HONG KONG--AIG has tapped Asia-Pacific PR veteran Damian Coory to lead marketing and communications in Asia-Pacific. 

Coory joins the insurance giant as corporate VP, reporting to Christina Pretto, AIG's New York-based SVP of corporate communications. He will also have a dotted reporting line to Asia-Pacific CEO Jose Hernandez.

Coory has spent much of the past decade working in partnership with Edelman. He served as Hong Kong and Taiwan managing director from 2008 to 2011, after Edelman acquired his boutique executive communications consultancy. After departing the agency, Coory restablished Coory & Associates at the start of 2012.

Coory's hire sees AIG shift its Asia-Pacific communications base to Hong Kong. The company's regional VP of communications, Peter Joblin, is based in Singapore, as is CMO Neil Gardner.

In his new position, Coory will be responsible for leading AIG's corporate comms operations and team across the Asia Pacific region, including Japan, with regional responsibility for media relations, executive communications, corporate brand, internal communications, and CSR and sponsorship initiatives. The communications teams in the 15 Asia-Pacific countries where AIG has operations will report to Coory.

"The businesses within the Asia-Pacific are among the fastest growing within AIG, and we are confident that Damian, a corporate communications professional, business leader, and strategist, is the best person to lead our Asia-Pacific communications team under this new structure," said Hernandez.

Before Edelman, Coory served as a director at Hill+Knowlton from 1999 to 2002. He began his career working in radio journalism, and held a number of broadcast and news reporting positions. Coory is also a lecturer at HK Baptist University in the Master of Arts (Communications) program.

"Damian is uniquely positioned to help advance AIG's reputation in support of our business objectives and the overall interests of the company," added Pretto. "I look forward to his strong leadership in this important role."