's clients in Europe.

Brian Duperreault, age 60, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.

Mr. Duperreault is a 30-year insurance industry veteran who has served at the top of his profession in numerous leadership roles, including 10 years as chief executive officer of ACE Limited and a member of the company’s Board of Directors from 1994 until 2007.
 
He served as executive Chairman of ACE until June 2006, when he retired as an employee and became non-executive Chairman. He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ACE from November 1999 through May 2004 and as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer from October 1994 through November 1999.

Prior to joining ACE, Mr. Duperreault had been employed with American International Group, AIG, since 1973, and served in various senior executive positions with AIG and its affiliates from 1978 until September 1994, including as Executive Vice President, Foreign General Insurance and, concurrently, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American International Underwriters Inc., AIU, from April 1994 to September 1994. Mr. Duperreault was President of AIU from 1991 to April 1994, and Chief Executive Officer of AIG affiliates in Japan and Korea from 1989 until 1991.

Mr. Duperreault serves as a member of the board of directors of Tyco International Ltd., a member of the Boards of Trustees of Saint Joseph's University, King Edward VII Hospital Trust and the Board of Overseers of the School of Risk Management of St. John's University, a director of the Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited, Chairman of the Centre on Philanthropy, Chairman of Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, and Chairman of the International Insurance Society and Director of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.

David L. Fried is currently Regional Head of Insurance, Asia-Pacific for The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Insurance (Asia-Pacific) Holdings Limited. In these capacities, he oversees the overall strategy for HSBC for insurance and retirement businesses and is responsible for the insurance broking business throughout the Asia-Pacific region.  Mr Fried joined HSBC in 1984 and was most recently based in the United Kingdom holding the posts of Executive Director of HSBC Insurance Holdings Limited and Head of Business Development at Group Insurance Head Office. During the past 22 years, he has served in numerous businesses in the UK and North America, including agency, life and non-life, underwriting and reinsurance, broking, pensions and captive management.

Mr. Fung was appointed to this current role in 1997. He is a member of Aon Corporation’s Policy Committee and is responsible for Aon’s Asia Pacific operations headquartered in Hong Kong.  Aon is the world’s largest insurance broker and has operations in 125 countries.  It is a Fortune 500 company and listed on the New York and London Stock Exchange.  From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Fung served as chief executive officer of Inchcape Insurance Brokers in Asia which became part of Aon in 1997.  Prior to returning to Hong Kong in 1994, he headed Aon’s Canadian retail broking operations in Toronto. Previously, he was global managing director of Aon’s risk management consulting company, based in New York.   Mr. Fung has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from St Mary’s University in Halifax, Novia Scotia, Canada and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Ontario, Canada in 1996.  He attained his Associate in Risk Management (ARM) degree through the Insurance Institute of America, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University’s graduate school of business administration.

Mr. Giffin is a Principal in the Tillinghast insurance consulting business of Towers Perrin, the firm’s insurance management and actuarial consulting unit, and is located in New York.  He assists global, regional and local financial services clients in expanding and improving their operations.  He specializes in multinational insurance strategies and operations, P&C and life & pension lines, bancassurance and other integrated financial service strategies, ERM development, M&A transactions and integration, strategy implementation, regulatory issues and competitive market analysis.  Mr. Giffin is the Publisher of Tillinghast’s Emphasis magazine.

Prior to joining Towers Perrin in 1983, Mr. Giffin served as Consultant for the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID), as Director of Management Services for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, as First Deputy Commissioner for the Massachusetts Division of Insurance and as Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.  Work for HIID was to assist the Indonesian Ministry of Finance in the drafting of insurance laws and regulations and establishment of an insurance regulatory authority and processes.

Recent assignments include the following:

Assisted major U.S. life insurers in determining the potential for participation in foreign markets through global strategies; assisted U.S., U.K., Asian and Australian insurers in evaluating and executing entry and expansion strategies for Europe, Asia and Latin America, in P&C insurance, life insurance, private pensions and asset accumulation.

Assisted a major multinational insurance organization, a large U.S. life insurer, a foreign bank and a non-financial service provider in the formulation of integrated financial service strategies and business planning, linking insurance, banking, mortgage and related financial services through customer-centered, controlled delivery channel approachs, with emphasis on low cost delivery and low capital intensity.

Assisted a leading French multiline financial institution in evaluating entry opportunities in the U.S.  Assisted a leading U.S. mutual fund operator and a major HMO management company in the formation of a new life company; assisted a major U.S. health insurer in reorganizing its marketing and communications functions.

