CEO, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Business Nerd, Investor, YPO

Augmenting human potential. Building a future of shared eudaimonia.

Eudaimonia (yoo-dye-MOH-nee-uh): the ancient Greek ideal of shared human flourishing, as people and technology grow together.

Global executive, entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, investor and strategic advisor. 25+ years experience of leading financial services and insurance business across 20+ markets, now building start-up ventures as an entrepreneur while helping boards and other founders address what's next.

Explore the Journey Connect on LinkedIn

Portrait of Vinay Surana smiling, in a navy blazer and floral shirt

25+Years in financial services20+Markets led€1.5BRegional revenue+200%Growth in five years5,000+Colleagues led4.7Star VoC500 bpsMargin expansion$150MStart-up revenue in 24 months$350MCapital released35%Lower loss volatility

The Journey

Four Chapters. Five Countries. Six Cities. One Global Journey.

Delhi → Mumbai → New York → Tokyo → Sydney → Singapore

“The future belongs to those who can orchestrate ecosystems, not just own products.”

Defining moments

Covid-19 pandemic

As CEO Asia Pacific: full P&L responsibility across 11 markets; grew revenue to €900M (+140% in four years), secured €450M of new business, achieved a 4.7-star Voice of the Customer (VoC) rating, and led through the pandemic with record employee engagement
As Managing Director Asia Pacific and MEA: full P&L ownership across 20+ markets and €1.5B revenue, leading 10 Country Managing Directors and 5,000+ colleagues
Architected regional strategy including M&A; drove digital and platform integration across Health & Wellness, Mobility and Travel
Next chapter: joined the Strategic Advisory Board of bolttech, one of the world's most valuable insurtechs, in September 2026

Roles

Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, Allianz Partners, Sydney & Singapore (Mar 2020–Jan 2024)
Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Allianz Partners, Singapore (Jan 2024–1 Aug 2026)
Senior Advisor to the CEO, Allianz Partners (1 Aug 2026–Dec 2026)
Member, YPO, Young Presidents' Organization (Jun 2024–Present)
Member, Strategic Advisory Board, bolttech (Sept 2026–Present)

“The future belongs to those who can orchestrate ecosystems, not just own products.”

Defining moments

Covid-19 pandemic

As CEO Asia Pacific: full P&L responsibility across 11 markets; grew revenue to €900M (+140% in four years), secured €450M of new business, achieved a 4.7-star Voice of the Customer (VoC) rating, and led through the pandemic with record employee engagement
As Managing Director Asia Pacific and MEA: full P&L ownership across 20+ markets and €1.5B revenue, leading 10 Country Managing Directors and 5,000+ colleagues
Architected regional strategy including M&A; drove digital and platform integration across Health & Wellness, Mobility and Travel
Next chapter: joined the Strategic Advisory Board of bolttech, one of the world's most valuable insurtechs, in September 2026

Roles

Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, Allianz Partners, Sydney & Singapore (Mar 2020–Jan 2024)
Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Allianz Partners, Singapore (Jan 2024–1 Aug 2026)
Senior Advisor to the CEO, Allianz Partners (1 Aug 2026–Dec 2026)
Member, YPO, Young Presidents' Organization (Jun 2024–Present)
Member, Strategic Advisory Board, bolttech (Sept 2026–Present)

Next chapter: Entrepreneurship, strategic advisory, mentoring and speaking, helping the next generation of builders.

Advisory & speaking

Areas of expertise

What I Bring to the Table

Driving multi-billion-dollar portfolio performance and executing high-velocity scale-up strategies.

In the media

A Voice in the Conversation

Full press page

As seen in

On stage

Vinay Surana — Shape the Future of Customer Engagement, Insurance Analytics & AI Innovation APAC 2023 · Hong Kong — Shape the Future of Customer Engagement
Insurance Analytics & AI Innovation APAC 2023 · Hong Kong

Vinay Surana — Australian Universities, Keynote address — Australian Universities
Keynote address

Vinay Surana — Keynote address, GIEA — Keynote address
GIEA

Vinay Surana — IGF Studio: Igniting the Dialogue that Shapes Our World, India Global Forum UAE 2023 — IGF Studio: Igniting the Dialogue that Shapes Our World
India Global Forum UAE 2023

