De Oude to lead HSBC Insurance Singapore

Jonathan Rest

HSBC INSURANCE has appointed Walter de Oude chief executive of its Singapore operation. De Oude takes the reins from Paul Arrowsmith, who had been chief executive of HSBC Insurance (Singapore) Pte Ltd since 2007. Arrowsmith has taken on the chairmanship of the Singapore unit, and is also deputy regional head of HSBC Insurance (Asia Pacific) Holdings Ltd. De Oude joined HSBC Insurance as chief actuary and head of products in 2007, and since then his role has expanded to include responsibility for the company’s marketing function. He had been Singapore deputy chief executive since the turn of the year. Before HSBC Insurance, de Oude held technical and marketing roles with both reinsurers and consulting firms. Earlier this year, HSBC Insurance chose the head of its Asia-Pacific business, David Fried, to replace Clive Bannister as group chief executive (Insuranceday.com, Feb 24). The appointment of Hong Kong-based Fried was seen as a reflection of the firm’s shifting focus to fast-growing emerging markets.