Growth in demand for its liability insurance cover for small and specialist vessels of all types is cited as a major imperative behind Shipowners’ moves to expand its team of underwriters and claims handlers at its Singapore branch. Improved customer service to Members and their brokers based on local, time zone based expertise is another goal of the expansion. As is the development of new products and simplification of existing cover more appropriate to the market’s needs.
In announcing a raft of new employees and some changes in the responsibility of personnel, Shipowners General Manager of the Singapore branch, Steve Randall said, “Since opening our Singapore branch in 2009, we have continued to provide our customers with a global service but on a local basis. This has allowed us to forge closer bonds with our Members and their brokers in the region. As a result, we are seeing a constantly growing membership and broker base here, which requires us to increase significantly our office personnel.”
Robert Hunt, is moving from the London branch to Singapore in early-August. Robert, who has worked in the P&I market for many years, firstly as a broker and for the last seven years at Shipowners as an underwriter, has had responsibility for undertaking the Club’s Australasian and Far Eastern Members for some years and will be better positioned geographically to service these accounts from the Club’s Asian hub.
Joining Shipowners after five years with Standard Asia is Singaporean Dolf Ng. Also an underwriter, who started with the Club earlier this year, Dolf will bolster the branch’s underwriting capacity and help develop the Club’s business in the Asia-Pacific region. The department is also well supported by two underwriting assistants; Celinne Lim gained experience in commercial underwriting before joining the Club a little over two years ago and Yang Shangrong, who joined late last year and has a varied background in business commerce solutions and sales and customer support.
On the claims side, the Singapore branch has significantly developed its resource within the last six months with two claims handlers having been appointed earlier this year; Shirley Ng has experience as both an insurance broker and a claims manager at a freight forwarding company in Singapore, while Rosli Bin Samat has a wealth of marine and cargo related experience. Having joined Shipowners from a position responsible for insurance claims at a major shipowner involved in the offshore industry, Rosli also has experience as a marine surveyor and has three years sea-going experience.
Steve Randall comments, “We are determined to resource the branch with the relevant skill set to further improve our service to Members and their brokers here in the Asia-Pacific region. Our commitment to provide insurance solutions and to develop new products has never been stronger and we will develop our programme of tailored seminars to help inform Members on loss prevention and claims reduction management in particular.”
The Shipowners’ Protection Limited
+44 (0) 207 488 0911
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www.shipowners.co.uk