Vinay Surana — Keynote address, Insurinnovator Connect Asia — Keynote address
Insurinnovator Connect Asia

Vinay Surana — Panel discussion, Insurinnovator Connect Asia 2025 — Panel discussion
Insurinnovator Connect Asia 2025

Vinay Surana — In conversation, Insurance Analytics & AI Innovation APAC 2023 · Hong Kong — In conversation
Insurance Analytics & AI Innovation APAC 2023 · Hong Kong

Vinay Surana — Asia's Largest Insurance Conference, Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong — Asia's Largest Insurance Conference
Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong

Vinay Surana — Leadership panel, Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong — Leadership panel
Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong

Vinay Surana — Reinventing Insurance With a Customer-First Approach, InsureTech Connect Asia 2022 · Singapore — Reinventing Insurance With a Customer-First Approach
InsureTech Connect Asia 2022 · Singapore

Vinay Surana — The Strategic Moves That Unlocked Growth, ITC Asia — The Strategic Moves That Unlocked Growth
ITC Asia

Vinay Surana — At the State Great Khural, Parliament of Mongolia · Ulaanbaatar — At the State Great Khural
Parliament of Mongolia · Ulaanbaatar

Vinay Surana — How Changing Travel Pathways Influence Customer Loyalty in Asia, Skift Asia Forum — How Changing Travel Pathways Influence Customer Loyalty in Asia
Skift Asia Forum

Vinay Surana — International Code for the Protection of Tourists, UNWTO Conference 2023 · Phnom Penh — International Code for the Protection of Tourists
UNWTO Conference 2023 · Phnom Penh

Vinay Surana — Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024, Gujarat, India — Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024
Gujarat, India

Shape the Future of Customer Engagement
Insurance Analytics & AI Innovation APAC 2023 · Hong Kong

IGF Studio: Igniting the Dialogue that Shapes Our World
India Global Forum UAE 2023

Keynote address
Insurinnovator Connect Asia

Panel discussion
Insurinnovator Connect Asia 2025

In conversation
Insurance Analytics & AI Innovation APAC 2023 · Hong Kong

Asia's Largest Insurance Conference
Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong

Leadership panel
Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong

Reinventing Insurance With a Customer-First Approach
InsureTech Connect Asia 2022 · Singapore

The Strategic Moves That Unlocked Growth
ITC Asia

At the State Great Khural
Parliament of Mongolia · Ulaanbaatar

How Changing Travel Pathways Influence Customer Loyalty in Asia
Skift Asia Forum

International Code for the Protection of Tourists
UNWTO Conference 2023 · Phnom Penh

Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024
Gujarat, India

Let's build what's next, together.

If you're shaping the future of financial services, health, mobility or travel, or building something that deserves a steady compass, I'd love to hear from you.

Connect on LinkedIn Send an Email

Based in Singapore

About

The Mandate for Progress

CEO, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Business Nerd, Investor, YPO

“Operational excellence must always be paired with deep human empathy.”

Vinay Surana smiling, standing beside a chair

A Global Architecture for Scale

In a world of relentless disruption, true enterprise leadership demands more than steady stewardship. It demands a decisive commitment to transformation. As a global executive, entrepreneur, investor, strategic advisor, mentor and speaker, I have had the privilege of leading complex financial services ecosystems across North America, the Middle East, Africa, India and Asia-Pacific.

Dual-Track Leadership

My career is defined by a distinctive dual-track approach: transforming and maximising the performance of mature, global multinational businesses, while simultaneously nurturing, accelerating and scaling high-growth digital start-ups. Each track teaches the other: the discipline of scale makes start-ups durable, and the speed of start-ups keeps giants curious.

At the Intersection of Finance and Frontier Tech

I orchestrate change at massive scale within fintech, insurtech and healthtech. By leaning into volatility rather than shrinking from it, I convert ambiguity into competitive advantage, integrating Gen AI and Agentic AI to redefine how organisations anticipate customer needs, engineer risk and build lasting market advantage.

