Stephen Potter to join AIA/Sovereign as Chief Underwriter

A well-known underwriter with a long history in the personal insurance industry will be leading AIA/Sovereign’s Underwriting team from the New Year.

Stephen Potter will start as Chief Underwriter to both AIA and Sovereign on January 15.  

Sharron-Moana Botica, Chief Customer Officer at AIA and Sovereign, says Potter comes with a wealth of experience.

“Stephen first joined Sovereign back in 1989, and as such was one of the ‘originals’ at the company,” she says. 

“Five years ago he left to work for AMP, before heading over to Fidelity Life.

“Stephen’s expertise, earned over nearly three decades, mean the AIA/Sovereign Underwriting team will be well-placed to help make New Zealand one of the healthiest and most protected countries in the world,” she says.

“He’s told me that he’s incredibly excited about the opportunity, given the innovation and strategic focus that we are applying to Underwriting, as we develop AIA/Sovereign’s market leadership in this area,” Sharron-Moana Botica says. 

To arrange an interview with Sharron-Moana Botica, contact Jay Harkness, Senior Communications Adviser, on 027 836 2533.

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About AIA and Sovereign: 

In New Zealand AIA and Sovereign together employ almost 900 people. Since AIA arrived in New Zealand in 1981, it has consistently provided the market with innovative personal and business insurance products that suit the Kiwi way of life. In July 2018, the AIA Group acquired Sovereign, becoming the largest life insurer in New Zealand. AIA and Sovereign offer a complete range of risk management products that focus on the needs of customers. The companies are both based in Auckland, with regional offices in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Both companies are members of the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme and the Health Funds Association of New Zealand. AIA has an insurer financial strength rating from Standard and Poor’s of AA-. Sovereign has a rating of A+, from AM Best.

About AIA Group

AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau, Brunei, Cambodia, a 97 per cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, a 49 per cent joint venture in India and a representative office in Myanmar.

The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai almost a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$221 billion as of 30 June 2018.

AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of 32 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).