Underwriter – Mergers & Acquisition

In the fast-paced and competitive M&A market, deal professionals need every tool at their disposal in order to manage transactional risk, whilst facilitating deal execution as quickly and efficiently as possible. With the use of M&A insurance solutions now being commonplace across all major jurisdictions, now more than ever the parties involved need to be confident that they have a credible, experienced and service-oriented insurance partner.

AXA XL provides M&A insurance for risks associated with mergers and acquisitions, investments, disposals and other commercial transactions. Our offering encompasses a suite of products, each of which can be used in different ways to facilitate a transaction (the key products being: warranty and indemnity insurance; tax liability insurance; and contingent/litigation liability insurance). We have the capability to underwrite transactions globally thanks to our growing team of underwriters in London, Paris and New York

.“AXA XL views M&A insurance as a vital tool in driving global M&A deals; the value of which is expected to exceed $3 trillion in 2018. We expect the expansion of the M&A transactional risk insurance market to continue and we remain committed to investing in key talent and supporting deal professionals and their brokers across the world.” Dan Kumpf, Chief Underwriting Officer, Global Professional Lines.

DISCOVER your opportunity

Our M&A practice has a great opportunity for an Underwriter to join their successful team to support the expansion of the practice.

As an underwriter, you will play a critical role within the team where you will focus on processing deal documentation and managing workflow, assessing potential deals, establishing strong relationships internally and externally and act as the critical interface between the broker/clients and AXA XL when underwriting transactional M&A insurance.

You are expected to generate profitable premium and develop broker and client relationships as we continue to build our international underwriting capability.

What will your essential responsibilities include?

• Processing and negotiating deal documentation, including NDAs and non-release letters, and liaising with our colleagues in AXA XL’s legal and compliance teams where required.
• Managing deal workflow (including triage of enquiries) and the underwriting process across ongoing active transactions.
• Reviewing and analysing transaction documentation, due diligence reports and disclosure documentation in order to assess submissions and identify deal risks.
• Drafting and submitting custom-tailored quotes for proposed policies and following up with brokers to win new business.
• Interacting with and supporting senior underwriters on day-to-day business issues and throughout the underwriting process, including performing detailed analysis of issues raised on underwriting calls and in due diligence reports.
• Negotiating and drafting insurance policy terms and language specifically addressing the risk and issues in each transaction.
• Collaborating with and helping to instruct and supervise external legal counsel hired to represent AXA XL on each transaction.
• Developing and cultivating relationships with M&A insurance brokers, lawyers, private equity firms, deal principals and internal AXA XL colleagues.
• Contribution towards the running of the accounts, including monitoring and managing status/progress of accounts implementation from quote processing to policy issuance, premium collection and policy maintenance (certificates, endorsements etc.)
• Working with our colleagues in AXA XL’s claims team to deal with policy notifications and claims.

You will report to the Head of M&A Underwriting for the EMEA region.

SHARE your talent

We’re looking for someone who has these abilities and skills:

• Some experience of transactional liability insurance (either as a broker/underwriter or from a client or advisor perspective).
• Qualified lawyer with experience of M&A or other corporate transactional work, including:
  • transaction advisory services role at an accounting firm;
  • acting in an investment banking, private equity or other financial services advisory capacity;
  • in-house corporate legal team; or internal corporate development team at a strategic acquirer.
• Basic knowledge of transactional legal matters (ideally including nature of warranties, customary wordings, price adjustment mechanisms and measure of damages).
• Some experience of reviewing financial statements, tax issues and other commercial matters.
• Experience underwriting, procuring, broking or negotiating transactional risk or other commercial/financial lines insurance on behalf of deal clients is highly beneficial.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong negotiating skills and comfort working with legal documents.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively within a team environment is essential.
• Organised, reliable and able to work in a fast paced environment with tight deadlines and deal-time pressures.

FIND your future

AXA XL, the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA, is known for solving complex risks. For mid-sized companies, multinationals and even some inspirational individuals we don’t just provide re/insurance, we reinvent it.

How? By combining a strong and efficient capital platform, data-driven insights, leading technology, and the best talent in an agile and inclusive workspace, empowered to deliver top client service across all our lines of business property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty.

With an innovative and flexible approach to risk solutions, we partner with those who move the world forward.

Learn more at axaxl.com

Diversity & Inclusion

We know that a diverse workforce and inclusive culture enable business growth and are critical to our success. That’s why we have made a strategic commitment to attracting and retaining the most diverse workforce possible, while creating a strong, inclusive culture where everyone is welcome and can contribute and reach their highest potential.

• Named to the Diversity Best Practices Index – 2017, 2018
• Signatory to the CEO Action for Diversity
• Signatory to the UK Women in Finance Charter
• Twelve Colleague Resource Groups around the Globe
• Robust support for Flexible Working Arrangements
• Enhanced family friendly leave benefits