Assisted the court-appointed Trustees of a large Japanese insurer in the valuation of over $2.0 billion in P&C, health and life reinsurance claims for use in settling outstanding obligations as part of the reorganization of the company.

Assisted a major European reinsurer in developing a runoff plan for U.S. operations.

Dr Huang took office as Director General of the Insurance Bureau under the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) in March 2005. Dr Huang has 20 years’ experience in the regulation of banking industry. He previously served in such posts as Acting Director General of the Bureau of Examination, Secretary General of the FSC and Deputy Director General of the Bureau of Monetary Affairs (currently the Banking Bureau under the FSC).

As a regulator, Dr Huang is concerned with maintaining confidence in insurance markets and protecting the interests of consumers. He has spearheaded several measures to review the industry’s solvency capability and improve financial literacy. The Insurance Bureau is also overhauling the legal infrastructure of the insurance industry to build a conducive environment for the companies. Dr Huang hopes to strike the right balance between protecting the consumers and strengthening in the competitiveness of the industry.

Dr Huang holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Major in Banking) from National Chengchi University, a Master’s Degree of Law (Major in Public-Policy) from National Sun Yat-sen University and a Doctor Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is also a member of the board of directors of Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Company and Taiwan Insurance Institute. Dr Huang received Outstanding Public Servant Award of Sun Yun-suan Foundation in December 2007 for his contribution in financial supervision. Dr Huang has been a part-time associate professor (teaching management of public organisation and financial regulatory policy) in the Soochow University since 1993.

Julian James joined Lockton International in May 2007 as Executive Chairman, International Operations. Prior to that, Mr James worked for Lloyds of London as Director, Worldwide Markets. He was appointed to that role in December 2000 and was responsible for all Lloyd’s commercial activities outside the UK, including the management of its 74 trading licences and its international network.  In addition he oversaw Lloyd’s global branding and market development including communications, media relations and Government affairs. Also he was member of the Executive Committee of Lloyd’s. Mr James joined Lloyd’s in December 1997 as Head of the North America Business Unit.  Previously he was Development Director of Sedgwick Energy and Marine and a member of the division’s Executive Management Committee.  Prior to that, he spent five years working in senior positions with Sedgwick in North America. He joined Sedgwick in 1981. Mr James is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and is a Chartered Insurance Practioner.  He gained an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management in 1991 and is also a graduate of the London Business School’s Senior Executive Programme.  He graduated in 2003 at the University of Oxford’s Senior Executive Finance Programme.  He is a board member of the Lloyd’s Community Programme and up until January 2005 was a board member of the General Insurance Standards Council.  Also, he is Vice President of the Chartered Insurance Institute in the UK and a Vice President of the London Insurance Institute.  Mr James is married with two children and lives in West London.

Michaela Koller is Director General of CEA, the representative organization for the European insurance and reinsurance industry.  Amongst other projects, she testifies regularly on behalf of the European insurance and reinsurance industry in hearings and panel debates organised by EU institutions or stakeholders.  Since 2001 and prior to joining CEA in February 2007, Michaela Koller has been a Member of the Management Committee of the joint office of the European Savings Banks Group and the World Savings Banks Institute, where she was responsible for interest representation in Brussels. As one of the two members of the Management Committee, she has gained her experience of financial services interest representation at both European and international level.  In her earlier career she was Head of the European Office of German Building Societies and deputy managing director in charge of the interest representation of the European Federation of Building Societies.  Michaela is a German national and holds a law degree from Augsburg University. She is married with two children and lives in Brussels.

Mr Alexandr Koval has higher education.   In 1984 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of management named after S.Ordzhenikidze as an economist-engineer – production manager.  Later he worked in various Moscow enterprises as an economist and as an engineer.  In the period of 1987-1990 he was an instructor, then deputy head of the organizational department of Kunzevo branch (in the city of Moscow) of the communist party of the Soviet Union supervising industrial companies and science organizations of the Kunzevo district.  

Until 1996 he worked in various commercial entities as a deputy director on economics. Since the end of 1996 and until December 1999 he was deputy, then the first deputy of the governor of Evenky region in Eastern Siberia in charge of economics.   
In December 1999 was elected to the State Duma – lower house of the Russian Parliament as a member of the Federal election bloc Interregional movement “Unity”. In 2003 and 2007 he was reelected to the State Duma.
 Mr Koval is a member of the committee on credit organizations and financial markets of the  Duma and the head of the subcommittee on insurance and non-state pension funds of the above  committee.   
Since 1992 Mr Koval is the President of the All-Russian association of insurers.

