Head of Global HNW Underwriting

About FWD Group

FWD Group (1828.HK) is a pan-Asian life and health insurance business that serves approximately 40 million customers across 10 markets, including BRI Life in Indonesia. FWD’s customer-led and tech-enabled approach aims to deliver innovative propositions, easy-to-understand products and a simpler insurance experience. Established in 2013, the company operates in some of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the world with a vision of changing the way people feel about insurance. FWD Group is listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code 1828.

For more information, please visit www.fwd.com

PURPOSE

The Vice President, Head of Global HNW Underwriting is accountable for building and leading FWD Global HNW's underwriting function across Asia, the Middle East, Bermuda and other strategic international markets. The role owns the global underwriting strategy, risk appetite, technical standards and operating model required to support sustainable APE and VNB growth while maintaining disciplined mortality, profitability and customer outcomes.

Reporting to the GVP, Global HNW Operating Office, the role partners closely with Distribution, Product, New Business, Case Management, Operations, Actuarial, Finance, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Medical and Reinsurance teams to establish FWD as a preferred first-tier HNW carrier for complex, large-case and UHNW business.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Global Underwriting Strategy & Performance

• Formulate and execute the global HNW underwriting strategy, operating plan and capability roadmap, aligned with FWD Global HNW growth priorities

• Set underwriting appetite, technical standards and service objectives that support achievement of APE, VNB, margin and portfolio-quality targets.

• Monitor mortality, claims, market, competitor and medical trends and translate insights into underwriting, product and proposition actions.

Technical Underwriting & Case Leadership

• Provide senior oversight and decision leadership for complex, jumbo, non-standard and cross-border HNW and UHNW cases.

• Establish consistent financial, medical, occupational, avocational and country-risk assessment standards across all HNW issuing entities and hubs.

• Lead case escalation, exception and referral processes, ensuring decisions are timely, commercially balanced, well documented and within authority.

Global Operating Model & Service Excellence

• Build, lead and develop a high-performing global HNW underwriting team with clear accountabilities, authorities and service standards.

• Implement an integrated underwriting operating model, including effective case allocation, hub connectivity, workflow management and follow-the-sun support.

• Drive automation, data, analytics and digital underwriting capabilities to improve turnaround times, productivity, consistency and adviser experience.

Reinsurance, Product & Distribution Partnership

• Manage strategic relationships with reinsurers and medical partners, including facultative support, jumbo capacity, retention solutions and specialist expertise.

• Partner with Product, Actuarial and Risk to shape competitive product design, underwriting rules, pricing assumptions and portfolio-management actions.

• Engage priority distributors and senior partners on complex cases, underwriting propositions and market-facing initiatives that strengthen FWD positioning.

Governance, Risk & Portfolio Management

• Establish and maintain global underwriting policies, delegated authorities, quality-assurance standards and governance forums aligned with Group requirements.

• Monitor underwriting quality, exceptions, concentrations, mortality indicators and portfolio trends, with clear reporting, escalation and remediation.

• Ensure compliance with local regulation, reinsurance treaties, data-privacy requirements and FWD Group policies across all operating jurisdictions.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the senior underwriting voice on the Global HNW Leadership Team and advise executive management on risk appetite, capability investments and portfolio performance.

• Mobilise cross-functional teams across markets and hubs to resolve complex cases, remove execution friction and deliver consistent partner and customer outcomes.

• Develop succession, technical accreditation and talent plans, including the identification and grooming of high-potential underwriting leaders.

QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 15 years of life insurance underwriting experience, with significant HNW and UHNW exposure and at least five years in regional or global leadership roles.

• Demonstrated expertise in financial underwriting, jumbo and complex-case assessment, international risk evaluation and executive underwriting decisions.

• Strong knowledge of HNW insurance products, reinsurance structures, underwriting governance and market dynamics across Asia and international HNW markets.

• Proven record of building underwriting teams and operating models while improving service, consistency, portfolio quality and commercial outcomes.

• University degree in business, finance, medicine, actuarial science or a related discipline; FALU, FLMI or equivalent professional qualifications are strongly preferred.

KNOWLEDGE & TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Strategic and technically credible underwriting leader with sound judgement and strong ownership of risk, service and commercial outcomes.

• Excellent communication, influencing and decision-making skills, with credibility at senior executive, reinsurer and distribution-partner level.

• Strong people leader able to build, motivate and develop a geographically distributed team of specialist underwriters.

• Collaborative and pragmatic, with the ability to balance underwriting discipline with customer, partner and business needs.

• Fluent written and spoken English; additional Asian or international-market language capability is an advantage.