West of England veteran Tony Paulson has been confirmed as head of Asia and is set to relocate to Singapore later this year.
The P&I insurer said the new role “reflects both the continued growth of Asia as a shipping centre and the region’s importance to West”.
Paulson, who has been with West for over 30 years, provide “strategic support” to the Singapore and Hong Kong offices, West said.
His appointment follows the recent promotions of David Griffiths and Xuanlun (XL) Cai as regional heads of underwriting in Singapore and Hong Kong respectively.
West said Asia accounts for “a significant proportion of West’s membership” without giving exact details.
West said it was the first International Group (IG) Club to establish an office in Asia in 1982.
That office, still the largest of its kind in the region, was bolstered by the opening of West’s Singapore office in 2017, which has since expanded to 10 staff.
“With members across China, Vietnam, Singapore and Southeast Asia, West is well positioned through its strong regional office network to take advantage of the continued growth of ship owning and operation in the region,” the company said.
Paulson, who has undertaken several roles across the P&I insurer, will continue in his role as the club’s corporate director alongside his new position as head of Asia.
“Tony has oversight of all sanctions matters and provides risk management advice to members and brokers across a broad range of legal, operational and liability issues at West,” the company added.
West of England’s group chief executive Tom Bowsher said: “Tony knows the region well, having previously lived in Hong Kong and travelled extensively throughout since then, so I’m confident that he will have an immediate impact.
“Relocating a senior Director with such a breadth of experience across the Club underlines just how important Asia is to West.”
