AXA XL has appointed Erin Bouren as underwriting manager for excess and surplus lines casualty in the western US. The hire puts a named leader on the ground as the company prepares to begin writing new E&S casualty business through its dedicated wholesale entity in early 2027.
Bouren brings more than 20 years of casualty underwriting experience, with a background concentrated in the western region. She previously led western territory excess casualty underwriting at Everest Insurance, where she joined in 2019. Before that, she held a vice president of underwriting role at Conifer Holdings. She reports to Laura Johnson, head of West, E&S Casualty at AXA XL, who has held underwriting leadership roles at the company since 2017, most recently as head of E&S general liability for the Americas.
The appointment follows AXA XL’s September 2026 launch of AXA XL Excess & Surplus Lines Insurance Company, a dedicated legal entity created exclusively for wholesale broker relationships. The new carrier, rated A+ by AM Best and AA by S&P, will operate alongside existing AXA XL entities and participate in the same pool as Indian Harbor Insurance Company. The rollout coincides with the introduction of Guidewire as AXA XL’s E&S policy administration platform, also slated for 2027.
Bouren joins a casualty leadership structure that AXA XL has been actively reshaping. The company named Nick Goepp as head of West, excess casualty, and Lexi Bueno as head of Central, US risk management earlier this year, both reporting to Matthew Stitham, who became chief underwriting officer for casualty in the Americas in January 2026. Bouren’s appointment adds a dedicated E&S-focused underwriting manager to the western region ahead of the entity going live.
“By strengthening our organizational focus on the E&S market, we are better positioned to innovate, increase scale in key regions, and provide the proactive, tailored support that our brokers expect,” said Tim Whisler, head of E&S wholesale solutions at AXA XL.
