Global insurer Liberty has announced the retirement of Mike Abdallah (pictured), its chief underwriting officer for Australia and the Asia Pacific and one of the longest-serving insurance professionals in the region. Abdallah, whose career spans more than five decades after starting in the early 1970s, will retire at the end of September.

"Mike has played a central role in Liberty's growth across the Asia Pacific region," said Phil Hobbs, Liberty's president of underwriting, global risk solutions. "Under his 27 years of leadership, our commercial and specialty business in Asia Pacific has grown to become one of the strongest underwriting franchises in the region."

A people person

Abdallah told Insurance Business that what he'll miss most from his varied insurance career is the people.

"Definitely the people," he said. "Over my long tenure I've formed relationships with a lot of people in the insurance market, and over time many of those have extended beyond work associations to become true friendships."

The COVID "turning point"

Asked about the positive industry changes he's observed over his long career, Abdallah pointed to the changes in the workplace that followed the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think Covid was a real turning point," he said. "A lot of our team worked through really tough situations, and the flexibility and work-life balance we introduced is so important in today's busy world, and remains a foundation for the Liberty team today."

A Liberty media release said that from July 1 2026, Marcus Thomas will take on the role of chief underwriting officer, Asia Pacific. Thomas is another veteran, with more than 30 years' insurance industry experience. The release said Abdallah and Thomas will work together to ensure a smooth transition.