Executives On The Move at AXIS and AGCS

November 5, 2020

AXIS Insurance hired three new lead underwriters within its U.S. Cyber and Technology team. Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) appointed a former Generali executive as the new regional head of Liability for Regional Unit London and Nordics.

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Veterans from AIG, Chubb and AXIS XL are joining AXIS Insurance – the specialty insurance business segment of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited – as as three new lead underwriters within its U.S. Cyber and Technology team.

The hires are: Ashley Sales, Southeast Regional Underwriting Manager, who will be based in Alpharetta, Georgia; San Francisco-based Jonah Papesh, West Coast Regional Underwriting Manager; and Eric Allen, Underwriting Manager, who will be based in New York.

Sales and Papesh will be responsible for underwriting profitability, portfolio management and execution of underwriting strategy for the U.S. Southeast and West Coast regions, respectively. Allen will work across all AXIS Insurance U.S. Cyber and Technology products, with a focus on distribution relationships and the execution of underwriting strategy.

Before AXIS, Sales was an Assistant Regional Underwriting Manager for Cyber and Technology at AIG, dedicated to the Southeast region. At AIG she previously held Senior Underwriter and Underwriter positions, working across Professional and Cyber Liability.

Papesh joins AXIS from AXA XL, where he was a Cyber and Technology Senior Underwriter. Previously, he was a Specialty E&O, Security and Privacy Underwriter at Zurich North America.

Allen joins AXIS from Chubb where he was most recently Vice President and Team Lead for Cyber and Technology Underwriting. Previously, Allen focused on Cyber, Technology and Errors and Omissions as an Underwriting Specialist at Liberty International Underwriters.

AXIS Insurance also announced today the addition of three Senior Underwriters to its U.S. Cyber and Technology team. Nina Pappas, Matthew Jeske and Melissa Steinmetz have joined AXIS as Senior Underwriters. Pappas and Jeske will be based in Chicago, and Steinmetz will be based in Los Angeles.

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Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) appointed former Generali executive Luke Baker as the new regional head of Liability for Regional Unit London and Nordics.

He will join AGCS, Allianz’s entity for large-scale corporate and specialty risks, early in 2021.

In this role, Baker will lead AGCS’ liability business across the UK, Ireland, Nordics and the Middle East with responsibility for the profitability of the portfolio. He will report to Alfredo Alonso, managing director Regional Unit London and Nordics with an additional reporting line to Ciara Brady, global head of Liability, and will be based out of the company’s London office.

Baker will take over from Jon Prowse, interim regional head of Liability, who resumes his role as executive liability underwriter and regional practice group leader, Liability, for Oil & Gas, PharmChem, Food & Beverage.

Currently Casualty underwriting director at Generali, Baker brings over 17 years of insurance industry experience to his new role. He began his career with brokers Willis and then Marsh, before moving to RSA, holding a number of roles of increasing seniority across multiple lines of business. He joined Generali in his current role in early 2019 where he is responsible for the Casualty portfolio spanning much of Europe, UK, Asia and the USA.

Sources: AXIS Insurance and Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS)