Chathuri’s appointment as CEO in 2022 coincided with the beginning of Sri Lanka’s worst economic, political and societal turmoil since its independence in 1948. Chathuri’s comprehensive response, including prioritising food security for employees and agents, enabled AIA Sri Lanka to emerge from the crisis financially stable and as a leading insurance provider in the country. A staunch champion of gender equity, inclusivity and sustainability, Chathuri has increased the female workforce at AIA Sri Lanka from 41% to 48% since 2022, introduced women-centric insurance products, and strengthened financial inclusion through bancassurance partnerships.
Bongani is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in negotiation, strategy formulation, and leadership across both the public and private sectors. His career began in the trade union space, where he played a key role in shaping strategies and leading negotiations. His journey in the financial sector started in 1990 when he pioneered the bancassurance model for multiple organisations.
Before joining Sanlam, Bongani served as CEO of African Rainbow Life. Prior to that, he held executive roles including CEO of Lion of Africa Insurance, Managing Director of the Mass Foundation Cluster, and Managing Director of the Corporate Cluster at Old Mutual.
Bongani holds a Management Advancement Programme qualification from Wits Business School, an MBA in negotiations from the Graduate School of Negotiation, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Alejandro Simón has been part of Grupo Sancor Seguros since 1998. He was appointed CEO in 2016.
Alejandro is also President of the Center for Technological, Business and Social Innovation and chairs the Ibero-American Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety. In December 2023, he was appointed President of CIDeS (the only think tank of the Argentine insurance industry). He was also President of ADIRA (the Argentinian insurance association) from 2016–2020. Alejandro served as Deputy Director of the Actuary Career at the University of Buenos Aires from 2009–2022. In 2018 he was co-chair of the G-20 Insurance Forum (held in Bariloche, Argentina) and a member of the ‘Financing Growth and Infrastructure’ Taskforce of B20 Argentina. In June 2023, he received the award for Business Leader of the Year.
Alejandro has an actuary degree from the University of Buenos Aires and a professional master's degree in business administration, magna cum laude, from IAE Universidad Austral.
Carl is the General Manager of MetLife Lebanon. In January 2023, his role and responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of Jordan.
He began his insurance career with AIG in 2000 as a Management Associate. In 2002, he moved to the Middle East to support the regional underwriter for a brief tenure in Amman, Jordan, before transitioning to the UAE to work on diverse projects in the MEASA region. In 2004, he became the Business Development Manager for the newly established Bancassurance distribution in MEASA. By 2005, he was appointed Head of Bancassurance and Direct to Consumer for the Gulf countries. In 2012, Carl took on the role of CEO for a joint venture in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – a strategic partnership between MetLife, AIG, and Arab National Bank – specialising in life, medical, and P&C insurance.
Carl has a degree in business administration from the American University of Beirut and later an MBA in global management from Thunderbird Global School of Management in Arizona.
Cecilia Ma Zecha is Director of Group Communications at AIA, where she oversees the company’s External Communications, Internal Communications, and Events.
Prior to joining AIA, Cecilia spent eight years as a news producer and anchor for CNBC in Hong Kong and Singapore. Cecilia was also with Forbes as Executive Director, responsible for delivering Forbes CEO conferences, and McKinsey, where she took on various roles including Head of External Relations for Southeast Asia, Head of Digital Communications Asia, and Editor of McKinsey Publishing.