Regions led

North America
Middle East
Africa
India
Asia-Pacific

Further skills

Risk Management & Reinsurance
Change Management
Strategic Market Expansion
Multi-Regional P&L
Digital-First Transformation
Channel Diversification
Talent Development
Global Partnerships
Mentoring Tech Start-ups

Beyond the boardroom

What Keeps Me Curious

Diversity & Inclusion
Mentoring the Next Generation
CSR & Sustainability
Travel, History & Cultures
Cooking
Cricket & Rugby

Languages: English and Hindi

Asia Leadership in Financial Institutions Executive Leadership Program, NUS Singapore · Chartered Accountant, ICAI New Delhi · B.Com (Hons), University of Calcutta.

Vinay Surana in a tuxedo in front of an Allianz Partners and New Zealand Olympic Team backdrop

Vision & philosophy

How I Lead, and Why

What I believe about leadership, technology and the legacy we leave behind.

Vinay Surana in a blue pinstripe suit and green tie, arms crossed

Vision for the future

“Technologyismerelynoiseuntilitmeetshumanintention.”

A Blueprint for Global Progress

The true measure of a great enterprise is not how it performs in times of ease, but its capacity to hold the compass steady during profound structural shift. True progress is never achieved by clinging to the familiar. We must build organisations that do not merely weather crises, but have the anticipatory agility and resilience to emerge from them stronger, wiser and more aligned with their purpose.

Where Technology Meets the Human Spirit

As we stand at the dawn of the cognitive era, technologies like Agentic AI are rewriting the rules of global commerce. Yet their purpose is not to replace human capability, but to elevate it. When we deploy AI to solve complex human challenges in health, wellness and financial security, we do not merely optimise a bottom line. We shift paradigms.

The Three Pillars of an Enduring Legacy

An Insatiable Culture of Curiosity

Tomorrow's markets belong to the learners, not the knowers. I invest in continuous upskilling and in environments where experimentation is celebrated and innovation is the baseline.

Strength Through True Belonging

By championing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we assemble the global, multicultural teams needed to solve global problems. Our differences are not obstacles to be managed. They are our greatest collective strength.

Growth With Ethical Responsibility

Rapid innovation must be balanced by ethical responsibility. As our businesses grow, we should lift our communities, empower our people and help shape a more resilient, connected world.

Leadership philosophy

Five Convictions

The Horizon of Inclusive Progress

Leadership is building a future where everyone has a seat at the table, and every unique perspective is treated as a catalyst for innovation.

Purpose-Driven, Sustainable Prosperity

True value is measured by endurance. Aggressive, profitable growth must be paired with an uncompromising commitment to sustainability.

Lifting as We Climb

The engine of transformation is human potential: curiosity, continuous upskilling, and multi-disciplinary teams empowered to achieve collective brilliance.

Embracing Ambiguity with Grace

Volatility is not a threat to fear. It is an invitation to innovate. Anticipatory agility and deep resilience turn uncertainty into advantage.

Stewardship Anchored in Integrity

Whether guiding a start-up or steering a multi-billion-dollar portfolio, innovation must never outpace ethical responsibility.

Press

Press & Media

Conversations on inclusive leadership, the future of mobility and AI, and the changing shape of travel and wellness. For interviews, contributions and speaking, get in touch.

Vinay Surana in a navy double-breasted suit and red tie, smiling

At a glance

Name: Vinay Surana
Title: CEO, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Business Nerd, Investor, YPO
Based in: Singapore
Languages: English and Hindi
Affiliations: Strategic Advisory Board, bolttech; Member, Standing Committee on Insurance, IFSCA (Government of India); Member, YPO
Topics: Agentic AI and human intelligence; inclusive leadership and mentoring; ecosystems and embedded distribution; the future of mobility; travel and wellness
Press contact: vinaysurana78@gmail.com

Bios

Vinay Surana is a global executive, entrepreneur, investor, strategic advisor, mentor and speaker with more than 25 years in financial services, insurtech and healthtech across North America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and India. He most recently led Allianz Partners' Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa business, spanning 20+ markets, €1.5B in revenue and more than 5,000 colleagues. He serves on the Strategic Advisory Board of bolttech and the Standing Committee on Insurance of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), Government of India, and is a member of YPO.

