The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) has appointed former Manulife boss Mark O’Dell to the newly created position of chief executive officer.

O’Dell served as CEO of Manulife Insurance Bhd for five years, before retiring in October 2018. He is a permanent resident of Malaysia and has over 38 years’ experience in the life insurance industry.

LIAM president Anusha Thavarajah said that O’Dell’s appointment aims to further underscore the association’s strong commitment to taking on the responsibilities and new challenges in transforming Malaysia’s life insurance industry, Bernama reported.

“With a full-time CEO who brings with him a wealth of industry experience and expertise, LIAM will be better placed to accelerate our national aspiration of increasing the penetration rate of life insurance, reducing the protection gap and improving customer satisfaction levels,” Thavarajah said.

“Most importantly, LIAM would be able to play an influential role in supporting nation building and improving the quality of life of Malaysians.”