AXA XL has named Ed Totten (pictured above) as head of construction casualty, a newly consolidated role overseeing both primary and excess casualty insurance lines for construction clients in North America.
The move aligns the company's casualty offerings under a single leadership structure, which AXA XL said reflects the evolving insurance needs of contractors amid increasing project size, legal complexity, and contractual risk.
Totten has more than two decades of experience in construction and casualty insurance. He has held the position of senior vice president and profit center head for excess construction at AXA XL since 2010.
“Casualty insurance is more vital than ever for contractors today. The growth in project size, legal risks, and contractual obligations underscores the need for a unified approach,” said Jon Tellekamp, chief underwriting officer for construction and energy in the Americas at AXA XL.
Tellekamp said Totten is recognized for his industry knowledge and broker relationships and called his appointment a step forward in the company’s casualty underwriting strategy.
AXA XL has also continued to expand its excess casualty leadership across US regions. In January, the company promoted Richard Burggraf to head of excess casualty for the East Zone. Based in New York, Burggraf is responsible for underwriting umbrella and excess liability business with limits up to $50 million.
In March, AXA XL also introduced a new risk engineering tool called the Sustainable Building Practices Adoption Maturity Index (SAMI), aimed at evaluating construction clients on sustainability metrics such as carbon output, water use, materials management, and workforce health.
As part of a broader effort to enhance cyber underwriting capabilities, AXA XL in April appointed Greg Chambers as head of complex cyber risks and named Caitlin Alpern to lead its cyber and technology underwriting team.
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