MS Amlin Underwriting Limited (MS AUL) has appointed James Maxwell as its interim chief risk officer, subject to regulatory approval.

Maxwell assumes his new role on July 05, 2021, following the departure of the previous chief risk officer, Vishai Desai. Desai is leaving the company for personal reasons, a release said.

With over 25 years of experience in financial, operational and enterprise risk management, Maxwell joins MS AUL from PwC. At PwC, he served as a partner in the company’s assurance division and led PwC’s risk, governance and controls proposition for insurance. Before PwC, Maxwell was the chief risk officer at FTSE100 Oil & Gas company BG Group. He was also a part of EY’s financial services risk management team in both London and Sydney, and has also worked in South Africa, Switzerland, and the US.

“I am pleased to welcome James to the team. He brings a strong track record in advising large-scale, international firms on risk management, governance and business resilience, and his years of experience at top consulting firms will ensure that he can hit the ground running and support a smooth transition and continuity for MS AUL’s Risk function,” said MS AUL CEO Johan Slabbert.

In a statement, Slabbert also thanked Desai for his service as the previous CRO.

“Vishal Desai has made the difficult decision to step down from his role as chief risk officer (CRO) following changes in his personal family circumstances. In the short time Vishal has been with us he has proved himself to be a valuable member of the executive team and we will be sorry to see him leave. We wish him the very best for the future,” the chief executive said.

In March, MS AUL established the new London-based role of reinsurance division head, tapping Matthew Wilken to fill in the position. Prior to joining MS AUL, Wilken was an active underwriter of Syndicate 1910 and Ariel Re’s deputy global head of reinsurance.