AXIS beefs up its cyber and technology underwriting capabilities with a string of hires

AXIS Insurance has hired three lead underwriters within its US cyber and technology team.

Ashley Sales has been named as Southeast regional underwriting manager, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, while Jonah Papesh becomes West Coast regional underwriting manager, based in San Francisco. Eric Allen has been appointed as underwriting manager in New York.

Sales and Papesh are responsible for underwriting profitability, portfolio management and execution of underwriting strategy for their respective regions. Allen works across all AXIS Insurance US cyber and technology products, with a focus on distribution relationships and the execution of underwriting strategy.

Sales was formerly an assistant regional underwriting manager for cyber and technology at AIG, dedicated to the Southeast region. She has also served as a senior underwriter and an underwriter for professional and cyber liability.

Papesh joins from AXA XL where he was a cyber and technology senior underwriter. He has also worked as a specialty errors and omissions (E&O), security and privacy underwriter at Zurich North America.

Allen was previously at Chubb, most recently as vice president and team lead for cyber and technology underwriting. He has also worked at Liberty International Underwriters, focusing on cyber, technology and E&O as an underwriting specialist.

AXIS Insurance has also added Nina Pappas, Matthew Jeske and Melissa Steinmetz as senior underwriters for its US cyber and technology team. Pappas and Jeske are based in Chicago, while Steinmetz is based in Los Angeles.