Canopius Group, the global specialty re/insurer with an operation in Bermuda, has appointed Lindsay Astor to the newly created role of chief of staff and head of strategic development.

Ms Astor joins Canopius from AXA XL, where she was most recently head of underwriting management, UK & Lloyd’s, with responsibility for leading a team of business managers and overseeing the management of underwriting governance and controls for its legal entities.

Canopius said she held several other senior positions at the insurer including chief of staff, where she reported to Canopius’s deputy chief executive officer, Neil Robertson, when he was CEO of global specialty at AXA XL.

Reporting to Mr Robertson once again at Canopius, the company said, Ms Astor will lead, co-ordinate and participate in the successful execution of strategic initiatives.

Based in London, she will be a member of the Canopius executive committee and serve as a strategic business partner to other leadership teams across Canopius, the company said.

Mr Robertson said: “I have had the pleasure of working closely with Lindsay at AXA XL, where she demonstrated an ability to connect teams, help embed a positive culture and drive a forward-looking agenda, with a focus on execution.

“Her significant experience partnering and collaborating with the executive level in our market makes her the perfect candidate to take on the new role of Canopius chief of staff and help to drive our business’s next critical growth phase.”

Canopius is a global specialty re/insurer with underwriting operations in Australia, Bermuda, China, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

It underwrites through Lloyd’s Syndicate 4444 (managed by Canopius Managing Agents Limited), a US surplus lines insurer, Canopius US Insurance Inc, and Canopius Reinsurance Ltd, a Bermudian-based Class 4 reinsurer.