Speaking topics

What audiences ask Vinay about

Agentic AI and Human Intelligence

Where technology ends and human intention begins

Inclusive Leadership and Mentoring

Why belonging is a growth strategy

Ecosystems over Products

Partnership, embedded distribution and customer lifetime value

The Future of Mobility

Autonomous vehicles, liability and trust

Leading Through Crisis

Resilience, change at scale and keeping the compass steady

In the media

A Voice in the Conversation

In his words

“Our industry is data-rich but information-poor.”
Insurance Asia, Aug 2024

CNBC Make It, My Biggest Lessons

5 Apr 2024

Video (6 min)

Why diversity, equity and inclusion is more than just a corporate buzzword to this finance exec

On growing up across cities and cultures, and why diverse perspectives build healthier, more innovative workplaces.

Watch

The Business Times (Singapore)

28 Jan 2024 (print 29 Jan, p.17)

Op-ed, by Vinay SuranaSubscriber article

Embracing diversity, equity and inclusion will help insurers understand their customers

Why DEI and mentoring are essential to closing the insurance protection gap, drawing on lived experience of Hurricane Sandy, the Kumamoto earthquakes, the global financial crisis and Covid-19.

Read

MoneyFM 89.3 (Singapore), Culture Club

29 Feb 2024

Radio (about 16 min)

Want more vacations in 2024? Here are some financial planning tips for your travel plans this year

Travel trends to watch and how to plan the finances behind your next trip.

Listen

The Nation (Thailand)

8 May 2024

Op-ed, by Vinay Surana

Unlocking travel trends to boost Thailand's economic recovery with tourism

Seven travel trends, from authentic local experiences to wellness and sustainability, that destinations can use to attract and keep visitors.

Read

Insurance Asia

8 Aug 2024

Feature (contributor)

What risks insurers warn of in evolving motor insurance sector

An insurer's view on EV and autonomous-vehicle risk: shifting liability, higher claim severity, cyber exposure and the need to turn data into insight.

Read

The Asian Business Review

BOTT India (Business of Travel Trade)

2 Sep 2024

Op-ed

Unlocking travel trends to boost India's tourism industry

How India's tourism sector can respond to changing traveller expectations through ecosystem partnerships and peace-of-mind propositions.

Read

theSun (Malaysia)

11 Sep 2024 (print p.10)

Op-ed, by Vinay Surana

Future of mobility in Malaysia

Four shifts that will transform motor insurance as autonomous vehicles arrive, and why manufacturers, infrastructure providers and insurers must work together.

Read

BFM 89.9 (Malaysia), The Breakfast Grille

5 Dec 2024

Podcast (23 min)Sponsored podcast

Navigating Insurance Trends With Allianz Partners

A conversation on electric and autonomous vehicles, rising cyber threats and how the industry is navigating change.

Listen

Allianz Partners Travel Index, first Asia-Pacific edition

14 May 2025

Research commentary, multi-outlet

What Singapore and APAC travellers want in 2025

Commentary on the first APAC edition of the Travel Index: rest and wellness top travellers' priorities, cost of living shapes spending, and travel insurance is a growing priority.

Read on The Straits Times

Singapore Business Review Travel Daily Media India Outbound Travel Daily News Asia

CNA938 (Singapore), CNA938 Rewind: Destination Anywhere

23 Jun 2025

Radio and podcast (about 19 min)

Travel & the average Singaporean: an Allianz Partners survey

A live discussion on why some Singaporeans aren't travelling, their concerns about going overseas, using AI for holiday planning and in-flight etiquette.

Listen

meLISTEN podcast

Interested in an interview, a contribution or a keynote?

Get in touch

Publisher names and marks belong to their respective owners and are shown for reference only. Links lead to third-party sites, and their inclusion does not imply endorsement.

Board, advisory & speaking

From the Boardroom to the Start-up

Beyond the executive suite, I bring strategic foresight and ethical stewardship to boards, industry bodies and founders, so that rapid innovation is always anchored by robust risk management and responsibility.

Vinay Surana speaking at India Global Forum UAE 2023

Advisory Boards & Communities

bolttech
Member, Strategic Advisory Board · since Sept 2026
One of the world's most valuable insurtechs.
YPO (Young Presidents' Organization)
Member · since June 2024
A global peer community of chief executives and business leaders.
IFSCA (International Financial Services Centres Authority)
Member, Standing Committee on Insurance · since March 2025
GIFT City, Government of India.

Start-up Advisory & Mentoring

Guiding founders through the high-stakes journey from early-stage incubation to scale, anchored in operational excellence.

