AXIS Re appoints Leahey to Europe/MENA post

AXIS Capital Holdings subsidiary AXIS Re has appointed Michael Leahey as vice president and deputy head of catastrophe underwriting for Europe, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Israel.

Leahey was previously a senior property underwriter and market manager for the Nordics region and senior property underwriter for the DACH region at XL Catlin. He started his reinsurance career at PartnerRe, where he held a succession of property catastrophe underwriting roles.

In his new role, which will involve expanding AXIS Re’s business in the Europe/MENA regions, Leahey will be based out of the company’s Zurich office, and will report to Andrew Bisset, executive vice president of AXIS Re.

Leahey will also be responsible for further expanding the coordination between AXIS Re's European underwriting and catastrophe modeling teams.

"Michael’s appointment is an important step as we continue to enhance the services and expertise we provide our clients in the property cat treaty reinsurance space," said Bisset. "He brings extensive experience in property cat underwriting, portfolio analysis and pricing, all of which will enable AXIS Re to further deliver upon our promise of providing robust and agile solutions that help our clients effectively manage their risks."