LivWell Asia appoints ex-Prudential Regional CEO as Executive Chairman

LivWell Asia ("LivWell"), a digital Health and Protection-focused Insuretech operating in Vietnam and India, has appointed Wilf Blackburn as Executive Chairman, effective June 23, 2023. Blackburn brings with him a track record of driving growth and profitability in emerging markets, including Asia, where LivWell is building its presence in the health and protection segment to address the needs of Millennials and Gen Zs.

Prior to joining LivWell, Blackburn most recently served as the Regional CEO, Insurance Growth Markets for Prudential, where he was responsible for steering 16 markets across Asia and Africa towards accelerated growth. Before this, Wilf was the CEO of Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Prudential Singapore), a position he held for four years. He joined Prudential Corporation Asia in 2012 and led new market initiatives, including overseeing the launch of Prudential's business operations in Cambodia and the establishment of Prudential's representative offices in Myanmar and Laos. He also served as Vietnam Country Head, where he oversaw the asset management and consumer finance businesses. Prior to that, Blackburn had been with Allianz for over a decade, where he had served as CEO in China, Thailand, and the Philippines. Until July 2022, Wilf held the position of a non-executive director on the board of Prudential ICICI Board.

"Excited to have Wilf join our board and steer our vision," said Nikhil Verma, Group CEO & Co-Founder of LivWell. "He has the transformative mindset, experience, and drive to help us accelerate towards our goal of becoming a leader in Health and Protection in Asia, and I have seen this firsthand during my time with Wilf while he was CEO at Prudential Vietnam," said Nikhil.

"LivWell's vision on health and protection and their strong progress so far has got me excited to join at this early stage and be a part of the rapid building of a digitally enabled insurer for the next generation," said Wilf Blackburn.

"The founding team's ambition to create a regional customer-centric insurance business was key to my interest, as we see a major opportunity to create offerings that are relevant to the emerging generation of Asian consumers," added Blackburn.

LivWell, a Top 50 Insurtech in APAC, is preparing to break new ground in India as a life insurance company on the back of reforms shaping up the Indian insurance industry. This venture is further backed by Flipkart Ventures, MDV Capital, and Angels in the insurance industry.