Global specialty insurer Canopius has opened a Melbourne office, appointed former Axa XL executive David Mutton as Casualty Underwriter for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and says it’s planning additional hires in the coming year.

Mr Mutton, who will lead the Melbourne operation, brings more than two decades’ experience to the role, specialising in corporate and commercial casualty lines.

“I am delighted to welcome David into the fold,” CEO APAC Mark Newman said last week.

“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.”

Canopius, which opened an office in Sydney in 2019, will initially underwrite casualty business from Melbourne and broaden its offering as it expands.

The opening of the office follows a group-wide strategic and operational planning process Canopius undertook last year.

“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,” Mr Newman said.

The specialty insurer and reinsurer also has underwriting operations in Bermuda, China, Singapore, the UK and the US. It underwrites through Lloyd’s Syndicate 4444, managed by Canopius Managing Agents, US surplus lines company Canopius US Insurance and Bermuda-based Canopius Reinsurance.