Bonnie Chow has been named senior underwriter, political risk and trade credit insurance, in XL Catlin’s Asia Pacific team.

Based in Sydney, she has 20 years’ experience in insurance and banking, and joins XL Catlin from Zurich Insurance Australia.

She spent eight years in Zurich’s credit and political risk division, before which she worked with Atradius, the Australian Prudential Authority, Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (Efic – the Australian export credit agency) and Westpac.

She reports to regional head of political risk and trade credit insurance, Mark Houghton, who says: “We’re delighted to welcome Bonnie to the team. She brings with her a wealth of experience and technical expertise which will further strengthen our offering at a time when demand for coverage is on the rise across Asia Pacific”

His sentiments are echoed by Asia Pacific CEO, Craig Langham, who says: “The increasing pace of globalisation has accelerated the interplay between geopolitics and economics. According to the Global Risks report published last year by the World Economic Forum, it is the first time in the report’s 10-year history that geopolitical risks are the foremost concerns for many organisations.

“These risks include interstate conflict, failure of national governance and state collapse or crisis. As more of our clients seek out opportunities in emerging markets, we’re seeing a greater demand from clients to protect their investments and manage their geopolitical risk. Bonnie’s appointment underscores XL Catlin’s commitment to delivering vital trade credit and political risk coverages to better serve our clients’ evolving needs in the region.”