Inside Asia - Living and Working as an Actuary in Asia

Tuan Ming, Head of ASEAN, China, HK and India Regions at Gen Re (for Life & Health), travels extensively for work and he joins Elayne on the inaugural ‘Inside Asia’ to discuss life, career and advice for actuaries.This is the first instalment in our ‘Inside Asia’ podcast series which aims to explore the experiences of actuaries working in Asia or moving between the Australian and Asian markets. The second instalment on the booming online insurance market in China is here.What do you do in your current role and what does it involve in terms of travelling between Asia and Australia?I manage the Life and Health reinsurance business of Gen Re across China, HK, South East Asia countries and India. I travel extensively to all these countries and it is my first trip back to Sydney in 12 years’ time. So I do not travel to Australia extensively. I cover half of the world’s population. There are a lot of emerging markets in these areas, I get the opportunity to see new things and what is happening in different markets.The China market is unique - unique in its language, culture, regulatory environment, and approach to innovation. How does it differ to Australia in terms of these things?The Reinsurance industry has grown significantly over the last 20 years, the market has grown into a total value of over 300 billion CNY in 2016. One of the changes over the years has been that consumer awareness of insurance needs has increased significantly. The Chinese consumer probably did not know much about insurance products 15 years ago. Nowadays, they know the need for protections, long term saving and investment. Moreover, they are more willing to try, buy and to experience insurance services and products. The industry has been growing to about 20% over the last 20 years. It is currently the second largest market in the world and insurance penetration remains very low. I could imagine that the market will grow into the largest insurance market in the world in the future. The current growth is happening in the era where technology is already very advanced. There is a lot more pressure and motivation to create innovative products and services for the consumers. Therefore, the insurance industry is determined to advance in their operation, underwriting and customer service. They are developing new products to cover different needs. Some of them may not be seen as insurance products, but there will be insurance elements in it.For example, in the general insurance industry, shipping return insurance has been one of the products becoming very popular. The Chinese consumers like to buy online and they would have to pay for the cost for the shipping to return the product if they don’t like the products. Now, they could buy the policy which last for a few days for a very small premium amount. The insurance company will cover the cost of sending the product back.What about the Life and Health Insurance industry? It is also growing very quickly as well. The Health care industry in China is just started to develop now. The insurance industry is slowly finding its foothold to offer the insurance protection to the consumers and they can afford the ever-increasing health care cost.Can you share with us a bit about your personal story of first coming to Australia and how you became an Actuary?I am from Malaysia, which is always in a friendly relationship with Australia. I came to do my Year 12 when my parent decided to send me to here to study University. I learned about the Actuarial professional in Year 12 from my English teacher, who encouraged me to consider this profession. As I like Maths, I decided to give it a try and went to Melbourne University for the Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Actuarial Studies.What would be your advice to help Actuaries wanting to make a move to China be better equipped?The employment for foreigners in China...