Published by Wanda Rich
Posted on July 18, 2023
3 min readLast updated: February 1, 2026
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Chris Markesteijn
Allianz Trade in Asia Pacific is pleased to appoint Chris Markesteijn as Regional Head of Surety and Guarantees with effect from 1 August 2023. Based in Singapore, Mr Markesteijn will report directly to Regional CEO of Allianz Trade in Asia Pacific Paul Flanagan and matrix report into Global Head of Surety Sean McGroarty. He is replacing Christopher Shortell who is assuming the role of Surety Services Director at Allianz Trade in Americas.
Prior to this appointment, Mr Markesteijn was the Head of Multinationals Global Surety, a role he held since early 2022 and responsible for expanding the surety business with multinational accounts. He joined Allianz Trade in 2014, from there he took up a range of positions in the surety and guarantees field in the Netherlands and was the Senior Risk Manager of Group Surety Team between 2020 and 2022. Before Allianz Trade, Mr Markesteijn worked for several banks and financial companies which constituted part of his 18-year experience in the financial industry.
Commenting on Mr Markesteijn’s appointment, Mr Flanagan says, “We are excited to have Chris joining us and bringing along nearly a decade of experience in the surety and guarantees field with Allianz Trade. Asia Pacific is a diverse region in terms of customer needs and business arrangement. I am confident that Chris has the abilities and the tools to lead this line of business, which has been growing at a rapid pace in recent years, to new heights.” Mr McGroarty adds, “APAC is an important part of our global surety platform and capabilities. Chris brings a strong commercial focus and diversified skill set as our new regional leader.”
Mr Markesteijn says, “I am very honoured to be appointed as Regional Head of Surety and Guarantees APAC and I am very grateful for the years I spent in the Dutch and Global Surety teams in which we showed a strong sustainable growth path. Together with our experienced surety teams in APAC, I look forward to continue that sustainable growth journey in this amazing part of the world, while leveraging on our local expertise and the global footprint that Allianz Trade is offering.”
Mr Flanagan concludes, “I also wish to congratulate Christopher Shortell for his 30-year career spent in Asia. I wish him and his family nothing but the best and I trust he will continue his success with our Americas team.”
A regional head is an executive responsible for overseeing operations, strategy, and performance in a specific geographical area within a company.
Multinational accounts refer to financial accounts that involve transactions across multiple countries, highlighting the complexities of international finance and the need for specialized management.
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