Keynotes & Conversations

Speaking on the future of mobility and AI, inclusive leadership, ecosystem strategy and change at scale.

Keynote CEO Panel
ITC Asia 2026
CEO insights on implementing AI at scale
Insurtech Insights 2025 · Hong Kong
Regional CEO Fireside Panel
Insurinnovator Connect Asia 2025
India Global Forum
In conversation

See recent conversations

Recent stages

Vinay Surana — In conversation, Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong — In conversation
Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong

Vinay Surana — Going the Last Mile: Smart Green Mobility for Urban Connectivity, Economist Impact — Going the Last Mile: Smart Green Mobility for Urban Connectivity
Economist Impact

Vinay Surana — Moderating a panel on health insurance go-to-market, Panel moderator — Moderating a panel on health insurance go-to-market
Panel moderator

Vinay Surana — Interview Lounge, ITC Asia — Interview Lounge
ITC Asia

Vinay Surana — Celebrating Olympic champions, Gala evening — Celebrating Olympic champions
Gala evening

Vinay Surana — “Why Bharat Matters” dialogue, Indian business community — “Why Bharat Matters” dialogue
Indian business community

Vinay Surana — With fellow panellists, Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong — With fellow panellists
Insurtech Insights · Hong Kong

Vinay Surana — In conversation, Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 — In conversation
Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024

Vinay Surana — YPO Global Business Summit, Dubai 2024 — YPO Global Business Summit
Dubai 2024

Open to advisory roles, board directorships, mentoring and speaking engagements.

Start a Conversation

Let's build what's next, together.

If you're shaping the future of financial services, health, mobility or travel, or building something that deserves a steady compass, I'd love to hear from you.

Connect on LinkedIn Send an Email

Based in Singapore

Privacy

Privacy, in plain language

What this site collects

Only your light or dark theme choice, which is stored in your own browser so the site remembers it. This site does not use tracking cookies and does not collect personal information.

Links to other sites

Press and writing pages link to articles on third-party websites. Those sites have their own privacy policies.

Contact

Questions? Use the Connect section.

All writing

Agentic AI

Agentic AI at Scale Starts With People

Almost every insurer has an AI pilot. Far fewer have AI at scale. The gap is rarely the technology. It is everything around it.

By Vinay Surana · 3 min read

Almost every insurer I speak with has an AI pilot. Far fewer have AI working at scale across the business. In my experience the gap is rarely the technology. It is everything around it.

Start with the customer problem, not the model. Travellers are already using AI to plan their holidays. The question for our industry is how we meet them in that moment with protection that is simple, timely and relevant, rather than bolting AI onto old processes.

Fix the data before the agents. Our industry is data-rich but information-poor. Agents acting on poor information simply make mistakes faster. Clean, connected data is what turns an impressive demo into a dependable capability.

“Agents acting on poor information simply make mistakes faster.”

Keep people in the loop where it matters most. A claim at a moment of loss, a health decision, a vulnerable customer: these call for empathy and judgment. Agentic AI should take on the repetitive work so that our people have more time for the human work.

Build trust and security in from day one. Every new connection is a new door for cyber threats, and customers will only accept AI acting on their behalf if it is transparent and well governed.

Above all, invest in people. Upskilling is what turns a pilot into a capability. Tomorrow's markets belong to the learners, not the knowers.

Technology is merely noise until it meets human intention. Scale comes from getting that intention right.

Share LinkedIn

Four Shifts on the Road to Autonomy

Electric and autonomous vehicles are rewriting motor insurance. Here is what changes, and why no single player can solve it alone.

By Vinay Surana · 3 min read

Motor insurance was built for a simple world: a human driver, a car and a road. As electric and autonomous vehicles arrive on Asia's roads, that world is changing faster than most people realise.

First, liability moves. When software is in control, responsibility shifts from the driver towards the manufacturer, the technology provider and the infrastructure the car depends on. Claims will turn on who, or what, was in control at the moment of an incident.

Second, claims become more complex. Electric vehicles carry batteries, sensors and electronics that are costlier to repair and need specialist skills, so a minor bump can become a major bill.

“Protection should follow the journey, not just the vehicle.”

Third, cyber rides along. A connected car is a computer on wheels, and every connection is a potential point of attack. Cyber risk is becoming part of motor risk.

