James Melvin, the newly appointed regional managing partner for Asia-Pacific at Kennedys, has identified cyber and data insurance as a key trend for 2026, warning that it will give rise to new risks.
Melvin particularly highlighted insurers’ rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation as a key driver behind the emergence of these risks.
“We see that insurers are embracing AI and digital transformation at unprecedented speed, but this shift introduces new risks, regulatory questions and changing litigation trends,” he told Asia Business Law Journal.
“AI poses potential risks, including bias and discrimination, generative AI ‘hallucinations’ (producing inaccurate or misleading results), intellectual property infringement from unauthorised use of copyrighted material and vulnerability to cyberattacks.”
Specialising in insurance, Melvin also foresees greater volatility in the sector due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“The global market, including the marine liability market in Singapore, has been impacted following the developments this past weekend. The insurance market will be monitoring the situation very closely, as the situation is likely to remain highly volatile,” he said.
Having stepped into his new role at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, Melvin already has his work cut out for him. Even so, his goal over the next 12 months is to further strengthen Kennedys’ reputation and build on the firm’s key practice areas.
“In the next 12 months, my vision for Kennedys is to be leveraging technology for efficiency, deepening client relationships, and focusing our efforts on high-growth practice areas,” he added.
Looking further ahead, Melvin’s ambitions extend beyond financial performance, as he aims to enhance Kennedys’ impact in APAC.
“By the end of my term, I want the firm to be recognised not just for financial performance, but for its forward-thinking impact in the APAC market,” he said.
Melvin’s appointment as regional managing partner for APAC coincided with Kennedys naming Nicole Wearne as the firm’s Australian managing partner.
