The West of England P&I Club, a provider of maritime insurance, has announced the appointment of Cai “XL” Xuanlun (pictured above left) as CEO of its new Hong Kong office, effective in December. He succeeds Richard Macnamara, who is stepping down as CEO after 28 years.
Cai joined West’s Hong Kong office in 2013 after spending several years practicing law in Mainland China, West said in a press release. He holds a law degree from Shanghai Maritime University and an MA in law from the University of Bristol.
After joining West, Cai handled both P&I and FD&D claims before transferring to underwriting in 2017. In 2022, he was named regional head of underwriting. In that role, he leads the underwriting relationship for West’s Chinese membership. Cai will continue to serve in this role in addition to his role as CEO.
In addition to elevating Cai to CEO, West recently appointed Windy Zheng as business development manager.
Outgoing CEO Macnamara will continue to act as a senior advisor to the Hong Kong team until 2025. Quentin Drew will remain head of claims for Hong Kong.
“We are delighted XL is to become our new CEO in Hong Kong,” said Tony Paulson (pictured above right), West’s head of Asia. “West is a leading club in China, and XL has been at the forefront of helping to build and maintain those vital relationships with our Chinese members, partners and brokers. This appointment is a recognition of that fact, as well as a firm commitment to the future of the Hong Kong office. I would also like to pay tribute to the exceptional role Richard has played as CEO in Hong Kong for many years. He has provided outstanding leadership and support, and I’m very pleased that he will continue to provide mentoring for XL and others as we move into this new era.”
“I am very happy to take up this new opportunity to lead the team in Hong Kong and continue to deliver the service and support our members expect of us in this region,” Cai said. “Asia is an enormously important area for West, and China is a key part of that. It recently became the world’s leading shipowning nation by tonnage, and West is well-positioned to support that expanding market by providing a wide variety of marine insurance products, all backed by outstanding service from our Hong Kong office.”
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