The Asia Claims Landscape – Insight by Stephen Kerr, CEO, Sedgwick Asia

The Asia Claims Landscape – Insight by Stephen Kerr, CEO, Sedgwick Asia

Stephen shares his thoughts on several topical issues impacting the sector and looking at the challenges and opportunities for the future.

How does leading teams in Asia differ from your previous experience leading teams in the UK?

I have had the privilege of living and working in the region since 2023 and have hugely enjoyed the experience.  It is such a diverse and enriching environment which is packed full of enthusiastic, engaging, and dedicated claims professionals.  There are some very demanding and large technical losses in Asia, so it’s an interesting place to work with lots of learning opportunities. The biggest difference between leading teams in Asia and UK, is the diversity and the scale of the geography.  We operated in 9 countries in the region, each with different cultures, languages, currencies, markets, and insurance law, requiring a sophisticated platform to deliver for our clients.

What do you believe are the key requirements to be able to manage across multiple locations, cultures, and insurance practices?

Flexibility and good communication are key to maintaining honest dialogue.  Respect is very important and its imperative to be accessible, authentic, and to appreciate that what works in one country does not necessary work in the next.  The desire to work for a great company, that values and invests in colleague experience, is something that is common, regardless of location. So, we place a lot of focus on making sure Sedgwick Asia is a great place to work, to attract and retain the best talent and continue to grow the business.

Where do you see the key opportunities for growth in the Asia market?

The Asia insurance market is full of highly technical and dedicated professionals with many highly complex/large losses.  As a career in loss adjusting this makes Asia a very exciting and engaging place to work.  For the last two years, in addition to investing in and growing our existing lines, we have been focused on building specialist teams to better serve our clients as they navigate their most complex losses.  These specialisms include Aviation, Energy/Natural Resources, Marine Average and Hull & Machinery plus heavy engineering, as well as our forensic accountancy team.  These teams continue to grow and add depth to our business, helping to build our offerings for our clients, as well as ensuring Sedgwick remains a great place to work.

There is also an increasing prevalence of large international and global risk programmes meaning carriers, brokers and adjusters must navigate and operate in numerous jurisdictions. Our team here in Asia is managing cross-border compliance efforts to enhance operational robustness while ensuring compliance with local privacy regulations and we also continue to advance new technology and solutions to support our clients in preparing and managing these complex risks.

How are you growing and retaining the next generation of talent for Major & Complex Loss?

There is much focus on technology and AI solutions, and rightly so.  These fast-evolving support platforms are transforming our industry and leading to an increasingly competitive landscape.  That said, the industry remains a primarily people-based environment, when it comes to the complexities of MCL, where deep knowledge and the ability to deliver creative solutions, will continue to be a differentiator.  As such, attracting and then retaining the best people remains a key objective.  Our senior leadership team focusses hard to ensure that Sedgwick Asia is a great place to work – a business where colleagues can enjoy high levels of engagement and crucially, where career development programmes help them realise their career aspirations, with clear pathways to progress.

We have recently launched our award-winning Pathfinder career development programme in Asia, which we brought across in collaboration with UK.  This is a great example of an initiative that neatly lifts over and underscores the value of our global learning and growth credentials.  We are also launching Protégé, which is a programme that helps experienced adjusters transition to MCL level claims. This programme is a mix of classroom, mentoring, on-the-job training, and support with professional qualifications.  This is helping us maintain that all important pipeline of talent for the next generation of MCL adjusters.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of relocating to work in Asia?

If your lifestyle allows, then don’t hesitate to take the opportunity to work abroad.  You will learn so much about yourself and the wider industry which will be a huge benefit for you in your career.  Make sure you pick a good employer, one which is passionate about colleagues and career development, and has a footprint to give you the widest exposure and opportunity for personal growth.

Right International are market leading recruiters to the Claims, and Insurance sector.

If you are looking to add to your team now or in the near future or are considering your next career move, please contact myself or one of the team.

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All the best,

Gary Pike

Founder & MD Right International

garypike@rightinternational.com