The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) has named Jonathan DIXON as the successor to long-time Secretary General Yoshihiro KAWAI. He will become Secretary General following the IAIS Annual Conference on 3 November 2017. Jonathan DIXON will join the Secretariat on 1 September as part of a two-month transition before taking over as Secretary General after the end of the IAIS's Annual Conference.

"Jonathan DIXON brings a unique combination of proven insurance supervisory experience with global leadership on key insurance initiatives," said Victoria SAPORTA, Chair of the IAIS Executive Committee. "I have worked alongside Jonathan for several years and have been impressed by his commitment to the mission of the IAIS, his pragmatic and proportionate approach to insurance supervision, his inclusiveness in reaching out and building strong partnerships and, ultimately, his track record of delivering on a vision."

Since 2008, Jonathan DIXON has served as Deputy Executive Officer of the Financial Services Board of South Africa, with oversight of insurance regulation and supervision. In this role, he has transformed insurance regulation and supervision into a more proactive, risk-based and outcomes-focused approach.

Jonathan DIXON has also been an active participant in the IAIS, having held a number of leadership positions including IAIS Executive Committee member since 2009 and Chair of the Implementation Committee since 2012. Among his many accomplishments, he spearheaded the creation of a Coordinated Implementation Framework for maximising the impact of IAIS implementation initiatives and was part of a small leadership team that developed the current IAIS five-year strategic plan. As Chair of the Governing Council for the Access to Insurance Initiative, Jonathan DIXON is a highly regarded leader on inclusive and responsible insurance.

Yoshihiro KAWAI, the current Secretary General, joined the IAIS as Deputy Secretary General in 1998 before assuming his current position in 2003. "Under his leadership, the IAIS has been transformed into the international standard setter for insurance and become an integral part of the international financial architecture to support global financial stability. Yoshi has led the Secretariat through a period of enormous growth, including the adoption of comprehensive Insurance Core Principles, identification of G-SIIs (global systemically important insurers) and development of G-SII policy measures, and development of the first-ever global insurance capital standard—the Basic Capital requirement (BCR)", said Victoria SAPORTA.

In 2015, at the request of the Executive Committee, Yoshihiro KAWAI agreed to postpone a planned departure and remain in the position for an additional two years to steer the association through the completion of several key projects.