London-based Specialist Risk Group (SRG) has followed the recent launch of its Asian business by tapping Singaporean Jaya Taylor to head up the firm’s Group Regulatory Affairs, Risk and Compliance function.
Taylor will join SRG in January from her current role as Global Compliance Officer for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. Taylor is a lawyer with wide ranging multi-jurisdictional insurance and management experience and SRG’s CEO Warren Downey told (Re)in Asia that her knowledge of Asian markets was important given the firm’s expansion plans.
SRG announced the launch of its Asian business in October, with the acquisition of HL Suntek from Hong Leong Holdings in Singapore and Downey says the firm is interested in everything ‘East of East London’.
Taylor will be based in London where she will have responsibility for all jurisdictions, including those in Asia. Currently SRG is only active in Singapore but the firm intends to expand to several other countries in the region over the next half decade.
The news of Taylor’s hire follows the 17 October announcement that SRG had recruited Collin Yap to head up its Asia business.
Yap has over two decades experience in the Asian insurance market, most recently as CEO of Marsh’s Singapore business. Prior to that he was CEO of JLT’s Asia business, where he worked with Downey.
“When SRG was thinking about how to internationalise the group it was important to find people with true international experience, both in terms of operating jurisdictions and also living and working in other places,” Downey said. “When Taylor came onto the scene it was frankly too good to be true.”
“Taylor is a Singaporean citizen and will take up a role that covers both our home market and our expansion East, and it’s important that she is familiar with Asia. If we can continue to attract people of Yap and Taylor’s calibre it will expand our capability to complete multiple projects at the same time,” he adds.
