AXIS claims chief sets retirement date

David Hayward, the chief claims officer at AXIS Capital Holdings, will retire in March 2020, to be succeeded by Michael Baumel.

Baumel is currently the head of North American claims and will take up the new position following a six-month transition period. He joins the AXIS Insurance leadership team and reports directly to CEO Peter Wilson.

Hayward’s career spans more than thirty years, with the past seventeen years spent at AXIS.

Wilson said Hayward had played a fundamental role in shaping AXIS’ claims management strategy and conceptualised and implemented muchy of what makes its claims function special.

But he welcomed Baumel as a capable replacement. “During his more than four years with AXIS, [Baumel] has established himself as a respected leader, a trusted partner to our clients and an individual who embodies our commitment to delivering exceptional service,” Wilson said.

Baumel has been with AXIS Insurance for more than four years, holding multiple leadership roles in claims and underwriting, both in the US and Europe. He has served as senior vice president of excess casualty claims at ACE, and held multiple claims vice president positions at CNA, and began his insurance career at GE, where he was global claims special services leader.