Nobody has a crystal ball to see the future, but we can observe what is in front of us, combine it with experience and make an educated guess. That is what Wilton Kee, the newly appointed CEO of Manulife Hong Kong and Macau, has been professionally trained to do.
He has spent his actuarial career looking at variables, assessing risk and planning ahead. And as he worked his way up the ladder, he also came to the realisation that the same thinking could be applied to his personal health.
“I set very high standards for myself and need to stay in peak condition for the long term, but after pushing hard for a while, I found that my body didn’t recover as quickly as before,” Kee says.
“To me, that was already an early warning sign, and the most reasonable next step was to act immediately.”
Kee decided to pick up running to keep himself in shape, and encountered another learning curve. “When I first started running, it was really tough. I had to stop and rest, but I didn’t give up,” he recalls.
He started with 3km (1.9 miles), and once he felt fit enough pushed it to 5km. Today, 10km is his benchmark, and he runs regularly, rain or shine. The progression and persistence mirror his approach to work: steady, measurable and resilient.
“I see exercise as a very smart investment,” Kee says. “You might spend an hour running, but what you get in return could be several more hours of life.”
He hopes to share that spirit with his team and the company he has served since 2013. “When you sacrifice your health just to meet work targets, there may not be any immediate consequences, but what you give up is a long-term advantage,” he says.
“As a leader, when I keep up my exercise routine, the people around me can actually see it.”
While regular exercise is a good way to set the foundation for better health, Kee believes that insurance adds an essential layer of protection.
“When a crisis comes, we can have the proper protection. And the role of insurance is not just to plan coverage, but to be there when customers need it,” he says, drawing on experience from his previous roles at Manulife as chief product officer and chief financial officer. “We can proactively provide the right support and walk with them through the most critical moments.”
Just like all of us, Kee has to encounter life’s unpredictability every day, but he knows what mindset is required to face it. “It’s not about waiting for a problem to arise before managing risk, but about anticipating it and preparing ahead,” he says.
What sets him apart in this regard, it seems, are the insights he has accumulated over decades of working in the insurance industry, as well as the many kilometres he has run.
Check out the video to follow Wilton Kee on one of his runs and hear more of his thoughts on how people can future-proof themselves.