QBE Insurance has launched a new political violence and terrorism Insurance offering from its Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) office.

“As QBE continues to expand globally and regionally, the addition of political violence and terrorism to our DIFC office is a testament of our growth aspirations and our commitment to provide solutions to our clients,” Abdallah Balbeisi, senior executive officer at QBE Insurance Middle East, said in a press release.

Fouad Serhan, head of facultative - MEA, added that this new line of business "complements our growth strategy in the Middle East & Africa region from the Dubai International Financial Center."

The company has appointed Ali Awad (pictured above) as senior underwriter to lead the new initiative. Awad joins QBE from Allianz in Singapore, bringing over six years of experience across various Allianz operations including London. His insurance career began in Zurich, and includes experience in reinsurance broking and with direct insurers.

In his new role, Awad will be responsible for establishing and growing the political portfolio across the Middle East and Africa. He will report to Vladan Radakovic, head of property and pPolitical violence at QBE Insurance Middle East, and will be based in the Dubai International Financial Center.

“Ali brings his political violence knowledge, expertise and experience to QBE. We are happy to have Ali onboard, he is a great addition to our team in the DIFC,” Radakovic said.