Aon has launched an Asia Pacific Capital Advisory unit within its reinsurance solutions business.
The unit aims to deliver a holistic approach to capital optimisation for reinsurers.
The initiative follows Aon’s launch of similar capital advisory units in the UK and US, which have been implemented to help reinsurer clients optimise the use of capital through forensic balance sheet analyses.
As part of the launch, Aon has hired Seewon Oh to work alongside Aon’s existing global rating agency and capital advisory teams. She will also be reporting to Rupert Moore, CEO of Japan for reinsurance solutions.
The teams will collaborate closely to meet the needs of the firm’s Asia Pacific reinsurer clients, across the property and casualty and life and health sectors.
Most recently, Oh worked as an analyst for Smartkarma Innovations researching the insurance sector across the Asia Pacific. Previously, she was an equity analyst at banking group HSBC covering insurance, and a credit analyst at A.M. Best Asia-Pacific, based in Hong Kong.
In her new role, Oh will focus primarily on rating agency advisory work, while broadening into other areas of client engagement.
Commenting on the launch of the unit Moore said: “In the current environment, many Asia Pacific reinsurers are experiencing low growth, low underwriting margins and low investment income while facing higher capital requirements due to regulatory and rating agency obligations.”
“The goal of capital advisory is to help clients achieve capital efficiency either by accessing alternative or traditional capital or through identifying opportunities that make better use of existing capital while taking into account cost and returns. This in turn helps them to generate better returns on common equity,” he added.
