Former Navigators Group CEO to join AXIS board

Former Navigators Group president and chief executive officer Stan Galanski has been appointed to the board of AXIS Capital Holdings. 

Galanski, who was CEO of Navigators until 2019 when it was bought by the Hartford Group, will join the board on January 1 and will serve on its risk committee. 

“Stan is an outstanding addition to our board of directors, bringing more than 40 years of experience in the property and casualty space as a public company CEO and with C-Suite roles at leading major and mid-size insurance carriers,” said Henry Smith, chair of the board of directors at AXIS. “We will benefit from his experience guiding companies to drive underwriting excellence and operational transformation, as well as his deep knowledge of the specialty insurance space on a global scale.”

Galanski grew Navigators from $150 million in premiums to $2 billion while leading the company from 2003 until its 2019 acquisition by The Hartford. Previously he served for two years as CEO of Intercargo Corporation, a global NASDAQ-listed specialty insurer, until its sale to XL Capital in 1999. Galanski’s prior roles included two years as President of New Hampshire Insurance Company – an AIG subsidiary, as well as 15 years at Chubb in various management and underwriting roles.

“It is a privilege to serve on the board of AXIS, a company with a proud history in specialty insurance, strong accelerating positive momentum in its performance, and the potential for significant profitable growth,” said Galanski. “I look forward to applying my background in underwriting, operations, and transformation to support the Company in advancing its ambition to be a specialty underwriting leader.”

Galanski’s appointment reflects a multi-year succession planning strategy to ensure balance between longer-tenured directors and perspectives of newer directors. With the addition of Mr. Galanski, the Board will consist of 12 members, 11 of whom are independent. Over the past six years, the Company has added nine new directors to the board, including Galanski.

Galanski is currently a director of Aviva Canada and San Diego-based G2 Insurance Services.