Axis Capital Holdings Limited has promoted Dan Draper to the role of group chief underwriting officer.

Mr Draper, who is based in London and had previously served as group head of underwriting, will report to president and CEO Albert Benchimol and join the company’s executive committee.

“We have tremendous confidence in Dan — he is a proven leader within Axis who has an established track record of partnering with the business to drive consistent improvement in portfolio quality and underwriting performance over the past several years,” said Mr Benchimol.

“This is all part of our broader strategy to advance our leadership in specialty, grow profitably with our partners and deliver increased value to both our customers and shareholders.”

In his new role, Mr Draper will guide the centralisation of the company’s underwriting analytics and support functions into a single division that he will oversee.

In addition, he will partner with the company’s underwriting divisions on portfolio strategy and governance including exposure management, as well as introducing greater innovation into products and services delivered to existing and new customer segments.

The appointment of a group chief underwriting officer was one of several actions the company announced this year to advance its position as a specialty leader.

Mr Benchimol added: “The introduction of the new group chief underwriting officer organisation presents an opportunity for Axis to be more agile, efficient and connected in our approach to portfolio management, pricing, data and analytics.”

Mr Draper said: “I’m looking forward to partnering with the business to build on the significant progress that we’ve made to strengthen the company’s portfolio and advance our leadership in specialty. I believe we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what is possible for Axis.”