Fourth, data becomes the currency. Vehicles generate vast amounts of data, yet our industry remains data-rich but information-poor. The winners will turn that data into insight, while owners stay in control of who can use it and on what terms.

None of this can be solved by one party. Manufacturers, infrastructure providers, regulators and insurers have to work together, and a global minimum regulatory standard would stop a patchwork of local rules from slowing everyone down.

Get it right and the prize is enormous: safer roads, fewer accidents, and protection that follows the journey, not just the vehicle.

Share LinkedIn

Inclusion Is a Growth Strategy

Why belonging is not a slogan but a way to reach the customers we have not yet reached.

By Vinay Surana · 2 min read

Most conversations about diversity start with fairness. Mine start with a business problem: underinsurance.

Take Indonesia, a country of 17,000 islands. A family in a remote village has needs that differ sharply from those of someone living in a big city, from access to healthcare to access to education. A team that includes someone who grew up there will see those needs sooner and design for them. One estimate put Indonesia's protection gap at US$14.6 billion in 2018. A gap like that is not closed by better marketing. It is closed by people who understand the customers we have not yet reached.

That is why I treat inclusion as a strategy rather than a slogan. Diverse teams bring different perspectives, challenge unconscious bias and fuel innovation. They also help us attract and keep talent, because people do their best work when they are comfortable bringing their real selves to work.

“My north star is simple: equitable access to coverage for all.”

My own view was shaped early. Moving between cities and states as a child, and later working across three continents and six countries, taught me to value perspectives unlike my own.

Mentoring completes the picture. Inclusion opens the door, and mentoring helps people walk through it and pass on what they learn. When mentoring programmes deliberately reach people from different backgrounds, the benefits ripple well beyond individual careers and shape the industry itself.

My north star is simple: equitable access to coverage for all.

Share LinkedIn

Technology Is Noise Until It Meets Human Intention

Autonomous vehicles are an early rehearsal for the age of Agentic AI. The questions they raise are the ones every leader will face next.

By Vinay Surana · 2 min read

When a car drives itself, responsibility shifts from the driver to the technology behind it: sensors, software and networks. The questions that follow are the same ones every leader will soon face as AI agents begin to act on our behalf.

Who is accountable when the system decides? In motor insurance we are already asking whether the driver, the manufacturer or the infrastructure provider is liable. The answer depends on when and how an incident happened, and on whether a human or the machine was in control.

Who owns the data? Vehicle owners should have real control over who can use the data their cars produce, and I believe a regulated marketplace for data exchange is needed, with fair terms for those who supply it.

“Our industry is data-rich but information-poor.”

How do we earn trust? People can feel tracked by technology that watches them. Manufacturers and insurers have to build trust and transparency, or the benefits of better data will never arrive.

There is a lesson about information too. Our industry is data-rich but information-poor. Agentic AI will only help if we turn data into insight and insight into action.

And standards matter. A patchwork of local rules slows adoption and raises barriers for everyone, which is why I have argued for a global minimum standard.

Underneath all of this sits a conviction: technology is noise until it meets human intention. The purpose of Agentic AI is not to replace human capability but to elevate it, especially where the stakes are most human: health, wellness and financial security.

Share LinkedIn

Ecosystems Beat Products

No single company can look after a customer from the first idea of a trip to the journey home. The future belongs to those who orchestrate.

By Vinay Surana · 2 min read

No single company can look after a traveller from the moment they dream of a trip to the moment they land back home. That is why I believe the future belongs to those who orchestrate ecosystems rather than simply own products.

Travel shows it clearly. In the Allianz Partners Travel Index, we surveyed more than 500 Singaporean adults. Over nine in ten planned to travel, and rest, relaxation and peace of mind topped their priorities, with 74% planning resort and wellness holidays. Cost of living weighed on them: 73% of those not travelling named it as the main barrier. Even so, 87% said they would buy travel insurance. People will spend a little extra for peace of mind.

For travel providers, the lesson is that peace of mind is not an add-on. It is part of the experience. Airlines, hotels and tour operators that partner with insurers can remove anxiety before the trip even begins, and our customers have told us that pairing insurance with a core product improved conversion.

“Peace of mind is not an add-on. It is part of the experience.”

