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AXA XL appoints Kerry Vitolano to lead US risk management
The hiring comes as Marsh data shows US casualty rates rose 11% ex-workers’ comp in Q2 2026, with risk-adjusted umbrella and excess rates up 15%.
AXA XL has appointed Kerry Vitolano to lead its US risk management business, placing her in charge of East, US risk management and also naming her head of US risk management. The New York based role reports to Matthew Stitham, AXA XL’s chief underwriting officer for casualty in the Americas, as the insurer focuses on casualty risk in a market that is otherwise softening.
Vitolano joins from AIG, where she served as vice president and risk management branch manager for New York and Boston, overseeing loss sensitive primary casualty business. Before AIG, she held underwriting and risk management roles at Travelers and ACE Group, now Chubb.
The appointment is timed with continued pressure in large casualty programs, particularly umbrella and excess coverage, where rates remain firm and capacity is constrained. Marsh data cited by Insurance Business showed casualty rates increased 7% in Q2 2026 while overall US commercial insurance rates declined 2%, and excluding workers’ compensation casualty rates rose 11%.
Marsh also said risk adjusted umbrella and excess rates increased 15% in the quarter, and that some insurers capped unsupported or standalone umbrella capacity at $10 million per risk due to the US litigation environment. Insurance Business added that AXA XL expects umbrella capacity to be more available when placed in support of primary casualty programs, and Vitolano’s responsibilities will include casualty strategy and broker relationships.