Banyan Excess adds Axa XL’s Moniz as Bermuda office head

By Michael Loney

Jan 28 - (The Insurer) - Banyan Risk has appointed former Axa XL Bermuda excess casualty head Vivienne Moniz as head of the Bermuda office of Banyan Excess Liability Ltd (BELL).

Banyan announced the hire on LinkedIn, noting Moniz’s “extensive experience” in excess casualty and proven track record in claims handling and negotiation.

Moniz spent six years as Axa XL’s head of excess casualty, Bermuda. Before that, she served as Axa XL’s head of healthcare, Bermuda.

The Insurer revealed in June last year that Axa XL Bermuda was parting ways with a number of senior staff, including Moniz. This was tied to a restructure of its Americas division.

Bermuda-based Banyan Risk in September last year appointed Mark Smith as CUO of its excess casualty subsidiary. Smith most recently worked at Markel West Insurance Services for two years, which followed six years at Axa XL.

In July last year, Banyan Risk entered a long-term strategic partnership with PartnerRe to write excess casualty insurance and recruited market veteran Alan Rodrigues from Markel to lead BELL.

Earlier that month, the specialist D&O MGA appointed Ben Munro to the newly created role of CUO.