Pacific Life Re Unveils Leadership Shuffle to Accelerate Global Growth
Pacific Life Re, the international life-reinsurance arm of the group, has announced a slate of senior-management promotions designed to fast-track its bold expansion and innovation strategy.The reshuffle places respected internal talent in newly created or expanded roles across Europe, North America, and the Newport Beach headquarters. By aligning expertise with opportunities—capital optimization, digital underwriting, and client-centric protection—Pacific Life Re aims to sharpen its competitive edge in a crowded market.
Pacific Life Re Strengthens Leadership with Capital Solutions Unit
At the heart of the reorganisation is Andrew Murphy, now Managing Director, Capital Solutions—a newly delineated business line. After 18 months guiding protection teams in Europe and North America, Murphy moves to Newport Beach to lead capital-focused reinsurance, including excess-reserve financing and bespoke risk-transfer deals. His mandate:
Forge global client partnerships around capital-intensive solutions.
Design creative structures to optimise solvency ratios.
Leverage cross-regional expertise for seamless execution.
This dedicated unit telegraphs the group’s commitment to meet soaring demand for balance-sheet-efficient reinsurance under frameworks such as Solvency II and Canada’s LICAT.
Pacific Life Re Elevates Sarah Cheng to MD for Europe & North America
With Murphy’s transition, Sarah Cheng rises to Managing Director, Europe & North America. A 2016 recruit with two decades in insurance, reinsurance, and risk consulting, Cheng will:
Oversee all protection and longevity business in the UK, Ireland, continental Europe, the US, and Canada.
Tailor innovation to local regulations and consumer needs.
Develop high-performance, client-focused teams across both mature regions.
Pacific Life Re Promotes Mala Thurston to Head of Protection, Europe
To bolster European operations, Mala Thurston moves from Vice President, Client Solutions, to Head of Protection, Europe. Since 2016, Thurston has helped secure the group’s leadership in UK term-life and its expansion into Ireland. Her remit now includes:
Driving portfolio performance for European protection treaties.
Steering strategy across life, critical-illness, and disability lines.
Coordinating underwriting, actuarial, and distribution functions.
Pacific Life Re Leverages Brett Laker to Drive North America Client Solutions
On the other side of the Atlantic, Cheng will rely on Brett Laker, appointed Vice President, Client Solutions, Protection, North America. Laker previously led the North American roll-out of UnderwriteMe, Pacific Life Re’s insurtech platform. His goals:
Customise reinsurance for term-life, whole-life, and supplemental health products.
Apply UnderwriteMe’s tech to streamline new-business acquisition.
Deepen ties with direct writers, insurtechs, and distributors.
Pacific Life Re Names Scott Hunt to Lead UnderwriteMe Expansion
Replacing Laker at UnderwriteMe is Scott Hunt, formerly Director of Business Development at the group. As Head of UnderwriteMe, North America, Hunt will:
Scale automated-underwriting adoption with carriers and MGAs.
Integrate predictive analytics and medical-data sources.
Support reinsurer–carrier ecosystems through straight-through processing.
Pacific Life Re’s Executive Perspective on Internal Talent
Andrew Gill, Executive Vice-President, Protection, commented:
“These promotions reflect Pacific Life Re’s dedication to elevating exceptional internal talent. With a sharper focus on solving clients’ capital and underwriting challenges, this team is well-placed to deliver innovative solutions worldwide.”
Pacific Life Re’s Strategic Implications: Capital, Regions, Technology
Capital Solutions Expansion – Murphy’s unit targets the growing appetite for reserve-relief and surplus-note transactions as capital rules tighten.
Regional Alignment – Cheng’s dual-region brief ensures consistent innovation yet allows local customisation.
Tech-Driven Underwriting – Talent rotation between Pacific Life Re and UnderwriteMe embeds digital expertise in both core reinsurance and insurtech ventures.
Talent Mobility – Promoting leaders like Thurston preserves institutional knowledge and signals strong career pathways, aiding retention and client continuity.
Pacific Life Re Outlook: Specialisation and Innovation Fuel Growth
As protection gaps widen globally and insurers hunt for capital-efficient solutions, Pacific Life Re’s refreshed leadership is timely. Emphasis on Capital Solutions, technology-enabled client service, and regional agility positions the company for continued growth across core life and health markets.
Stakeholders will watch how Andrew Murphy, Sarah Cheng, Mala Thurston, Brett Laker, and Scott Hunt convert their new mandates into measurable gains. If successful, Pacific Life Re’s internal-promotion blueprint could become a model for harnessing institutional talent to meet emerging market demands and accelerate innovation throughout the global reinsurance sector.
