Manulife appoints Vibha Coburn as Malaysia CEO

Manulife Malaysia CEO Vibha Coburn

KUALA LUMPUR: Manulife has appointed Vibha Coburn as its group chief executive officer (CEO) for Manulife Holdings Bhd (MHB) and CEO of Manulife Insurance Bhd (MIB), effective today.

Manulife Asia general manager, emerging markets Sachin N. Shah said Coburn succeeds Lee Sang Hui, who moves to a new role as CEO of Manulife Vietnam.

He said Coburn will be responsible for MHB’s operations in Malaysia, including its life insurance, health insurance, wealth management and retirement solutions businesses.

"She also sits on the Board of Manulife Investment Management Services Bhd Malaysia. Coburn is a member of Manulife’s Asia and Global Leadership Teams.

"With this appointment, I am confident that she will make significant contributions to Manulife Malaysia’s operations and further strengthen our Emerging Markets leadership team," he said in a statement today.

Coburn has more than 30 years of experience in senior roles in banking, insurance and management consulting, spanning Asia, Europe and Australia, having joined Manulife in 2016. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Western Australia.

In addition, Coburn was chief distribution officer at Manulife Asia. Under her leadership, Manulife’s agency force in Asia grew significantly and became the world’s third best in terms of Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) membership.

She strengthened Manulife’s bancassurance capabilities, delivering strong growth to its regional partnership with DBS Bank in Singapore, as well as to local partnerships with Bank Danamon in Indonesia and Techcom Bank in Vietnam, and also championed the adoption of digital channels and tools throughout Manulife’s distribution network across Asia.

Manulife Asia president & CEO Anil Wadhwani said Coburn’s accomplishments demonstrate her strengths in terms of accelerating Manulife digital transformation and driving growth.

"This appointment reflects the significance of our Malaysia’s business and our commitment to the market," he said. - Bernama