Markel International has appointed Christian Stobbs (pictured) as strategy director for Asia.

Stobbs is based in Singapore and is in charge of developing and driving the company’s strategic priorities in the region. Markel is present in the Singapore, India, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia markets, and it is seeking to further its links with local insurers and distributors, as well as develop new products that cater for emerging risks and meet the evolving needs of Asian businesses, the company said in a statement.

As part of his new role, Stobbs relocated to Singapore from the UK, where he was the managing director for Abbey Tax, a Markel International company. During his stint there, he was credited with helping grow the company into one of UK’s leading dedicated tax advisory businesses.

Prior to joining Abbey Tax, Stobbs was a strategy and development executive at Markel’s London office, and, before that, he was with global management consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group.

“Christian’s appointment underlines our ambition for the region as we foster new alliances and partnerships,” said Matt Cannock, managing director of Markel Asia. “He is an experienced strategy and business development professional and so will be invaluable as we continue to grow our portfolio in Asia.”