Prudential Appoints New Chief Partnership Distribution Officer
- Written by: iPMI Global
Prudential has announced the appointment of Patrick van Heerde as Chief Partnership Distribution Officer. Reporting to Dennis Tan, Managing Director, Strategic Business Group, Mr. van Heerde will spearhead Prudential’s bancassurance businesses across its 24 markets in Asia and Africa, effective from 4 November.
Based in Hong Kong, Mr. van Heerde brings more than 20 years of financial services experience in Asia and Europe, particularly in product development, distribution architecture, customer touchpoint management, partnership models, as well as digital and data.
Most recently, Mr van Heerde was the Asia-Pacific Head of Partnerships for HSBC Life. Prior to this, he was Head of Partnership Management for AIA in Thailand and also held senior partnership, business development, e-Business and transformation roles for Manulife Asia in Thailand and Indonesia.
Prudential has a distinctive multi-channel distribution platform across diversified markets in Asia and Africa, including a strong agency force and an extensive bancassurance channel. It has over 200 bank partners across its markets, including 10 strategic partners. These partnerships provide access to large numbers of customers across multiple customer segments and supports Prudential’s purpose by making financial and health solutions more accessible.
Dennis Tan, Managing Director, Strategic Business Group, Prudential plc, said, “Our distribution capabilities continue to be pivotal to our business success. We will continue to drive a successful bank partnership model by broadening our proposition to multiple market segments, utilising technology, data analytics to deliver exceptional value for our bank partners and customers. I am delighted to welcome Patrick to Prudential. His diverse skills and extensive experience make him an ideal candidate to lead the growth and transformation of our bancassurance business.”
Mr. van Heerde succeeds Anthony Shaw who has decided to leave Prudential after nearly 20 years to pursue opportunities outside of the group.
Commending Mr Shaw’s contributions, Mr Tan said: “Anthony has been instrumental in pivoting our partnerships to address customer needs, significantly increasing health and protection penetration. On behalf of Prudential, we wholeheartedly thank Anthony for his commitment and dedication.”
