FWD names Simeon Preston as managing director and COO

FWD Group has appointed Simeon Preston as managing director and group chief operating officer, succeeding Rob Schimek.

In a statement, the Hong Kong-headquartered insurer said that Preston will be in charge of its customer, operations, product, digital, technology and transformation teams, working to support its expansion across Asia. Meanwhile, Schimek will transition into a broader role within the group, which includes growing its digital general insurance capabilities and overseeing the development of new ventures across the region.

Preston joins FWD from Bupa, where he was CEO for international markets, based in the UK. Prior to Bupa, Preston was group chief operations officer at AIA, based in Hong Kong. Earlier in his career he was a partner at two leading management consulting firms, the statement added.

“Sim has extensive leadership and industry experience both globally and regionally in Asia and we’re delighted to welcome him into the FWD family,” said Huynh Thanh Phong, group chief executive officer of FWD. “I’ve no doubt that his insights, experience and strategic ideas will help us to build on our successes to become a leading pan-Asian insurer that changes the way people feel about insurance.”