Mr. Magsig is a Managing Director in Korn/Ferry International’s Insurance, CEO and Board Practices, based in the firm’s New York office.  He co-heads the firm’s global insurance practice.  Much of his search work is centered on recruiting C-Suite executives to transformational opportunities, succession planning, and in leveraging exceptional talent to new ventures.  Prominent assignments have been conducted for Alleghany Corp., Allstate, Brera Capital, CNA, Conseco, CS Equity Partners, Hooper Holmes, John Hancock, New York Life, Swiss Re, and Zurich Financial. He has an extensive list of highly satisfied clients representing multiple search assignments.  In addition, Mr. Magsig is one of a highly select group of senior partners to be accorded Korn/Ferry mentoring status.  Prior to entering the executive search field, Mr. Magsig spent thirty years in the insurance industry.  Most recently, he served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Cologne Life Reinsurance Company for nearly ten years.  In addition, he functioned as a major contributor to The Vorstand in shaping global initiatives. He led the Cologne Life Re to six-fold increases in profits and revenues during this period while increasing substantially shareholder value. Mr. Magsig has served on several major industry boards, including The American Council of Life Insurers, The Health Insurance Association of America, and The Medical Information Bureau. He also has considerable corporate board experience.  Given his unique perspective, he is regularly quoted in major insurance and business publications and is a featured speaker at industry meetings.  Mr. Magsig is a graduate of Huntington College and holds the FLMI, CLU, and LLIF designations.  He and his wife, Kim, reside in Greenwich, Connecticut with their four children.

• Degree in Electronic Engineering by University of São Paulo, Brasil and Master of Science in Computer Engineering by University of Michigan, U.S.A.
• Executive Director of Banco Itaú S.A., the 2nd largest private financial institution in Brasil, in charge of Insurance, Capitalization and Private Pension Funds products since 1996.
• Vice President of FENASEG (Federation which represents Insurance, Reinsurance, Capitalization and Pension Funds Companies in Brasil).
• Former President of ANAPP (Private Pension Funds Association in Brasil) – 2003/2007.
• Member of Geneva Association since 2006.
• Member Board of Directors IIS (International Insurance Society)
• Former Director of FIAP (Federación Internacional de Administradoras de Fondos de Pensiones) – 2002
• Elected Sectorial Leader of the segment of Private Pension Funds by the subscribers of the newspaper named Gazeta Mercantil (Brasil) in July 2003.
• Founder and Director of the Instituto Candido (www.institutocandido.org.br) which develops several social activities related with education of children who came from poor families.
• Fouder member of RPPN (Private Reserve of Natural Property) – Riacho da Mata, located at Corredor Ecológico da Serra da Matiqueira, between the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brasil. It is an area of nature conservation in private property, where are just accepted activities with scientific purpose, cultural, educational, recreative and leisure.

Stephen Packard is a Director in Deloitte Consulting’s Insurance Strategy & Operations practice, based in Hartford, Connecticut.  He has more than 25 years of experience assisting insurance companies deal with some of their most complex business issues, including:  strategy formulation and execution; shareholder value analysis; competitive benchmarking; product development; mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; business turn-arounds; and technology strategy and implementation. 

Prior to joining Deloitte, Stephen served in a variety of senior executive positions at Aetna, Travelers, and The Hartford Insurance Group.  He was formerly a partner in Accenture’s global insurance practice and has also practiced law. Over the years, he has had experience in numerous business transformation projects involving underwriting, claims, marketing, front and back office cost reduction, business process redesign, and agency management. 
Stephen has written and spoken on numerous insurance topics at various U.S. and international industry forums.  

Stephen earned a JD (magna cum laude) from New York Law School, and a BS from Fairfield University.  He resides in Guilford, CT with his wife, Eileen, and their four children.

William N. (Bill) Pieroni is operations vice president-Executive at State Farm® Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington, Ill.

Pieroni joined State Farm in August 2006 in his current position, after spending his entire career in the insurance industry. Most recently Pieroni was senior vice president at Aon. Prior to that time he was the general manager of IBM’s Global Insurance industry, a partner at Accenture and a consultant with McKinsey & Co.

David Piesse is the Global Head of Insurance for SUN Microsystems and sets business strategy for the insurance industry for the company. He has established state of the art solutions for policy administration, product management, agency management, claims management and reinsurance.  In this capacity he also heads up the alternate distribution channels group which includes providing solutions and managed services for banc Assurance, micro-finance, Islamic finance and other forms of retail distribution. This also covers strategies for the next generation INTERNET where many new players are entering the insurance market. Based in Hong Kong he has worked in all the major insurance markets globally and has combined insurance, IT and risk management in an insurance career of 30 years where he has worked for major insurers, banks, IT companies and the United Nations. He is a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and Chartered Practitioner of the British Computer Society.   

