Prudential Names Naveed Irshad Regional CEO for Africa

In Short

• Prudential has appointed Naveed Irshad as Regional CEO for Indonesia, the Philippines and Africa.
• The appointment takes effect on 26 October 2026.
• Irshad will also oversee Prudential’s Health and Product businesses across the group.

What Happened

Prudential says Naveed Irshad will join its Group Executive Committee and report to CEO Anil Wadhwani. He will be based in Hong Kong.

Prudential is a life and health insurer and asset manager with operations across Asia and Africa. The new role bundles three regions, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Africa, under one regional chief executive.

Irshad is joining from Manulife, where he most recently served as President and CEO of Canada. He has also held senior roles including Global Head of In-force Management, meaning managing existing insurance policies already on the books, and CEO of Manulife Singapore. Prudential said his background includes actuarial work, product development, distribution, reinsurance, and managing large teams.

In addition to the regional CEO remit, Irshad will have enterprise-wide responsibility for the Health and Product businesses. In plain terms, he will help steer what Prudential sells and how it designs health and insurance offerings across markets.

Why It Matters

Leadership changes at large insurers matter for Africa’s fast-growing digital insurance and health financing space. Prudential’s Africa footprint includes partnerships with banks, agents, and digital channels, so strategy at the regional level can shape how products reach consumers.

Putting Health and Product under the same executive can also speed up decision-making on new benefits, pricing, and distribution partnerships. For African operators, that can affect everything from employer health plans to retail life cover, especially where insurers are working with fintechs and mobile networks to sell smaller, more affordable policies.

The appointment is also a reminder that Africa is increasingly managed alongside major Asian growth markets, not as a standalone region. That can bring more shared playbooks, but it can also raise the bar for local execution and regulatory navigation across very different African markets.