GENERAL insurer Kurnia Insurans (Malaysia) Bhd has appointed Captain K.H. Chia as managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) from July 1 2008.

In his new capacity, Chia is tasked with leading the transformation of Kurnia Insurans.

He will enhance and implement various initiatives to achieve higher productivity and profitability under the Transformation of Operations and Performance programme.

"We will undertake a thorough review of Kurnia Insurans' operations as part of our plan to transform and further strengthen the company," said Chia in a statement yesterday.

Prior to his appointment, Chia was chief executive officer of Citic-Prudential in China since 2004. During his tenure there, he was named the "Top 10 Most Influential Person of the Year 2005" in the financial services sector and the "Top 10 Insurance Person of the Year 2006" in China.

He was also the group managing director and chief executive officer of Hong Leong Assurance Malaysia since 1996, before venturing into China in 2004.

Chia, who holds a Bachelor degree in Science from University Malaya, has over 30 years of local and international insurance experience.