People Moves: HDI Global Canada Promotes Navarrete to Managing Director; AXA XL Appoints Kuklinski as Regional Mgr. for Northern Europe, Germany’s Country Mgr.

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at HDI Global and AXA XL.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

HDI Global Canada Promotes Navarrete to Managing Director

HDI Global Canada announced the appointment of Klaus Navarrete as the new overall managing director, effective July 1, 2024.

Navarrete has been with HDI for more than 10 years. He joined in 2013 from Hannover Re, serving as managing director of HDI Global Canada since. Retaining that role, he will now be fully responsible for both Commercial and Specialty business.

Derek Spafford, currently managing director HDI Global Specialty Canada, will continue to drive the growth of the Canadian specialty book as head of Specialty Lines and Delegated Authority.

The new appointment is subject to approval by the relevant local authorities.

“This step represents a significant progression for HDI in Canada, enabling us to combine the strengths of Commercial and Specialty business sectors even more,” commented Navarrete.

He went on to say that the new setup empowers the company “to provide comprehensive services for brokers and clients, serving as their trusted and preferred partner in Transformation.”

HDI Global SE is the Industrial Lines Division of the Talanx Group. Approximately 5,000 employees in this division generated insurance revenue (gross) of approximately €9.1 billion in the year 2023 (according to IFRS 17).

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AXA XL Appoints Kuklinski as Regional Mgr. for Northern Europe and Germany’s Country Mgr.

AXA XL has appointed Kai Kuklinski as regional manager, Northern Europe, and country manager for Germany (branch manager of XL Insurance Co. SE’s German branch), effective Aug. 1, subject to regulatory approvals.

Kuklinski will oversee AXA XL’s operations in Northern Europe, which covers Switzerland, Benelux, Nordics and Austria as well as CSEE (Central and South-Eastern Europe). Additionally, as branch manager of XL Insurance Co.’s German branch, he will lead the team in Germany to implement the company’s strategy and strengthen relationships with clients, brokers and strategic partners.

Kuklinski is currently a member of the Executive Committee of AXA Germany (AXA Konzern AG) and serves as chief distribution officer for Property & Casualty, Health, and Life & Savings. Before joining AXA Germany, he was the chief executive officer of AXA Art.

“Germany hosts some of the largest companies in the world. The country ranks fourth in terms of the number of businesses among the world’s largest 500. This positions it as a strategic market for commercial insurance and one of the most advanced and sophisticated in Europe,” commented Xavier Veyry, chief executive officer, APAC & Europe at AXA XL.

Topics Talent Europe Canada AXA XL Germany Human Resources