Our People

Karin Thorburn

Chair of the Board

Karin is Research Chair Professor of Finance at NHH Norwegian School of Economics and Adjunct Full Professor of Finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on M&A, raising capital, restructuring, and corporate governance.

Karin is a Director of the Board of Maritime & Merchant Bank ASA, Global LNG Services AS, and Falck Advisory AS, and was previously a board member of SEB Investment Management AB and Nordea Bank Norge ASA. She currently serves on a committee appointed by the Norwegian Ministry of Finance to assess the implications of climate change risk for the $1.1 trillion Government Pension Fund Global’s investment strategies. Karin holds a PhD in financial economics from the Stockholm School of Economics.

Paul Eckbo

Director and Founder

Paul is the Founder of PGH and has extensive international management experience in finance, risk management, and international services. He has founded and led several successful multi-national, high-tech, and service companies. Paul received his PhD from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Ted Kalborg

Director

Ted is the founder of Tufton Oceanic Finance Group and today serves as Chairman. He is an independent director and board member at Dorian LPG Ltd, and is on the board of directors at R.W. Chelsea Holdings Ltd and Wade Allied Holdings Ltd. He also served on the board at Hafnia Tankers Inc, Spectron Services Ltd, Nilar International AB, Imarex AS and Yes Television PLC.

Ted specializes in corporate reorganizations and equity investments. He received his undergraduate degree from the Stockholm School of Economics and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Carl Palmstierna

Director

Carl has spent over 40 years in the Financial Services Industry in London, New York, and Stockholm. He spent most of the time in London and New York with Goldman Sachs where he was elected Partner in 1992. After moving back to Sweden in 1998, he was CEO of a Private Equity company before becoming CEO of ABG Sundal Collier, a Nordic Investment Bank, following which he was CEO and subsequently Chairman of Valbay International, the largest independent Family Office operation in the Nordic Region.

Today he specializes in investing and actively supporting early-stage growth companies and serves on the Board of Directors of 10 companies he has invested in. In addition, he serves as Partner of Ceder Capital, a Private Equity Group, and as Senior Advisor to Söderberg & Partners, the largest independent Financial Services Group in the Nordic Region. He received his MSc from Stockholm School of Economics.

David Fried

Director

David has held various executive leadership positions, including CEO Emerging Markets and member of the Group Executive Committee at QBE Insurance, Regional CEO Asia Pacific for Allianz, Group General Manager and Group Head of Insurance at HSBC Holdings PLC, and Chairman and CEO Asia Pacific for HSBC Insurance Holdings Ltd. David received his degree from Tulane University and Miami University. He splits his time between PGH headquarters in Boston and the office in Hong Kong.

Anders Eckbo

Director

Anders has been a board member and involved with PGH since 1998. He has extensive experience in the shipping and finance sector and has previously been the group treasurer of Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA. Anders is a board member of Vibrand Capital, an asset management company.

Anders received his MBA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Paul Eckbo

CEO

Paul is responsible for leading PGH’s global business strategy and operations.

Paul is the Founder of PGH and has extensive international management experience in finance, risk management, and international services. He has founded and led several successful multi-national, high-tech, and service companies. Paul received his PhD from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Ramneet Walia

CEO Asia

Ram is based in Hong Kong and is responsible for the development and implementation of PGH’s strategy in Asia and oversight of established partner relationships.

He has over 16 years of insurance experience in various regional leadership roles for leading global insurance companies throughout Asia, including QBE, AXA, and Allianz, with specialisms in strategy, bancassurance, marketing & communication, and head of partnerships.

Before joining PGH, Ram was the Regional Head of Bancassurance, Asia Pacific, for QBE Insurance.

Leo Zanolini

CEO Americas

Leo is based in Miami and is responsible for the development and implementation of PGH’s strategy in the Americas and oversight of established partner relationships.

He has over 19 years of experience in various Senior Leadership roles in insurance companies QBE and HSBC in Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the United States.

Before joining PGH, Leo was the COO and Head of Distribution for QBE, Latin America.

