AXA XL boosts French operations with key appointments

AXA XL Insurance has made two key appointments to boost its specialty capabilities in France, where the company has seen an increased interest in locally underwritten coverages.

Mathieu de Roquemaurel has been named underwriting manager for specialty, and Daphné de Marolles as underwriting manager for art and specie and private clients.

Roquemaurel will assume the responsibility for accident and health, art and specie and private clients, crisis management and security risks, and political risk, credit and bond (PRCB) in France.

Roquemaurel joined AXA Group in 2010 as an auditor before joining AXA Entreprises in 2014. He served as head of business development for large property and casualty brokers at AXA France before joining AXA XL in 2017 as client distribution leader.

Marolles will focus on the management of AXA XL’s art and specie and private clients portfolio in France. She will be responsible for developing solutions for private and public art institutions, private and corporate collectors, as well as art professionals.

Accident and health and PRCB remain the responsibility, respectively, of Isabel Schenone and Eric Zandvliet.

Marolles has over 20 years’ experience in insurance. She joined AXA Group in 1997 as a claims handler for Direct Assurance. She later joined AXA Art, first as a middle office manager and then as an underwriter. She later became senior underwriter, private at AXA XL.

Julien Guénot, country leader for France at AXA XL, said the re/insurer has seen increased interest in locally underwritten coverage for their specialty needs in the last five years.

“We have grown our capabilities in the French market by adding crisis management and security risks to our suite of solutions,” he said.

Guénot added: “France is Europe’s largest market for art. In 2019, it was ahead of Germany, Italy and Switzerland with over 80,000 artworks sold, representing €681 million. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on sales, but it has also accelerated the digitisation of the sector with the development of virtual exhibitions and online auctions. As a longtime art insurer and supporter of the arts we want to work with our clients through this crisis but also enable them to embrace innovation.”

Yannick Daucourt, chief underwriting officer for specialty for Asia Pacific and Europe at AXA XL, commented: “Mathieu’s experience of working with regional brokers and across AXA Group’s entities positions him ideally to manage our specialty businesses while expanding our distribution opportunities for these lines of business. I’m delighted that he has joined our team.”

Hans Laenen, product leader for fine art & specie and private clients, APAC & Europe, added: “Daphne’s knowledge of the art market makes her an ideal candidate to lead our Fine Art & Specie business and work with our specialized brokers to bring tailor-made solutions to our France-based clients.”

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