Finley retires as President of APAC of Starr Insurance, Chen to take over

Starr Insurance, a provider of commercial property and casualty insurance, has announced the retirement of Phil Finley as the President of Asia Pacific (APAC), and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Thailand.

Effective August 1st, 2025, Sean Chen will succeed him as the President of APAC, in addition to his current role as CEO and Country Manger of Singapore.

In this role, Chen reports to Jose Ribeiro, President for APAC & Latin America (LATAM) at Starr.

Finley is set to retire in early 2026 after 23 years of dedicated service to the company.

Chen, as the CEO of Starr Singapore, leads the operations and strategic direction in the APAC region. He has over 25 years of industry experience, with deep expertise in marketing and underwriting property, energy, and construction risks, managing and growing regional teams and businesses.

Prior to this, he was the Regional Manager for Korea, Taiwan, and Japan for over eight years, where he expanded Starr’s presence and portfolio in the markets. He started at Starr as a Senior Underwriter for Property Energy Construction in 2009.

Additionally, Chen held roles as Executive Underwriter of Property at Tokio Marine Kiln for two years, based in Hong Kong, and as Manager of Commercial Lines at Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance for three years, based in Korea.

Chen started his career in New York City as an Underwriter of Global Property for Zurich North America in 1998, eventually moving to global re/insurance broker, Aon, as a Global Account Executive and finally as a Senior Underwriter for Global Property at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS).