In a memo sent to advisers, John Van Der Wielen, international chief executive at Friends Life, said Marcus Gent who is currently marketing and commercial director of Friends Life’s corporate business in the UK has been appointed as managing director of Middle East and Rest of the World.
In the extended role, Gent will take responsibility for the day-to-day operations of FPI’s business in the Middle East, Africa, UK and Rest of World. He is to relocate to the firm’s Dubai office shortly.
Friends Life explained, over recent months it has been “working to ensure that the leadership structure of its go to market businesses is best aligned to its business agenda, market opportunities and to meet its growth aspirations”.
In view of this, it will now have two focused geographical regions, each with a managing director leading those regions.
With Gent taking responsibility for the Middle East, UK & RoW region, James Tan, who became the company’s first Asia managing director in July last year, will lead the Asia region including Singapore and Hong Kong.
Both Tan and Gent will report directly to Van Der Wielen.
As reported, Waterfield is due to leave FPI at the end of September to relocate back to the UK.
In the memorandum, Van Der Wielen expressed his thanks for Waterfield’s work in the region over the past 10 years, adding that he has “successfully grown the Middle East and Africa operation from a team of just five people in the Dubai Airport Free Zone in 2004, to the federally licensed entity it is today, with its compliment of almost 50 employees”.
According to his Linkedin page Gent, who is a qualified actuary, joined Friends Life in November 2010 and is currently responsible for the strategy, marketing and commercial functions for Friends Life's corporate benefits business unit.
He has previously worked for Axa and HBOS Insurance & Investments.
