QBE has appointed Reuben Lee as its first Asia-based transactional liability insurance underwriter, marking a move to grow its TLI business in the region, the insurer announced on Thursday.
Lee takes on the role of transactional liability lead for Asia and will be based in Singapore, reporting to Arati Varma, head of financial lines and liability for the region, with a focus on growth and risk management in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) insurance market.
Lee joins QBE from Willis Towers Watson, where he worked as broking director for M&A risk advisory across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Prior to that, he worked as senior underwriter at Ryan Transactional Risk and helped set up the Singapore office for Transact Risk Partners before its acquisition by Ryan Transactional Risk.
“Reuben’s appointment underscores the growing importance of Asia in QBE’s global transactional liability strategy,” said Varma. “His regional expertise and strong underwriting foundation will help us deepen our presence and better support the fast-evolving M&A landscape across Asia.”
The appointment is part of a wider expansion of QBE’s transactional liability business. QBE first launched its TLI practice in London in early 2023 and has since expanded into Europe, including Italy, Germany, France, the Nordics, and Spain.
“We’re pleased to welcome Reuben and we’re confident his legal expertise and senior underwriting experience will make him an asset to QBE,” Toria Lessman, global head of transactional liability at QBE, said. “TLI continues to be an area of expansion for us and we’re excited to bring the next phase of this growth to Asia.”
Lee’s move comes amid a raft of key appointments for QBE in Asia this year, including Carles Tondo as head of property for Asia, Chai Guan Lim as head of distribution for Malaysia, and, on the reinsurance side of the business, QBE Re’s naming of Soichiro Tanaka to the newly created head of Southeast Asia role.
It also comes with the wider group delivering 7% GWP growth in 2025, with margins also strengthening.
