Three firms have announced senior appointments spanning global underwriting leadership, MGA reinsurance services and regional commercial broking - the most significant of which reflects a broader strategic shift in how major insurers are positioning themselves beyond traditional risk transfer.
AXA XL has appointed Jeanmarie Giordano (pictured top, left) as global chief underwriting officer, succeeding Libby Benet, who moves into the role of chief executive officer of AXA XL Risk Advisory - the insurer's recently launched unit bringing together risk consulting, loss prevention and advisory capabilities under a single structure.
Benet's move is the more strategically significant of the two announcements. The creation of dedicated prevention and advisory businesses has become an area of focus across the sector as insurers seek to offer clients risk management and loss prevention services alongside traditional coverage - positioning themselves earlier in the risk lifecycle rather than purely at the point of transfer. AXA XL's decision to appoint a CEO-level executive to lead that unit signals the weight it is placing on the model.
Giordano joins from Everest, where she served as North America chief underwriting officer since March 2025, having previously been chief underwriting officer for financial lines and specialty. Before Everest, she spent nearly 15 years at AIG, holding senior roles including global head of multinational for financial lines and chief underwriting officer for professional liability.
"Jeanmarie is a highly experienced leader in the global insurance space; she combines deep technical expertise with a strong profile and first-rate relationships across the market," said AXA XL CEO Scott Gunter. "Through her career she has not only successfully built books of business but also stabilized businesses throughout the market cycles. Her experience, expertise, and relationships position her ideally for this role."
In her new position, Giordano will oversee AXA XL's global underwriting strategy, working alongside business unit chief executives and product lines to support underwriting discipline, technical performance and portfolio resilience.
Howden has appointed Andrew Kells (pictured top, right) as commercial account executive in North Wales, the second addition to its commercial insurance team in the region following the recent recruitment of Nathan Brookfield. Kells joins from Brown & Brown in Caernarfon. In his new role he will take a holistic approach to clients' commercial insurance requirements.
Howden entered the North Wales market through its acquisition of general insurance broker Gott and Wynne in Llandudno in October 2025. The two recent hires form part of a continuing investment in the region following that entry.
"The appointment of Andrew and Nathan highlights our strong growth ambition for commercial insurance in North Wales," said Gary Stevens, regional managing director - commercial (Wales). "We're passionate about attracting and retaining the best local talent, and we welcome anyone interested in, or already pursuing, a career in insurance to explore the opportunities we are building in North Wales."
Augment Risk has appointed Lee Bonnett, based in London and reporting directly to partner Mark Aylward. He will be responsible for developing the firm's MGA client base, bringing more than 30 years of industry experience with a decade focused specifically on structuring and placing portfolio and monoline solutions for MGAs operating across North America, Australia and the UK.
Bonnett joins from Acrisure London Wholesale, where he specialised in US-based catastrophe-focused technology MGAs. Earlier in his career he held senior leadership roles at Marsh and Towergate Insurance. The appointment follows Augment Risk's hiring of Lucy Carter as partner for its US MGA business earlier this year, continuing a pattern of deliberate investment in the MGA segment at a time when the sector continues to attract carriers, brokers and investors seeking specialist underwriting access to niche markets.