David Greenfield

Managing Director Asia, Partnerships & Strategy

David is currently based in Thailand and is responsible for establishing and developing partnerships and strategy in Asia.

He has spent over 15 years in Asia, initially with Korn Ferry International as a Senior Client Partner, becoming a specialist in the placement of ‘C’ Suite and senior management for regional insurers in Asia Pacific.

Before joining PGH David was based in Hong Kong supporting the strategic development of multiple large financial services companies, including HSBC, AXA, Starr, JLT and Prudential.

Anya Eckbo

Director, Business Development & Communications

Anya is currently based in London. She works with the Asian, Latin American, and European teams and partners across multiple functions including product development, operations, communications, and marketing.

She has more than 12 years’ experience in partner development, project management, communications, and product launches. Anya holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA from Dartmouth College.

Claus Eckbo

Chief Financial Officer

Claus is based in Vancouver, Canada and brings 18 years of corporate finance and private equity experience to PGH. Throughout his career, Claus has maintained a heavy focus on societal impact and financial service insurance in a global context, including working on the ground in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Claus holds a BCom from the Sauder School of Business at UBC and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Steven M. Knott, CPA

Senior Financial Advisor

Steven has more than 35 years’ experience in financial management, reporting, and consulting, including 15 years in public accounting, providing audit, tax, computer, and financial consulting services. Steven holds a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from Bentley University.

Previously, he was Assistant Vice President of Financial Services for Oasis Healthcare and Manager of the Internal Audit Department reporting to the Audit Committee for Hills Department Stores.

Annika Hedström

Director of Administration

Based in Oslo, Annika leads the office of the Chairman, and holds responsibilities covering administration in Scandinavia. She is the member services contact for PGH’s Scandinavian members.

Annika has 15 years of experience working in administration for Global LNG Services, Marsoft and AIESEC, as well as starting her career in sales in Eniro.

Andrew Sokolov, MS, RN

Global Director Care Management

Andrew drives the Care Management team and competently attends to all aspects of PGH member care, incorporating his medical knowledge into his quest for producing optimal patient care.

He has over 25 years’ experience managing all aspects of medical services operations including regulatory, personnel, insurance, communications, and training.

Andrew is a member of the American Association of Nurse Executives and the American Nurses Association. He is a graduate of Moscow Medical Institute and Northeastern University in Boston.

Andrea Knott

Patient & Provider Relations Manager

Andrea oversees care coordination and management, and relationships with providers.

Andrea has six years of experience working in customer service and four years of managerial experience. She is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management.

Kyla Vigdor

Patient Coordinator

Kyla helps ensure that every patient experience is as smooth as possible while supporting various teams and relationships.

She is experienced in graphic design, communications and marketing, and customer service in health and other industries.

Ella Chung

Personal Care Coordinator

Ella is based in Hong Kong and is responsible for individualized patient care and coordination for PGH members in the Asia region.

As a Registered Nurse in Hong Kong, she has extensive experience in both hospital care and remote nursing advisory under medical consultation company.

Prior to PGH, Ella was the Nursing Team Leader in an international company of medical management solutions.

Donald Hoyt

Executive VP Insurance Operations

Don manages the insurance/reinsurance functions and business development for PGH insurance products developed in-house.

He has over 25 years’ experience in the reinsurance and financial services industry focusing on analytical, underwriting, and supervisory roles.

Previously Don worked at Massachusetts Reinsurance Corporation, Commercial Union Insurance, Constellation Reinsurance and Allendale Mutual Insurance.

Dr. Christopher Tay

Board Member PGH Asia, Chief Representative

Christopher Tay is the chief representative for PGH Asia’s new ventures, focusing on delivery of an outstanding medical journey, and supporting existing and new partnerships in Asia. He is based in Singapore.

