Zurich Cover-More, Howden, AI12, and HDI Global have announced senior appointments connected to their Asia and Asia-related operations.

Zurich Cover-More sets new structure for Asia travel unit

Zurich Cover-More has named Jon Ford (pictured left) as head of Asia and Tricia Lim (pictured right) as head of commercial operations and delivery, Asia, for its regional travel insurance and assistance business. Ford, who is based in Singapore, will hold the new role in addition to his current position as head of partnerships for Zurich APAC. In the combined capacity, he will coordinate with Matthew Reilly, chief operating officer, Zurich APAC, and Donna Dorairajoo, head of international, Zurich Cover‑More, on the travel business across Asian markets.

Ford has more than 25 years of experience spanning insurance, technology and consulting. His previous positions include vice president and regional head of partnership distribution at Chubb in Asia-Pacific and regional partnership roles at Accenture and Navitaire. Since joining Zurich APAC in 2022, he has focused on partnership development and will now also lead the regional travel portfolio and related distribution arrangements under the Zurich Cover‑More brand.

Lim, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance and travel sector and over two years with Travel Guard in Asia, will work alongside Ford on the regional build-out. Her responsibilities cover day-to-day operations, regulatory compliance, and the implementation of platforms and partner programmes, including maintaining service levels and business continuity and adjusting operations for expected changes in volume. These leadership moves follow Zurich’s decision in late 2024 to formalise Zurich Cover‑More as the group’s global travel business after the acquisition of AIG’s Travel Guard operation, with Asia forming an important part of the combined footprint.

Howden develops Japanese construction initiative from London

Howden has launched a Japanese-focused initiative within its Construction & Infrastructure Assets division to support Japanese-led construction and infrastructure projects worldwide, including in Asia-Pacific. As part of this initiative, the broker has appointed Nobu Akahane as head of Japanese construction, with Masami Ono taking a senior supporting role. Both are based in London within Howden’s international construction team and will work in coordination with the firm’s office in Japan. The initiative responds to ongoing overseas investment by Japanese corporates in infrastructure and construction projects in Asia-Pacific, North America, and other regions where Japanese sponsors and contractors are active in power, energy, and civil engineering. The focus is on project risks that involve multiple jurisdictions and complex contractual arrangements.

According to Howden, Akahane and Ono bring experience in advising Japanese clients on multinational construction and engineering programmes. The new unit is described as a central resource intended to:

Support Japanese-led construction and infrastructure projects worldwide
Strengthen Howden’s capabilities in power, energy, and civil engineering
Expand international services across construction and infrastructure assets
Promote cross-border collaboration and cross-selling across the wider Howden group

AI12 refines financial lines leadership from DIFC hub

Specialist insurance and reinsurance broker AI12 Ltd., headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), has appointed Jamie Eaton as head of financial lines, following the firm’s recent regulatory authorisation and establishment in the DIFC. Eaton will lead AI12’s financial lines specialty practice, covering financial and cyber solutions, with responsibility for product and portfolio development and for the firm’s engagement with markets in the UAE and internationally, including business with Asian connections. The appointment follows a period in which the broker has been adding senior staff and technical resources to respond to regulatory, economic, and technology-driven exposures.

Anvar Mullabekov, founder and CEO of AI12 Limited, said: “Jamie’s appointment is a clear continuation of our strategy following our DIFC establishment and DFSA authorisation. We are building AI12 into a specialist brokerage platform with depth across multiple lines of business, where technical excellence, agility, and global market access are non-negotiable. Financial Lines is a key pillar of our specialty growth strategy, and Jamie brings the credibility, leadership, and expertise to scale this capability in a way that is both commercially ambitious and technically disciplined.”

Eaton has nearly 20 years’ experience in the London market and the Middle East. He has held senior roles at Howden Insurance Brokers and JLT Group, working on financial lines portfolios in the region, and previously led Bluefin’s London financial lines practice within AXA Group. At JLT, he was head of financial lines and portfolio management for TMEA, advising commercial and financial institution clients. At AI12, his mandate includes developing a focused financial lines operation, with an emphasis on cyber, management liability, and professional risks.

Eaton said: “AI12 is building something deliberately different in the market, an expert-led, specialty practice designed to be agile, technically strong, and client-close. Financial lines is increasingly shaped by economic conditions, regulation, and technology-driven exposures. That dynamic demands a brokerage approach that goes beyond placement and focuses on future risk-proofing, understanding how a client’s risk profile is changing and structuring solutions that stand up under scrutiny.”

Richard Prenter, chief operating officer of AI12 Limited, said: “Jamie’s appointment is another important step as we continue to build AI12’s specialty practice in the DIFC and scale our capabilities across complex risk classes. Financial lines and cyber are increasingly board-level priorities, shaped by rapidly evolving regulation, technology exposure, and economic volatility. Jamie brings the market credibility, technical depth, and insurer connectivity required to deliver the strategic, client-close outcomes we are focused on.”

HDI Global updates energy and power leadership in Singapore

HDI Global Singapore has appointed Haris Michaels as head of energy & power Eastern Region at its Singapore branch, effective March 1, as part of a change in leadership responsibilities for the energy and power portfolio. Michaels has more than 20 years of industry experience, with a background in technical underwriting for engineering and energy-related risks. He joined HDI Global in 2013 and has previously held leadership responsibilities in Australasia. In August 2025, he relocated to Singapore to support clients across Southeast Asia, focusing on conventional and transition-related energy projects. He succeeds Mark Mackay, who will become global head of energy & power at HDI Global, also from March 1. The linked appointments align regional and global oversight of power generation, traditional energy, and newer technologies within the group’s energy and power unit.

Alex Tarantino, managing director of HDI Global Singapore, said: “Energy & power remain pivotal growth areas in Asia, driven by accelerating investment and complex transition pathways. With Haris Michaels taking on leadership responsibility for energy & power in Singapore, we are seamlessly strengthening continuity for clients and brokers – and reinforcing our ambition to be a trusted long-term partner in transformation as projects, technologies, and risk profiles evolve.”

Mackay said: “I am delighted that Haris Michaels is stepping into this role in Singapore. He has already made a strong impact during the transition period and brings the right mix of technical depth, market understanding, and a close-to-client mindset. This is an excellent fit for our clients and broker partners in the region.” Michaels said: “I’m excited to take on this responsibility at a time when the region’s energy & power sectors are transforming at pace. My focus will be simple: staying close to clients and broker partners, understanding their projects and challenges, and bringing HDI Global’s technical expertise and responsive service to support them. Our team will do so across conventional energy, renewables, and the technologies shaping the transition.”