Our Board of Directors

Richard (Rick) Vargo Image

Richard (Rick) Vargo

Chairman of the board

Rick is an experienced senior executive with more than thirty-five (35) years of progressive life insurance and retail banking experience through diverse positions in the dynamic markets of Asia. He held positions in John Hancock, AXA,  and AIA. Before moving to Aviva Singlife, he was the Managing Director of Bancassurance in DBS Singapore. He demonstrated a track record in successfully developing and growing financial service businesses and their increasingly digital distribution channels with proven results in both multi-national and Asian domiciled companies.

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Lester Cruz

Chief Executive Officer

Lester leads the company’s continued growth as a pioneer in the digital insurance space. His extensive experience in digital banking, startups, and financial services is driving efforts to strengthen partnerships, boost customer engagement, and expand Singlife’s market presence. Under his leadership, Singlife aims to solidify its position at the forefront of digital insurance in the Philippines.

Lester previously transformed UNO Digital Bank and CIMB Bank Philippines into fast-growing franchises and spent 15 years at Citi, managing Wealth Management and Insurance Businesses at Citicorp Financial Services and Insurance Brokerage Philippines, Inc. (CFSI).

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Kenji Yoneda

Director

Kenji is the Chief Representative of Sumitomo Life’s Singapore office.  He has been with Sumitomo Life for over 30 years, and has a worked across a range of business units and regions. He has extensive depth and understanding of the insurance business.

He was the Chief Representative of Sumitomo Life‘s United Kingdom and Vietnam offices and also a Director of Bao Viet Holdings, a Vietnam-based insurance company.

Kenji holds a Master of Laws from Duke University and is a qualified lawyer in New York.

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Damian Ho

Director

Damian is the Group Head of Strategy and Corporate Development of Singapore Life Ltd. He joined Singlife in March 2018 with over 20 years of experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, Capital Markets and Private Equity across Southeast Asia. He was previously a Managing Director, Global Banking, in HSBC from 2011 to 2017. Prior to that, he held various positions in HSBC Private Equity and DBS Bank.

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Sherie Ng

Director

Sherie has been a leader in technology for more than 28 years. In her last role she held the country leadership role at Google Cloud. She also held senior leadership positions at Microsoft, NICE Systems, Invensys Operations Management, Singtel, Comverse Technologies, CSG Systems and Lucent Technologies. Sherie sits on the board/advisory board of Singlife Philippines, OTIS AI, Di-firm, Sparks AI, The Binary Holdings, Qeplon Holdings, NTU Alumni Advisory Board etc.

Sherie holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She also successfully completed the MIT Sloan Executive Education program in Digital Business Strategy, Stanford VCUnlocked, and the INSEAD Global CEO program in International Business.

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Julian Aboitiz

Director

Julian is a seasoned financial services executive with a passion for innovation and driving positive change. Currently, he leads the Salary and Pension Loans business at City Savings Bank, leveraging his experience from previous roles at UnionBank of the Philippines and Renoir Consulting.

 He actively contributes as a Non-Executive Director at Singlife Philippines and holds leadership positions in esteemed organizations like Aboitiz Energy Solutions and its subsidiaries Adventenergy and Lima Land. 

Julian holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master's in Digital Business and Innovation, equipping him with a strong foundation and a forward-thinking mindset. He brings a robust skillset to the table including customer experience, sales, valuation, business development, strategy, and financial analysis. These skills provide valuable insights for Singlife's growth journey.

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Natividad N. Alejo

Director

Nabbie is the Managing Director of AlphaPrimus Advisors Inc., a premier mergers and acquisitions service company. She is also currently a director of BPI Direct BanKo Inc. and an advisor to the board of microfinance-oriented rural bank, CARD MRI Rizal Bank, Inc.

Nabbie has held several leadership positions in the past including President of BPI Family Savings Bank and BPI Capital Corporation. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the Divine World University and completed her Master’s Degree in Economics at the University of the Philippines.