Liberty has announced that its Chairman of Australia and Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) for Asia Pacific, Michael Abdallah, will retire on 30 September 2026, marking the end of a 27-year career with the insurer.
In a LinkedIn announcement, Liberty said Abdallah had played “a central and defining role” in the company’s regional growth. He was one of three founders who launched Liberty’s APAC commercial and specialty operation, then known as Liberty International Underwriters, in Sydney in June 1999.
Abdallah also helped deliver more than 26 years of consistent profitability, supported by his “integrated business team approach and disciplined underwriting strategy.”
Succeeding Abdallah, Marcus Thomas will take on the role of CUO for APAC, effective 1 July 2026.
Thomas has been with Liberty since 2003, and recently relocated from Sydney to Hong Kong for his most recent roles of CUO commercial for Asia and CUO third party for Asia-Pacific. He also worked in professional and financial lines earlier in his career.
In April, Liberty International Insurance completed the consolidation of its general insurance licences across parts of the Asia-Pacific. Since then, the insurer has announced the appointment of Defne Turkes as President and Managing Director of Liberty International Insurance, the international division of Liberty’s Global Risk Solutions business and named Cynthia Sze as Chief Executive Officer of its combined Hong Kong unit.
