Head of Surety

Role Purpose To lead the Malaysia Surety business and support the creation of a scalable APAC Surety operating hub in Malaysia. The role is accountable for profitable underwriting growth, local broker, agents and client development, underwriting governance, regional coordination, and long-term operational scalability. Responsibilities Management of current indigenous book: • Strategy – primary role on business development; agency relationship & development; product; planning & forecasting – working closely with HOS. • Underwriting oversight within delegated limits. • Compliance – incl underwriting guidelines, authority, peer review • Profitable financial performance – deliver profitable P&L ≥ plan; minimal-nil losses. • Champion digitization of Tier 1 bonds and use of AI as appropriate Assist new business initiative • Assist strategy – targeting large, financially solvent Malaysian corporates mirroring APAC strategy in other countries, issuing bonds locally and overseas. Initially under close management of HOS: • Local broker engagement to drive strategy and ID prospects. • Engage with key prospects to “sell” Chubb Surety proposition. • Facilitate underwriting of new business by APAC Surety regional team. • Assist with servicing of customers. Portfolio, Underwriting & Governance • Underwrite within delegated authority and ensure timely referral of cases outside authority. • Lead portfolio planning, pricing discipline, risk selection and profitability monitoring. • Review financial strength, credit quality, contractual obligations, bond wordings, recourse documentation and indemnity structures. • Ensure underwriting files contain clear rationale, complete approvals, pricing evidence, financial analysis and compliance documentation. • Drive profitable Malaysia Surety P&L meeting / exceeding COG Surety plans and targets. • Support peer review, underwriting audits, technical reviews and remediation of any control gaps. Business Development & Market Management • Develop relationships with agents, brokers, clients, banks, contractors and large corporates. • Specific to current Malaysia surety indigenous book, broaden agent / distribution channels and reduce reliance and dilute reliance on few agents to deliver production. • Assist with launch of NBI, initially under direction and support of APAC Regional team: • Identify target segments including financially solvent Malaysian corporates, infrastructure-related clients and multinational/local groups with overseas bond requirements. • Develop and maintain appropriate distribution channels relevant to NBI (incl brokers). • Engage with key prospects and support regional teams in converting Malaysia-originated opportunities. • Capture broker/agent and clients feedback, competitor activity and market intelligence to refine go-to-market strategy. APAC Surety Regional & Operations Contribution • Assist APAC Surety regional operations: o Work with Surety Operations to digitize current Malaysia indigenous book to extent appropriate and possible. o Provide local management support, assisting APAC Surety Regional Team. • Help define the future operating model, process split between underwriting and operations, and role clarity for junior and senior resources. • Participate in strategic projects, automation initiatives and cross-functional APAC Surety planning. • Support wider APAC Surety initiatives under direction and support of APAC Regional team. In time, contribute to APAC Surety activities in Asia: o Assist HOS & Regional Underwriting Manager in specific markets. o Market R&D – surety market knowledge, regulatory environment, ID local surety participants / issuers. o Local broker engagement to drive strategy and ID prospects. o Engage with key prospects to “sell” Chubb Surety proposition. o Facilitate underwriting of new business by APAC Surety regional team. • Bachelor degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, Law, Actuarial Science, Engineering or related discipline; professional insurance qualifications are advantageous. • Minimum 7-10 years of relevant experience in surety, credit insurance, banking, corporate credit, specialty underwriting or commercial insurance. • Prior people management or functional leadership experience preferred. • Strong understanding of financial statements, credit assessment, bond structures, indemnity arrangements and commercial contract risk. • Established Malaysian broker/client relationships strongly preferred; regional APAC exposure advantageous. • Fluent written and spoken English; Bahasa Malaysia and additional Asian language capability advantageous.