HONG KONG, Oct. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) has recently made key appointment in its Asian leadership team.
Mr. Serge Raffard is named as Regional Head of Strategy & Business Development. Based in Hong Kong, Mr. Raffard is part of the senior leadership team for MetLife's Asia region and directly reports to Mr. Chris Townsend, President, Asia for MetLife. In this role, Mr. Raffard oversees the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) function to identify and execute potential growth and expansion opportunities in the region. He will also spearhead the development and execution of MetLife's five-year strategic plan across Asia to maximize its business growth and profitability in this region.
Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Raffard was a partner of McKinsey & Company, which he joined in 2004. He led the development of McKinsey's Asia Insurance Practice, their fastest growing practice in Asia, and has engaged extensively on M&A initiatives and growth strategies for a board range of insurers (Life, Non-Life, Health, Commercial and Retail). During his tenure with McKinsey, he built profound knowledge and experience in different territories in North and Southeast Asia. Previously, Mr. Raffard worked on American and European M&A transactions and IPOs for JP Morgan based out of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Dustin Ball is appointed the Country Manager, Vietnam. He is responsible for setting up the new business in Vietnam with MetLife's joint venture partner, Bank for Investment & Development of Vietnam (BIDV), and leading the development of the Vietnamese market for MetLife.
Before taking up this role, Mr. Ball was the Head of Strategic Development with MetLife in Asia since 2010. He has made significant contributions in the development of market expansion strategy, completion of several transactions and leading the formulation of the joint venture partnership with BIDV.
MetLife and BIDV officially signed an agreement on September 26, 2013 to establish a life insurance joint venture in Vietnam. The JV, which is expected to be operational in 2014, will leverage the strengths of two exceptional companies to create a strong and trusted insurance provider and Vietnamese consumers will benefit from access to MetLife's global expertise, financial stability and a wide range of innovative products and services.
Commenting on these appointments, Mr. Chris Townsend, President, Asia for MetLife said, "We are very pleased to have these outstanding talented individuals taking up key roles in expanding our Asia operations. Dustin's previous experience and leadership capability in delivering MetLife's Asia strategy are highly important as we scale up MetLife's Asia business and penetrate into the Vietnamese market. Serge brings to our team more than 13 years' of professional M&A experience, together with his deep understanding of institutional marketplace in Asia. His experience at McKinsey & Company and JP Morgan will prove invaluable as MetLife moves to the next stage of Asia expansion."
"These appointments highlight our strong commitment to driving MetLife's growth in Asia. As part of our Enterprise Strategy to expand in emerging markets, MetLife sees Asia as a key value driver and with a top leadership team in place, we are well positioned to seize the growth opportunities presented by this dynamic region," added Mr. Townsend.
