John Van Der Wielen has been appointed as Friends Life’s new Managing Director International. John will report directly to CEO Andy Briggs, and will become a member of the group executive committee.
Friends Life’s International division comprises Friends Provident International (FPI) based in the UK and the Isle of Man. The UK office supports business in Europe; the Isle of Man operation supports branch offices in United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Singapore. John will also oversee fpb AG, FPI’s German distribution company, Lombard the Group’s Luxembourg based leading pan European wealth planning business for ultra high net worth customers and AmLife, the life insurance subsidiary of AmBank Group, which operates in Malaysia, in which Friends Life owns a 30% stake.
John joins from ANZ Banking Corporation based in Sydney, Australia, where he was Managing Director, Wealth. He has over 20 years of international experience in the financial services industry covering life and pensions, general insurance, wealth management and banking, in particular as CEO of HBOS Financial Services.
John Van Der Wielen, managing director international at Friends Life said:
“I’m joining Friends Life at an interesting time and am looking forward to getting to grips with my new role. One of my first tasks will be to understand the strategy, get to know the businesses that make up the International division and to meet the staff.
“Despite the global economic turmoil the international business has seen good growth in the majority of its core markets most notably in North and South East Asia. These markets have developed well over the period with growth in regular and single premium business benefitting from the local economy being more buoyant than Europe. I’m keen to keep the momentum going.”
Andy Briggs, CEO at Friends Life said:
“I’m delighted that John is joining Friends Life and look forward to working with him. He has a wealth of experience in financial services, gained both in the UK and overseas. This means that he is able to hit the ground running and deliver on the objectives that have been set for the international business.”
Source : Friends Life
