Exclusive: Marsh hires Christopher Cheung in senior financial lines role. Christopher Cheung is set to rejoin Marsh in Hong Kong this month in a senior role focused on financial professional lines, InsuranceAsia News understands. Cheung (pictured), who left AIG earlier this... To continue reading the full article and get full access to the InsuranceAsia News platform, please enquire about a subscription. Your company may already have a corporate license in place. * Exclusive: BMS shuts Hong Kong office, Asia CEO Sandra Lee headed for Lockton * June 1 Broker exits regional private equity, M&A and tax (PEMAT) practice, while confirming its Singapore office will 'remain central' to its Asia strategy. * Exclusive: Victor Kuk draws up blueprint for a 'truly global' Peak Re * June 1 It will not be 'more of the same', the new CEO of the Hong Kong-based reinsurer says as he lays out his vision to scale the firm into a top-tier global contender in his first exclusive interview since taking the helm. * Exclusive: Peak Re ready for next phase of growth, embrace new era: Franz-Josef Hahn * June 1 In an exclusive interview, founding CEO says the Hong Kong-based reinsurer has reached 'the appropriate moment for a succession', urging his successor to maintain the founding principle of 'courage to deliver' through all market cycles. * Exclusive: Kelvin Woo set to leave QBE for Sompo Hong Kong role * April 28 Hong Kong-based Woo, who was head of corporate underwriting for Hong Kong and Macau, will join the Japanese insurer in a distribution role next month, InsuranceAsia News understands. Partner Content * Sedgwick | Investing in people is shaping the future of loss adjusting in Asia Sedgwick Asia says it is ready to meet the evolving challenges of Asia's dynamic insurance markets. * PartnerRe | Understanding ageing in APAC: why perception, planning and protection don't always align Ageing is shaping finances, family dynamics and insurance needs of the caregiving ecosystem, but current product propositions and underwriting frameworks are not keeping pace with protection needs, finds PartnerRe survey. * BHSI | D&O in Asia in 2026: navigating geopolitics, insolvencies, and digital crackdowns without breaking the bank A soft market presents organisations with opportunities to strengthen resilience, although the abundance of capacity is unlikely to persist. * QBE | Elevating customer experience, humanising claims: QBE Asia's 'Solutions in a Box' Vastly improving turnaround times and personalising service delivery, QBE Asia's award-winning, end-to-end bundled claims solutions is a game-changer for the insurance industry.

Biba 2026: QBE focused on construction and multinational growth - Nat Ferrigan. 'It's about building on that regional trade and taking our client conversations to the next level,' says insurer's head of distribution QBE is doubling down on its strategy to serve brokers in the regions and is accelerating the build out of its construction and multinational business. That is according to QBE Europe's head of distribution, Nat Ferrigan, who spoke to Insurance Times for the Biba conference in Manchester this week (13-14 May 2026). QBE has made a series of hires in its distribution, underwriting and client teams as part of a deliberate push to increase visibility with broker partners at a time when some competitors are pulling back, she explained. "While others are perhaps looking to rationalise some of their teams in distribution, underwriting and clients, we have had and will continue to have some really good investment and hires," Ferrigan said, adding that new staff are joining as additional staff rather than as replacements. Construction and multinational have been identified as two key growth pillars under the insurer's UK 2030 strategy. QBE hired Tim Bluck and Richard Sheridan in November last year to lead proposition development across both areas, spanning trade and SME risks through to contractors combined in the mid-market and larger construction clients. The company is also exploring schemes and facilities with broker partners as part of a broader move into "alternative distribution" that does not conflict with its existing panel relationships "We've always had a really good offering in construction. It's just taking it to the next level now based on what customers want, because the world moves on, risks change and people's needs change," Ferrigan added. Broker service. Service is also focused on regional development and Ferrigan noted that QBE appointed heads of trading in each of its regional hubs at the end of 2024. That regional focus is set to be supplemented in the second half of 2026 with the planned launch of an algorithmic underwriting solution for network partners, covering commercial combined and fleet. Ferrigan said the product was designed to plug the gap for risks that fall outside QBE's digital trade offering while not large enough for its regional underwriting footprint. "If it doesn't fit down the trade pipe and it doesn't fit in the regional space, there is another solution," she said, clarifying that the product is currently in its planning phase. On service for brokers, Ferrigan pointed to a series of operational improvements in claims as evidence of QBE's commitment to consistency in what she described as a "dynamic" and softening market. She said the insurer had achieved 100% of claims registered and acknowledged within 24 hours and reduced average telephone waiting times from 47 seconds to 13 seconds, with a 0% phone abandonment rate. Ferrigan said broker sentiment surveys were vital for QBE and that feedback directly informs strategic decisions, with brokers' desire for direct access to underwriting decision-makers as one of the clearest themes. "One of the things they call us out for is creating that platform for empowered conversations," she said. "Brokers want to talk to decision makers who are underwriters." She also flagged consolidation and panel rationalisation among brokers as a notable trend, noting that QBE was seeing broker partners take a more robust approach to their placement partner strategies, including removing insurers from panels. "People are now being removed from panels, so they are really robust with their partner placement strategy," she said, adding that QBE's focus on depth of relationship, rather than breadth of distribution, makes it well-placed to retain panel positions. "The message has been consistent for the last two or three years," she finished. "It's about building on that regional trade and taking our client conversations to the next level." Yiannis is editor at Insurance Times and the winner of 2023's Most Promising Newcomer and 2024's Story of the Year prizes at the Biba Media and Journalism Awards. With a particular interest in regulation, technology, innovation and political stories, he has covered issues from the multioccupancy buildings scandal to the insurance implications of quantum computing and the growth of new markets. View full Profile Topics. Register for free and gain access to more award-winning coverage by Insurance Times More news. No comments yet. You're not signed in. Keep informed Part of the Insurance and Risk group of Newsquest Specialist Media Published by Newsquest Media Group Limited, registered in England & Wales with number 01676637 at The Echo Building, 18 Albert Road, Bournemouth, England, BH1 1BZ - a USA Today company