AXA XL Insurance, a division of global insurer AXA, has expanded its cyber capabilities in Europe and Australia with the addition of 10 cyber underwriting experts to the team across both regions.
Sylvie Verdier joins the Switzerland team from Chubb where she most recently served as Cyber Practice Lead and Financial Lines Team Leader.
Joining the Italian team from Marsh is Niccolò Magnani, and the team in Iberia is welcoming Diego Rodríguez Vázquez and Maria Silvia Demattei.
Magnus Flyrin, Rabia Ok and Giovanni Belhadj join AXA XL Insurance in the Nordics and the Australian cyber team is welcoming Grace Coleman, Nicholas “Nick” Maxwell and Alberto Piccena.
These underwriters will collaborate with brokers in their respective markets to help AXA XL’s clients manage their cyber-related risks, AXA noted.
Verdier brings 14 years of experience in financial lines and cyber underwriting to her new role. She started her career with Zurich Insurance Company Ltd where she held various underwriting roles.
She then worked for AXIS Capital as a Senior Underwriter, Cyber & Professional Lines before joining Chubb.
Magnani started his career in 2012 with Europ Assistance Italia S.p.A. before joining AON S.p.A. as an account executive specialising in Professional Services. He then joined Marsh S.p.A. as Cyber Leader and Client Advisory.
Rodríguez Vázquez joins AXA XL from Chubb where he most recently served as Cyber Underwriter. He brings a wealth of experience in IT security to his new role, gained during his time at PwC Spain and S21sec.
Prior to AXA XL, Demattei held a number of leadership roles in financial lines and cyber at Aon. Before that, she served as a financial lines broker for JLT Re Colombia, where she started her career in insurance.
Flyrin has more than 30 years of experience in the re/insurance industry, both in broking and underwriting. He specialised in technology underwriting when he joined Chubb Insurance Company of Europe SA as Senior Technology Underwriter and has since held a number of senior roles at Chubb and Aon Sweden AB.
Ok started her career in insurance broking in 2005 with UIB Insurance Brokers SA before joining Aon where she spent 12 years, first as Senior Client Coordinator, and later as a financial lines broker.
Before joining the insurance industry in 2021, Belhadj started a career in sales in 2001.He first worked as an assistant broker for Söderberg & Partners and later on as Cyber Underwriter at Säkra.
Coleman joins AXA XL Insurance from Brooklyn underwriting – a division of AXA XL. She began her career at a global American insurance company where she worked across various product lines before finding a home in Cyber and Technology.
With nearly 15 years’ experience in the insurance market, Maxwell started his career in a multinational brokerage firm in Sydney, Australia. He then moved to London where he worked as Cyber and PI underwriter for a global American insurance company before moving back to Australia where his latest role, prior to joining AXA XL, was Practice Lead – Commercial Cyber.
Piccena joins AXA XL Insurance from Aon. He brings to his new role 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, first on the broker side, having held distribution roles at Marsh, at WTW and at Aon Risk Solutions.
He then became Senior Financial Lines Underwriter, working for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, before joining Gallagher, returning to Aon as Client Director, Cyber Practice.
Ana Dores, Chief Underwriting Officer, International Financial Lines – APAC & Europe at AXA XL, commented: “The European cybersecurity market is estimated at more than €130 billion and is growing at a rate of 17% a year, while Australia saw an increase of nearly 13% in cybercrimes reported to the Australian Cyber Security Centre last year.
“These are clear signs that businesses, in Europe and Australia, appreciate the risks associated with cyber security, and understand the need and urgency to protect their operations and minimise their exposure.”
She added: “The demand for cyber insurance solutions in Europe, Asia and Australia is growing, and our clients are increasingly turning to us to develop tailored solutions to help them prevent, mitigate and transfer the risks associated with technology. We want AXA XL to play a key role in the development of cyber solutions and believe that now is the time to invest in growing our team.”
