Change At The Top Of Friends Provident International

Tom Burroughes

17 June 2015

, which is part of UK-listed Aviva Group and provides wealth management services among its offering, has appointed Chris Wei as chairman and Khor Hock Seng as chief executive, taking effect from 1 July.

The appointments, which are subject to regulatory clearance, extend both men’s responsibilities at Aviva and come after the announcement in April that John Van Der Wielen, chairman of FPI, will step down at the end of this month, while remaining on the board as a non-executive director.

Wei took overall responsibility for FPI in April 2015, as part of Aviva’s acquisition of Friends Life Group. Joining Aviva last year, Wei has held a number of senior roles across the savings, pensions and insurance industry, including CEO of Great Eastern Holdings, the listed Asian life insurer.

Khor was appointed CEO of Aviva Asia in 2013. Before joining Aviva, he had held a number of senior roles including that of CEO of AIA’s Malaysian business. Khor will continue to report to Wei.

Continuing in their roles at FPI are: James Tan, managing director Asia; Marcus Gent, managing director Middle East and rest of world; and Chris Gill, general manager Singapore. Tan and Gent will now report to Khor. (This publication has interviewed FPI previously about its wealth management offerings. See here.)