This edition of International People Moves details appointments at AXA XL and Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM).
A summary of these new hires follows here.
AXA XL Promotes Smyth as Global Chief Underwriting Officer, Casualty
AXA XL has appointed Donnacha Smyth as its global chief underwriting officer, Casualty, effective Nov. 3.
Based in Bermuda, Smyth currently serves as head of Casualty for the Americas region. As part of his new global role, he will relocate to Ireland in 2026.
In his new global casualty role, Smyth will work closely with regional CUOs to promote profitable growth, ensure underwriting consistency, and drive the development of innovative products. He will also oversee the professional growth of underwriters through targeted training and technical skill enhancement, ensuring the team adheres to the highest standards of quality, compliance, and best practices.
Having over three decades of industry experience, Mr. Smyth has been with AXA XL since 2007. Since 2018, he has led the Americas Casualty team, overseeing the casualty practice in the insurer’s most profitable region, including primary risk management, excess risk management, multinational group captives, rail, and eight underwriting teams across the U.S. and Bermuda. He will continue to lead Casualty in the Americas until a successor is named.
“Throughout his tenure at AXA XL, Donnacha has demonstrated exceptional leadership by redefining the excess liability appetite and collaborating closely with underwriting and actuarial teams to execute portfolio transformations that lead to strong and consistent underwriting performance,” commented AXA XL Global Chief Underwriting Officer Libby Benet. “His strategic vision and dedication to developing talent have helped him build strong relationships with colleagues, clients, and brokers, fostering a culture of underwriting excellence and innovation.”
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Liberty Specialty Markets Taps Zurich’s Weigel as Head of Multinational, Europe
Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, announced the appointment of Alexandra Weigel as head of multinational, Europe.
Based in Zurich, Weigel is responsible for supporting the expansion of LSM’s multinational program capability in Europe.
Weigel will play a vital role in building scalable foundations and processes to support the company’s multinational program (MNP) offering, while helping to drive digitization and the use of AI to enhance underwriting quality and claims service.
Weigel brings more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry and multinational business. She joins from Zurich Insurance, where she spent 19 years, most recently holding the role of international business underwriting manager for commercial insurance.
“We are delighted that Alexandra has joined Liberty. Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment as we widen the scope of our multinational offering across our key products in Europe,” commented Pierre Edouard-Fraigneau, president, Liberty International Insurance Europe.
“Alexandra has extensive skills across insurance and multinational programs, fostering very successful teams, and these skills and experience will be invaluable to lead our multinational strategy.”
Topics Excess Surplus Europe Underwriting Casualty