AXA XL appoints Regional Managers in Europe

Dublin - March 17, 2022

AXA XL today announced the appointments of Peter Knaus as Regional Manager, Northern Europe, in addition to his role as Country Manager, Germany and Julien Guénot as Regional Manager, Southern Europe, in addition to his role as Country Manager, France.

Bruno Laval, Chief Distribution Officer, APAC & Europe and Regional Manager, European Growth Markets, will be leaving AXA XL to pursue opportunities outside of AXA Group. AXA XL will appoint a Chief Distribution Officer for APAC & Europe and will announce in due course.

These changes reflect AXA XL’s decision to organize its European insurance operations into two geographical hubs: Northern Europe (comprising Germany, Switzerland, Austria & CSEE, Nordics and Benelux) and Southern Europe (comprising France, Italy and Iberia).

Xavier Veyry, Chief Executive Officer, APAC & Europe, commented: “I am delighted that Peter and Julien will be taking on additional responsibility. They are both accomplished leaders whose knowledge of these regions and track record are impressive. The creation of these hubs will allow us to strengthen the coordination of our local operations and to make our organization easier to navigate for our partners.”

Mr. Veyry added: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Bruno for his dedication over his 20-year tenure with AXA XL, and for his contribution to our business in Europe and the wider Business Unit.”

Peter Knaus has been with AXA since 1993. During his tenure, he held a number of senior underwriting and leadership roles, including Head of Commercial Lines, Chief Underwriting Officer and General Manager at AXA Versicherung AG. He was appointed Country Manager, Germany for AXA XL in 2019.

Julien Guénot started his career with AXA in 2003 before joining AIG and later joining AXA Corporate Solutions in 2009 to set up the company’s operations in Asia, supporting the development of the whole Asia-Pacific region. He then moved to Italy to lead AXA Corporate Solutions’ Italian and Southern European operations before being appointed Country Manager, France for AXA XL in 2018.