AXA XL Names Al Baker Head of Construction, UK and Lloyd's Market

AXA XL has promoted Al Baker to head of construction, UK and Lloyd's market, effective immediately.

In his new role—which he has been carrying out on an interim basis since September 2021—Mr. Baker will be responsible for leading AXA XL's construction business for the UK and Lloyd's region and driving its strategic, profitable development.

"We want to ensure that AXA XL has the best reputation and portfolio for construction business in the UK market, and we're building a skilled and experienced team to help us achieve that ambition," Anish Jadav, chief underwriting officer, retail property and casualty, UK and Lloyd's at AXA XL, said in a statement.

"Al is already a valued member of the senior construction team and I'm delighted that he'll be taking on responsibility for leading our UK construction business," Mr. Jadav said. "Al has been with AXA since 2010, so has built up a solid reputation within the business, in addition to a wealth of industry knowledge. He's exceptionally well-placed to help us deliver on our goals as we look to profitably grow our UK construction business and continue to provide our clients with the superior level of service that they're accustomed to."

Mr. Baker is a seasoned insurance executive and chartered civil engineer, with extensive experience across distribution and construction. He joined Carillion PLC in 2002 as an engineer and undertook various engineering and construction roles while gaining chartered status. He joined AXA Matrix Risk Consultants as a construction risk consultant in 2010, before moving to Paris with AXA Corporate Solutions as global infrastructure practice leader in 2015. In 2019, Mr. Baker joined AXA XL, where he was promoted several times before assuming his current position.

Mr. Baker has a postgraduate diploma in business management from Aston Business School and a bachelor of engineering in civil engineering with architecture from the University of Leeds. He has also acted as a mentor for three cohorts of Lloyd's Lab InsurTech startups.