Markel Insurance, the underwriting arm of Markel Group Inc., has hired Sjoerd A. Blomsma (pictured) into a Singapore-based marine risk engineer role that did not previously exist, with the move taking effect at once. The company described the post as part of its technical build-out and its specialty book in the Asia-Pacific region. Blomsma will report to Wanshi Lin, who heads the Singapore office, and is set to advise the region’s marine underwriters on engineering matters and the assessment of marine risks. Markel linked the hire to its coverage lines in cargo, hull, and marine and energy liabilities, and to its entry into charterers liability and the protection and indemnity market after buying MECO last year. “Bringing Sjoerd on board as a dedicated marine risk engineer in APAC represents a significant milestone for our regional marine platform,” Lin said, adding that the appointment supports “more informed underwriting decisions.”
According to Markel, Blomsma holds qualifications as both a marine engineer and a deck officer and has worked at sea and on shore, serving as chief officer on heavy-lift vessels and as master mariner on ship delivery voyages. His later work included consulting posts at Solis Marine Consultants, among them head of marine warranty services, along with vessel and barge suitability surveys and casualty investigations carried out for shipowners, charterers, and insurers. In the Singapore role, he is expected to help the company’s global risk engineering units in marine, energy, and construction put together a framework for assessing and reporting risk.
PwC Singapore has added 13 partners, of whom eight work in fields connected to AI, technology, and data. The firm said the group’s backgrounds span technology, energy, healthcare, banking, and capital markets, among other areas. On the insurance side, PwC Singapore pointed to Dyane Blythe Uy, who concentrates on financial services assurance and risk governance across the insurance and payments sector and has overseen regional audits for regulated companies with operations spread across Asia-Pacific. “This year’s cohort reflects how we are scaling our ability to deliver in the era of AI,” said Marcus Lam, executive chairman, PwC Singapore. He said the firm aims to pair AI “with sound judgement and trust” so that clients can decide more quickly.
Allianz Commercial has moved A. Ketty Camara into the role of regional head of multinational for Asia as of July 1, 2026, widening a remit that already covered Singapore, Korea, and India. The change was disclosed in a LinkedIn post from Karol Dobias, the company’s global head of multinational. Per that post, Camara has spent more than 17 years in international insurance and has taken part in transformation work across Europe and Asia-Pacific. It noted that she has lived in Singapore since 2013 and has built up experience across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. “I am excited to see how we continue elevating our multinational value proposition and capabilities under your leadership,” Dobias said.
Coface, which works in trade credit risk management, has appointed Ivor Miric as head of debt collection sales for the Asia-Pacific region, effective July 2, 2026. Working out of Hong Kong, Miric is tasked with running and building the firm’s debt collection line across the region, including its client base and portfolio. His reporting line runs to Peter Solomon, chief commercial officer for Asia-Pacific, with a secondary link to Emre Ozer, group debt collection and surety business development director.
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Before joining, Miric was collections manager for the Middle East, India, and Africa at Atradius Collections, the company said, and his career has taken in postings in Sydney, Singapore, Dubai, and India across collection, sales, and business development. “We are pleased to have Ivor lead our Debt Collection service in Asia-Pacific,” Solomon said, pointing to Miric’s regional background, grasp of client needs, and record of forming partnerships across different markets.
