AIA Malaysia names Eric Chang as new CMO

AIA Malaysia has appointed Eric Chang (pictured) as chief marketing officer (CMO) as outgoing CMO Thomas Wong moves into the chief human resources officer role. Meanwhile, Sandeep Pandey has been named chief technology officer.In his new role, Chang will focus on ramping up the expansion and distribution of AIA Vitality, while continuing to reinforce AIA’s position as an active health advocate in Malaysia. This follows a sharper focus AIA has taken on health over the past two years, which saw the June 2016 launch of AIA Vitality – an insurance and health programme rewarding AIA customers for making healthy choices.Prior to the move, Chang was head of brand and digital at the company, a role he had held since March 2013. According to the insurance company, he has been instrumental in AIA’s efforts to build and promote the brand, along with its values among key stakeholders and the community.This includes leading the delivery of successful campaigns including The Health Report Card Project by AIA and I Choose as part of the larger AIA Vitality rollout in Malaysia last year. On the digital front, Chang spearheaded AIA Malaysia’s digital transformation which resulted in the launch of the company’s new and improved website and customer portal.Outgoing CMO Wong will take on a key role which develops and drives AIA Malaysia’s leadership strategy. This is to ensure a strong talent pipeline, along with required critical capabilities across the organisation to meet the future needs of the business. He is also tasked with ensuring AIA’s values are embedded and continue to resonate with AIA Malaysia’s 2000-strong workforce.With more than 20 years of sales, marketing and general management experience, Wong joined AIA in November 2012 as its chief marketing officer. According to AIA, under his leadership, the company continuously registered high brand health ratings, bringing what it deems “market industry-leading product solutions” which catered to new customer segments. This earned AIA numerous industry awards and accolades.Meanwhile, Pandey will play a critical role in driving AIA Malaysia’s technology, as well as foster an IT environment that will drive and facilitate the use of proactive and leading edge technology. This includes integrated data analytics and intelligence platforms to sustain AIA Malaysia’s strong business growth. He will also play a key role in formulating and supporting AIA’s digital transformation strategies and goals.Prior to his appointment, Pandey was director and head of IT transformation in AIA Hong Kong. He joined AIA Shared Services in August 2009 as head of information technology, business continuity processes and data privacy, and has held various key leadership positions within AIA Group, namely in Tata AIA, Group Office, Shared Services Malaysia, and AIA Vitality in Hong Kong.“We are excited to have Wong, Chang and Pandey step into their new roles. Each of them has established a track record of success and have been pivotal in driving AIA’s business forward. Their appointments highlight the immense leadership opportunities that have materialised as a result of AIA’s consistently strong business growth in recent years. We are proud to have identified capable and dedicated leaders internally, pointing to our commitment to develop talent from within AIA,” Anusha Thavarajah, CEO of AIA, said.