Axis Capital has appointed Steve Arora as CEO of its reinsurance business, Axis Re.

Arora joins the company from Swiss Re where he spent 18 years in a variety of senior positions, most recently as head of casualty reinsurance and as a member of the reinsurance executive committee.

In his new role, Arora will head up Axis’ $2.2bn reinsurance business and will become a member of the company’s executive committee. He will report to president and CEO Albert Benchimol when he joins the carrier in January 2018 and will be based in Zurich , but has held positions in the US, Europe and Asia throughout his career.

In addition, the carrier announced that Axis Re interim CEO Jan Ekberg, who took on the role after Jay Nichols stepped down earlier this year, will resume his previous role as president and chief underwriting officer of Axis Re Europe.

Besides his role as head of casualty reinsurance at Swiss Re, he served as president of Swiss Re Japan, managing director to some of its largest global clients, and head of the engineering and construction business across the Americas region.

Arora has been recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader.

Commenting on the appointment, Benchimol said: “Steve is a remarkable talent and an accomplished and widely respected executive who stands at the forefront of an emerging generation of senior leaders in our profession,”

“He is perfectly suited to be CEO of Axis Re, bringing breadth and depth of experience on a global scale and a client-centric mentality that matches our culture.”