Axis Re has hired former Argo Group executive Katie Partington Howarth to be its chief underwriting officer and head of the Reinsurance Products Division.

In this role, Ms Partington Howarth will be responsible for the global underwriting approach and portfolio management for all lines of business across Axis Re. Based in Bermuda, she will be a member of the Reinsurance Leadership Team, reporting to Steve Arora, Axis Re’s chief executive officer.

Mr Arora said: “Katie is a highly accomplished and widely respected reinsurance leader. She brings unique versatility – combining technical underwriting skills, analytical and portfolio management acumen, and a commercial perspective.

“With a proven track record of success in underwriting and managing portfolios across multiple global markets, Katie will play an important role as we continue on our path to be a profitability leader in the reinsurance industry. We are excited by her energy and calibre.”

Ms. Partington Howarth joins Axis with 20 years of experience in the re/insurance industry. Most recently she was group head of ceded reinsurance at Argo, responsible for strategy and implementation of the company’s treaty reinsurance and retrocessional purchases worldwide.

Prior to that, she was head of underwriting risk for Ariel Re, having served in a succession of senior roles at the company since its formation in 2005. Ms Partington Howarth joined Ariel Re from Benfield Ltd, where she spent four years as a catastrophe risk analyst and broker. She began her reinsurance career at E.W. Blanch in London.