Mobility is heading the same way. In mobility as a service, the goal is to insure a full journey from A to B, by bringing mobility providers together through APIs so that a customer facing a breakdown can choose the best alternative.

On the road to autonomy, cross-sector public-private partnerships matter more than ever. Only through collaboration can we keep roads and communities safe.

Ecosystems work when every partner makes the others better and the customer feels one seamless experience.

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Rest Is the New Destination

Travellers across Asia are telling us the point of a trip is to come home restored. That changes what destinations, and insurers, need to offer.

By Vinay Surana · 2 min read

Travellers in our region are telling us something important: the point of a trip is increasingly to come home restored.

In the first Asia-Pacific edition of the Allianz Partners Travel Index, rest, relaxation and peace of mind topped Singaporeans' travel priorities, and 74% planned resort and wellness holidays.

Travellers want authenticity too: local experiences, real culture and a lighter footprint. Destinations that offer wellness, authenticity and sustainability will attract visitors and keep them coming back.

“The point of a trip is increasingly to come home restored.”

Cost still matters. Among those not travelling, 73% named the cost of living as the main barrier. Planning the finances behind a trip, from budgeting early to protecting against the unexpected, matters as much as choosing where to go.

And people will still pay for peace of mind: 87% said they would buy travel insurance. A cancelled flight or a medical emergency abroad can turn a restorative trip into a stressful one.

Technology is changing how we plan as well, with more travellers turning to AI to shape their itineraries. Our opportunity is to be there in that moment: simple, embedded and trusted.

Share LinkedIn

Augmenting human potential. Building a future of shared eudaimonia.

Four Chapters. Five Countries. Six Cities. One Global Journey.

What I Bring to the Table

A Voice in the Conversation

Let's build what's next, together.

The Mandate for Progress

A Global Architecture for Scale

Dual-Track Leadership

At the Intersection of Finance and Frontier Tech

Regions led

Further skills

What Keeps Me Curious

How I Lead, and Why

A Blueprint for Global Progress

Where Technology Meets the Human Spirit

The Three Pillars of an Enduring Legacy

An Insatiable Culture of Curiosity

Strength Through True Belonging

Growth With Ethical Responsibility

Five Convictions

The Horizon of Inclusive Progress

Purpose-Driven, Sustainable Prosperity

Lifting as We Climb

Embracing Ambiguity with Grace

Stewardship Anchored in Integrity

Writing & Insights

Agentic AI at Scale Starts With People

Four Shifts on the Road to Autonomy

Inclusion Is a Growth Strategy

Technology Is Noise Until It Meets Human Intention

Ecosystems Beat Products

Rest Is the New Destination

Lessons from the Storm

Press & Media

At a glance

Bios

What audiences ask Vinay about

Agentic AI and Human Intelligence

Inclusive Leadership and Mentoring

Ecosystems over Products

The Future of Mobility

Leading Through Crisis

A Voice in the Conversation

Why diversity, equity and inclusion is more than just a corporate buzzword to this finance exec

Embracing diversity, equity and inclusion will help insurers understand their customers

Want more vacations in 2024? Here are some financial planning tips for your travel plans this year

Unlocking travel trends to boost Thailand's economic recovery with tourism

What risks insurers warn of in evolving motor insurance sector

Unlocking travel trends to boost India's tourism industry

Future of mobility in Malaysia

Navigating Insurance Trends With Allianz Partners

What Singapore and APAC travellers want in 2025

Travel & the average Singaporean: an Allianz Partners survey

Interested in an interview, a contribution or a keynote?

From the Boardroom to the Start-up

Advisory Boards & Communities

Start-up Advisory & Mentoring

Keynotes & Conversations

Recent stages

Let's build what's next, together.

Privacy, in plain language

What this site collects

Links to other sites

Contact

Agentic AI at Scale Starts With People

Related reading

Four Shifts on the Road to Autonomy

Inclusion Is a Growth Strategy

Technology Is Noise Until It Meets Human Intention

Ecosystems Beat Products

Rest Is the New Destination

Lessons from the Storm

Four Shifts on the Road to Autonomy

Related reading

Agentic AI at Scale Starts With People

Inclusion Is a Growth Strategy

Technology Is Noise Until It Meets Human Intention

Ecosystems Beat Products

Rest Is the New Destination

Lessons from the Storm