Andrew Power is a Partner of Deloitte in their UK consulting group, who specialises in working with Financial Services companies. He has over  twenty years of consulting experience, on strategic, organizational, operational and technology issues

In particular, he has extensive experience around strategic development, marketplace changes, industry economics and operational model transformation. He has worked over the past few years with most if the leading UK savings and investment institutions, and a number of the leading industry associations.  Over his consulting career, he has spent extensive time working with Financial Institutions in North America and in Europe. This work has explored numerous growth initiatives within both developed and developing markets.

Mr. Power is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and contributor to financial publications. He presents and writes on topics such as future trends in Financial Services, best practices, using information technology for business advantage, and optimizing the business model. Recently he has been particularly active in thought leadership around pensions.

Mr. Power graduated from Cambridge University, United Kingdom in 1977.  In 1982, he earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar. Prior to joining Deloitte, he was a partner with Accenture and McKinsey & Co.

Andrew Rear is the head of Oliver Wyman’s insurance consulting business in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Andrew is a regular commentator and speaker on the life and non-life insurance industry.

Since joining Oliver Wyman in 2000, Andrew has driven the development of our intellectual capital in a range of strategic themes across both life and general insurance, with a particular focus on understanding how leading players establish and sustain competitive advantage, and helping insurers to find the right strategic responses at group- and business unit-level as markets develop.

Andrew has authored a number of major publications including the firm’s research into The Future Regulation of UK Savings and Investments, commissioned by the Association of British Insurers in 2001 and its follow-up in 2002. In 2004 he authored the major study into the future of the global life insurance industry, Going on the Offensive: the $1,600 Billion Prize, and most recently in 2006 he wrote The New Federalism, charting the changing relationship between Group and Business Units across the major global insurers.

In terms of consulting engagements Andrew has worked for insurance clients across the world:

Developing a segmented, customer-focused, and profitable product strategy for a European regional insurer

Supporting a GCC-based investment fund in establishing a new insurance company

Developing a demand-based pricing approach for a European personal-lines insurer

Helping a European insurer set its strategy and integrate its multiple acquisitions to deliver against the strategy

Building a comprehensive risk-adjusted capital allocation and performance measurement framework for a global composite insurance group

Helping a Europe-based global insurer better explain its growth strategy to investors

Designing and implementing a new approach to product management, development, and governance for a market-leading domestic Asian insurer

Managing the development of a new business venture for a major global insurer, from concept through to implementation
Developed a new strategy for large corporate business with a Europe-based global insurer

Before joining Oliver Wyman, Andrew worked in the UK life industry in a several roles covering marketing, strategy, and finance. Andrew graduated from Cambridge University in Mathematics and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries. He has been involved in a number of professional and industry groups, across a range of topics.

Ms Shikha Sharma is the Managing Director & CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company.  ICICI Prudential was amongst the first private sector companies in India to be awarded a life license in December 2000, and since its inception the company has established itself as India’s leading private life insurer, offering a complete range of products to meet the varying needs of the Indian customer.
Ms Sharma, completed her Masters of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad.  She began her career with ICICI, one of India's largest financial services providers, in 1980. She has been instrumental in setting up various group businesses for the company, including investment banking and retail finance.

Mr. Tsan-Ming Shih has been in the insurance industry for over 36 years. He graduated from Soochow University with a major in Law, and completed the Executive Management Program at the University of Virginia in the United States.

Mr. Shih started his career at Fubon Insurance as an entry-level staff and has climbed all the way to the position of Chairman of the company. Concurrently, he is the Chairman of the Non-Life Insurance Association of the R.O.C and the Chairman of the Insurance Society of the R.O.C. He was also the Chairman of the Engineering Insurance Association and the Non-Life Underwriters Society o f the R.O.C.

Since being elected Chairman of the Non-Life Insurance Association in August 2004, he has been spending more time at the Association than at Fubon Insurance. He has stated, “I have to give something back to the industry. I have been in this industry for 36 years and it is my social responsibility to do my part for the industry that nurtured me." Mr. Shih has not only devoted himself to upgrade the standard in the industry, but also contributed to introducing better regulations and insurance governing rules. The regulations governing fire insurance tariff rates were introduced back in I989 to prevent unfair price competition, which urged non-life insurance companies in the market to sign a Self--Discipline Agreement for strict obedience of self-regulation is such an example.

In 2004, Mr. Shih was appointed by a group of national college professors as “Insurance Leader of the Year" held by RMI Magazine, once again recognized by industry peers.

