Insurance broker Lockton has appointed two chief growth officers for its Asia operations, while trade credit firm Coface has named a returning hire to lead commercial activities across Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific mid-market – moves that add decades of regional insurance experience to both firms’ leadership rosters.
Sandra Lee (pictured left) takes up the position of chief growth officer – risk solutions, Asia, at Lockton, reporting to Asia CEO Tony Hardy. Her remit covers growth across all risk lines and markets in the region, with an initial focus on the Greater China market. Lee’s career spans more than 22 years across legal practice, insurance brokerage, and risk management. She has held senior positions in Singapore and Hong Kong – as well as legal and risk advisory roles in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing and Paris – giving her both cross-border exposure and familiarity with individual market conditions across Asia.
Her hire comes with a supporting team. Sam Suen joins as managing director – emerging risks, Asia, and Mandy Lai as senior executive – emerging risks, Asia. Together, they form the nucleus of a new emerging risks team that will work with clients on risk challenges across the region. “Sandra’s extensive experience, strategic insight, and client-first approach are an incredible addition to Lockton in Asia as we continue to strengthen our capabilities across the region. We are excited to see Sandra and her team lead the way in driving growth and innovation for our clients,” Hardy said.
Yuman Chan (pictured right) has been appointed chief growth officer – People Solutions, Asia, reporting to Cedric Luah, who heads the People Solutions division for Asia. Chan’s geographic scope covers North Asia – including Greater China, Japan, and South Korea – and he is responsible for executing the division’s regional investment plan. Chan has worked in insurance and financial services for close to 30 years. His past roles include leadership positions at Bupa, AIA, and Cigna, where his work spanned strategy, team structure, and operational change. “Yuman’s leadership and deep expertise in People Solutions will be instrumental in advancing our ambitious growth agenda and supporting our clients’ evolving needs across Asia. We are confident that Yuman’s addition to the team will elevate our People Solutions offerings and deepening our role as a trusted partner to clients across the region,” Luah said. Both Lee and Chan are based in Hong Kong.
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Three days before Lockton’s announcement, Coface confirmed that James Yau rejoined the company on June 5 as head of commercial, Southeast Asia, and head of mid-market, Asia-Pacific Region. He is based in Singapore. Yau’s dual mandate puts him in charge of growing Coface’s mid-market portfolio across Asia-Pacific while working alongside country teams on the firm’s Southeast Asia commercial strategy.
Yau reports to Peter Solomon, chief commercial officer at Coface Asia-Pacific, with a secondary line to Bernard Nassiri, who oversees group commercial operations, lead generation, and mid-market globally. Yau previously worked at Coface before moving to AIG, where he most recently served as head of trade credit, APAC. His nearly 20 years in trade credit insurance across the region, along with his prior tenure at Coface, were cited by the company as factors in the hiring decision. “We are delighted to welcome James back to Coface. His extensive expertise in trade credit insurance, combined with his strong market reputation and previous experience at Coface, makes him an asset to the company and supports our continued growth ambitions across the region,” Solomon said.
