Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility (SEADRIF) has appointed Dr. Yoshihiro Kawai as SEADRIF Initiative Director, following his original endorsement by the Council of Members in late March. In a company announcement on LinkedIn on Friday (16 August), SEADRIF confirmed that all necessary governance procedures have been completed and that Dr. Kawai officially assumed the role in early August 2024.
Dr. Kawai joins SEADRIF with a notable background, having served as Chair of the OECD Insurance and Private Pension Committee and Chair of the Global Asia Insurance Partnership (GAIP).
He has also been an Advisor to the Commissioner of Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) and a Member of the International Advisory Council, China National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA). Additionally, he is a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy, Tokyo University.
In his new role, Dr. Kawai will be responsible for building a strong management function to strengthen governance, capacity building, and stakeholder relationships. He will also oversee the SEADRIF Insurance Company as its Board Chair, guiding the strategic vision of fostering a more financially resilient ASEAN+3 region against disaster and climate shocks. Dr. Kawai will also serve as Secretary General of the ASEAN+3 DRF Initiative.
“Dr. Kawai’s extensive expertise in disaster risk finance will be invaluable as we continue to align with the broader regional DRF agenda and implement the ASEAN+3 DRF Initiative,” SEADRIF said in its announcement.
Prior to his recent roles, Dr. Kawai led the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) for 20 years, serving as Deputy Secretary General from 1998 to 2003 and Secretary General from 2003 to 2017. He began his professional career with Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Co. and the Ministry of Labour, Japan. He later served on the Secretariat for the OECD Insurance Committee in Paris and acted as Advisor to the Minister of Finance and the President of the Insurance Supervisory Authority Poland in Warsaw from 1995 until 1998.
SEADRIF is a regional initiative aimed at enhancing the financial resilience of ASEAN+3 countries against disaster and climate shocks. It works to develop and implement disaster risk finance solutions and policies in collaboration with member countries and stakeholders.
