Global property and casualty insurer Liberty Mutual Insurance has announced the appointment of Defne Turkes as President and Managing Director (MD) of Liberty International Insurance (LII), the international division of Global Risk Solutions (GRS), effective July 1, 2026.
She succeeds Phil Hobbs, who recently moved into the role of President of Underwriting, GRS.
In her new position, Turkes will lead strategic growth across commercial insurance internationally as well as retail markets in Asia.
She will report directly to GRS President Matthew Moore, who commented: “Defne brings a formidable combination of skills and deep international insurance expertise.
“She is an exceptional leader, with proven experience delivering operational platforms across complex, multi-jurisdictional environments, alongside commercial experience running a multi-country business.”
Turkes has been part of Liberty since 2006, having initially joined the company as chief financial officer in Turkey. Since then, she has held various senior leadership positions in Asia, culminating as president of Liberty’s Asia retail businesses.
Most recently, she served as chief operating officer for Liberty International Insurance, a role she held for two years.
Prior to Liberty, Turkes worked as a Corporate Finance Manager for Global Menkul Değerler, and served as Manager, Transaction Advisory Services at EY before that.
