Foreign chief for Asirom

The second-largest insurance company in Romania, Asirom, on Monday announced its appointment of a foreign manager, Fred Heath, to the position of general manager. Asirom is controlled by businessman Ioan Nicolae, who is also involved in agriculture and chemical fertilisers. Fred Heath, born in South Africa and a resident of Great Britain, worked for a US insurance company and has 20 years experience in the insurance sector. Heath took over from Catalin Stroe, who had headed the insurance company since February. “The plan to bring a foreign manager to lead the company dates back to the reshuffling of the Asirom management team early this year. A head-hunting agency was involved in this decision,” explained Catalin Stroe. The new general manager will prepare the insurance company for the deregulation of the insurance market in line with Romania’s entry into the European Union. ZF