Axa XL Australia has announced key internal appointments, promoting Kim McEwan to the position of Head of Casualty and Ewen McKay to Head of Financial Lines.

Ms McEwan was previously Underwriting Manager and Mr McKay was Product Manager Management Liability.

The insurer announced the promotions as Head of Long Tail Lines Rory Morison leaves later this month to join US specialty insurer Markel as Australia MD with responsibility for overseeing the launch of its business here.

“In light of these promotions, and to streamline our leadership structure, we have made the decision not to replace Rory’s position as Head of Long Tail Lines,” Axa XL says in a statement to insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“We thank Rory for his many years of service with Axa XL as he finishes up his 21-year tenure with the company later this month, and we wish him all the best.”

Ms McEwan and Mr McKay commenced their new roles recently and have already made a difference to the business, Axa XL says.

“Under Kim’s leadership as Head of Casualty we have witnessed a strengthening of our market presence,” the insurer said.

“[Ewen's] deep understanding of the Financial Lines landscape and proactive approach to addressing complex client challenges have been instrumental in expanding our footprint in this sector.

“Together, Kim and Ewen's collaborative efforts have propelled our growth momentum across both the Axa XL and Brooklyn brands.”