Axis Re has appointed Ann Haugh as president of its global markets division.

Based in London, Haugh will be responsible for the oversight of Axis Re strategic partners, global specialty re and Axis Re’s international business platform in the Lloyd’s market.

She will become a member of the reinsurance leadership team and will report to Axis Re CEO Steve Arora.

Haugh joins Axis Re from insurance services firm Thomas Miller, where she served as group COO. Prior to that, she held a number of senior underwriting and operations leadership positions at Aspen and Zurich.

Concurrently, Axis Re announced that Rob Smart, who currently serves as interim president of global markets, has been appointed to the newly created role of head of specialty re. He will report to Haugh.

The specialty re unit, which sits within Axis Re’s global markets division, was established in May 2018 when Axis announced a new organisational design for its reinsurance segment as part of a commitment to strengthen market leadership.

Commenting on the appointments, Arora said: “We are excited to welcome Ann to Axis. Her 25 years of insurance experience spans underwriting, operations, strategy and P&L management. 

“This breadth and versatility of experience is a great addition to our organization. Ann also demonstrates the strong cultural values of execution and empathy that we are building at Axis Re.”

“I am confident that Rob will be successful in leading this very important business for Axis Re and delivering global product strategies. We are appreciative of his energy and commitment in establishing the global markets division during the interim period,” he added.