Dr. Tay has made valuable contributions to healthcare across Asia through his advisory roles around health for national governments and hospitals such as the Singapore Parliamentary Committee, the National Key Economic Areas in Malaysia, and as board member of the Johns Hopkins Singapore International Medical Center venture in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He has worked in China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

His experience spans public and private operations and he has received several distinctions, like the Courage Medal received from the Singapore Courage Fund for management during SARS epidemic when he was COO of Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Before his role at PGH, he was the CEO of the Prestige Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Dr Tay has also headed executive, management and operations in logistics and hospitality industries. He was CEO at NTUC Healthcare providers of elderly care services in Singapore, DCEO Richland Logistics, and DRx Medical Aesthetics.

Prior to his professional career, Dr. Tay served in the Singaporean Armed forces for which he also received distinctions. He holds a doctoral degree in international business from Paris and post-graduate degrees in Healthcare Management and Leadership from the Harvard Program in Healthcare Leadership. He is an adjunct assistant professor with the University of Puthisastra, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Nicholas Donne

Senior Advisor

Nick is currently based in New Zealand. He provides consulting services to PGH for the development of distributor relationships, products and services, particularly in Asia Pacific.

He has over 50 years’ experience in the insurance industry as a CEO in Asia and Africa with HSBC, Cigna, and NZI including many years in health insurance.

Before joining PGH he was General Manager, Strategic Development Asia for HSBC. Since 2015, he has been providing consulting services to PGH as well as a number of other insurance and reinsurance businesses in the Asia Pacific region.

Ronaldo Oliveira

Senior Advisor

Ronaldo is one of the top insurance executives in Brazil.  During his long-term career in the industry, Ronaldo has occupied executive roles in Insurance Companies, Brokers, as well as Risk Manager in large multinational Corporations. He has also been a member of Industry Associations and Committees.

At Porto Seguro, a public traded insurance company ranked at the top 5 in Brazil, Ronaldo performed an important role in portfolio acquisitions, helping Porto Seguro to consolidate the largest motor retail portfolio in Brazil. In his consulting business, Ronaldo serves as a Director for several Boards and provides services in Business Development, Business Expansion, Mergers & Acquisitions and General Management.

Alessandro Jarzynski

Senior Advisor

Ale is based in Miami and has over 20 years of experience in acquiring, building, and running insurance businesses in Latin America.  Most recently, he was in charge for QBE underwriting and distribution practices in the region and a member of the Emerging Markets executive committee.  At Bleu B., he advises companies in Strategic Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Development and Start-Ups.

Johnny Chen

Senior Advisor

Johnny is a seasoned veteran in the financial services industry in Asia Pacific for past 35 years having served as senior partner and chief executive for KPMG, PwC and Zurich Insurance Group in the region.

Juan Alberto Velez Arredondo

Senior Advisor

Juan Alberto is responsible for establishing and developing of PGH’s partnerships and strategy in México. He has over 40 years of experience in the insurance sector in Mexico and Latin America.

The latest responsibilities before PGH were CEO of Seguros BX +, CEO of Seguros Multiva – both in Mexico – and CEO of HSBC Seguros in Panama.

Trevor Matthews

Senior Advisor

Trevor Matthews is based in Sydney, Australia. He is an actuary with more than 40 years’ experience in financial services and has held life and general insurance chief executive roles in Australia, North America, Asia and Europe and currently serves as chair and non-executive director on several boards. He was President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, and President of both the Chartered Insurance Institute and the Financial Services Skills Council in the UK.

Trevor has a Master of Actuarial Studies from Macquarie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in both Australia and the UK and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Geny Sandoval

Senior Advisor

Geny Sandoval is based in Quito, Ecuador. She has over 15 years’ experience in the assistance, insurance, and banking services industry, in companies like Coris and Liberty Seguros. She is currently the director of Via Conecta, a company specialized in the representation and opening of new markets in Latin America.

Gilberto Vega

Senior Advisor

Gilberto Vega is based in Panama City, Panama. He has over 40 years of experienced involved in Latam financial services including insurance, reinsurance, risk management, captives, affinity, assistance services, M&A, surety, trust, and banking. Gilberto is a founding member of Hospital San Judas Tadeo and primary clinics network Minimed in Panama. He is the founder of Grupo Solubeneficios, an affinity network and fintech, intech and paytech services provider.