Pioneer Taps XL Catlin’s McMellin as CEO; Douetil Becomes Chairman, as Taylor Retires

Pioneer Underwriters appointed Andrew McMellin as chief executive officer, effective Oct. 8, 2018 and pending regulatory approval.

Dane Douetil, CEO of Pioneer’s parent company, Minova Insurance Holdings Ltd., and currently CEO at Pioneer, will become chairman of the business. Max Taylor, who has been chairman of Pioneer since 2013, will retire following a transition period, during which he will retain a consultative role.

McMellin joins following a long career at XL Catlin, which he joined in 1999. He served most recently as CEO of UK & Ireland Insurance and was a longstanding member of the insurance leadership team and the Catlin Group executive committee. Previous roles have included CEO of Catlin US, CEO of Catlin UK, deputy group chief underwriting officer, casualty product group leader and casualty class underwriter. He began his career in insurance as a broker at Willis in 1987.

“Pioneer has grown significantly since formation, launching a Lloyd’s syndicate at the beginning of the year and expanding both in scale and in the scope of its underwriting,” said Douetil. “Max has been absolutely key in guiding the development of the business, and his industry expertise has been invaluable. The board and I thank him for his significant contribution.

Appointing McMellin as CEO is a statement of intent, said Douetil, noting that “his considerable experience and proven leadership ability will be important as Pioneer continues to grow and develop its unique business proposition.”

Taylor said: “It has been a privilege to be part of the Pioneer story for six years. As we welcome our new CEO and embark on the next phase of our journey I feel that this is a good time to step down. I wish my colleagues every success.”

Source: Pioneer Underwriters

Topics AXA XL