Mr. Shih's primary mission in the upcoming year is the 44th annual seminar of the International Insurance Society (llS) which will be held in Taipei on July 2008. It is expected to attract over 500 insurance professional executives and academics from over 50 nations. In addition to the forthcoming IIS seminar, he is also looking forward to the enormous business opportunities brought about by the commencement of Health Insurance, the final stage of tariff f rate deregulations, and the application of IFRS4 Insurance Contracts for the non-life insurance industry in the corning years.

As a global bond strategist, Paul works closely with the Global Bond Team in creating ideas to help generate alpha. His experience in covering global markets as a chief economist and head of research provides a unique skill set for the team.

Paul has held senior positions at a number of leading investment banks in Tokyo and Toronto such as RBC Dominion Securities (1995 – 2000), Lehman Brothers (1993 – 1994), and Jardine Fleming (1990 – 1992) as an economist, equity research director, and Asian regional head. Most recently, he worked for TD Securities based in Tokyo, responsible for the Asia Pacific region (2000 – 2004). Prior to joining Wellington Management in 2007, he ran for Canada’s Parliament in the January 2006 federal election.

Paul completed a PhD from the University of Tokyo (1988) with a thesis on the Japanese automotive industry, and his studies include a BA from York University (Toronto), with a third year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an MA from the University of Alberta (1980 – 1981), PhD work at the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva, and Japanese studies at Osaka Foreign Language University

Simon is a Principal, Financial Risk Management, with KPMG China.  His role within KPMG is a regional one, providing advisory services to financial institutions on Basel II implementation, risk management, and regulatory issues.

Before joining KPMG Simon was a central banker for nearly thirty years – sixteen with the Bank of England (including two with the IMF) and thirteen with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.  At the HKMA, where he was Executive Director (Banking Policy) he was the leader of the Basel II program from its inception in 2000 right through to its successful implementation in 2007/08.  Simon was also responsible for the development of prudential policies and guidelines on all areas of risk management, including internal systems and controls, credit, market, operational, FX, liquidity, strategic and reputation risks, stress-testing, financial disclosure, and corporate governance.  He also led the HKMA’s work on anti-money laundering.

Simon has participated regularly in Basel Committee on Banking Supervision activities and Asia region supervisory groups, and has worked closely with the CBRC.

Simon is globally recognised as a thought leader in the area of banking supervision with unique experience of and understanding of the Asian perspective.  He has featured numerous times in periodicals and at conferences on risk management, Basel II, governance, and AML/CFT.  He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of City University of Hong Kong and as a Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants Standard-Setting Steering Board

Mark was appointed as Group Chief Executive of Prudential plc in May 2005.  Immediately prior to this he had been Group Finance Director at HBOS plc, a role he had held since May 2004.  Mark joined Prudential in 1986 as Controller, North American Investment Operations and went on to become the Finance Director of Prudential’s private equity business.  In 1987 he became PA to the then Group Chief Executive until his first overseas posting in November 1989, when he became General Manager of Prudential’s operations in Hong Kong.  In 1992 he went to the USA as Senior Vice President of Jackson National Life, where he ran all life insurance operations and processes nationwide.  He was also a senior member of the JNL Executive Committee.  From 1993 until 2003, he was Chief Executive of Prudential Corporation Asia (PCA), during which time he grew PCA into the largest European life insurer in Asia, with a presence in 12 markets (Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, India, Philippines, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan).  Prudential now has over 450,000 staff and agents in the Asia region.  Mark is married to Janet and is passionate about football (supporting Chelsea), having played professionally in his youth, prior to qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and working as a international tax specialist.

Bill Wilt joined Morgan Stanley in 2002 to cover the property/casualty insurance industry. He previously was a senior credit officer at Moody's Investors Service where he also followed the property/casualty sector. Before joining Moody's, Bill was a director of actuarial consulting at Coopers & Lybrand and an actuarial analyst at a major reinsurance company. Bill is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and holds an MBA from New York University with concentrations in accounting and finance. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Connie Wong is a Senior Director for insurance ratings in Asia (excluding
Japan/Korea) at Standard & Poor's. She leads a team that analyzes and assigns credit ratings to insurance and reinsurance companies across Asia. Connie joined Standard & Poor’s as a senior analyst in 2000, and was previously responsible for both insurance and bank credit analysis. Before joining Standard & Poor’s, Connie spent several years working in the reinsurance industry in London and Hong Kong. Connie graduated from London’s City University Business School with a Bachelor’s degree in Investment and Financial Risk Management, and from Leicester University with a Master’s degree in Business Administration.