Canopius Group has announced that it has opened a new office in Melbourne, to be led by the newly appointed casualty underwriter, APAC, David Mutton.
The new office will initially underwrite casualty business, and will broaden its offering as the business grows. Canopius also stated that there are plans to make new hires for the Melbourne unit in the coming year.
Mutton joins Canopius from AXA XL (formerly XL Catlin), where he previously served as senior underwriter, casualty, for Australia. He brings to his new role more than two decades’ experience, specialising in corporate and commercial casualty lines.
According to Canopius, the new Melbourne office marks a “significant milestone” for the firm’s Australian business, which already has an operation in Sydney. The new office will serve as a hub from which Canopius can serve the state of Victoria. It will also allow the company’s experienced teams to make “locally-empowered underwriting decisions.”
“The opening of our trading office in Melbourne marks a significant point in our APAC growth journey,” said Canopius APAC chief executive Mark Newman. “Melbourne provides an ideal platform for us to continue to scale rapidly as a lead carrier for specialty risk in Australia, while attracting some of the region’s top talent.”
Newman added that the Melbourne office launch is “a testament to the strength of [Canopius’s] existing team,” which is responsible for creating and developing the strong client and partner relationships that ultimately led the company to open the new location.
“I am delighted to welcome David into the fold. His leadership skills and relationships built over many years, combined with his strong technical capability and knowledge of the local market, complement our team of specialists and places us well to seize the wealth of opportunities in Australia,” commented Newman on Mutton’s appointment.
Last year, Canopius named Neil Robertson as its new group chief executive officer. Previously the deputy group CEO, Robertson succeeded Michael Watson, who remained group chairman.
