Berkshire Hathaway opens French hub in European expansion; hires AXA XL exec to lead

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has launched a new office in Paris, and appointed François-Xavier d’Huart as country manager, as part of its strategic expansion in Europe.

BHSI has received the insurance license to begin underwriting property, casualty, and executive & professional lines in France immediately. The company expects to launch several other products later this year.

D’Huart comes to BHSI with 15 years of industry experience. He was most recently head of client and broker management for France at AXA XL (previously XL Catlin). Before that he was chief executive officer, Office Lyonnais d’Assurances and Interassur, at SATEC, and head of marine cargo & hull for Asia at AXA Asia.

“We are pleased to continue our strategic expansion in Europe, with our new office in France and François-Xavier leading our efforts to bring BHSI’s underwriting and claims acumen, financial strength, and long-term focus to the French market,” said Chris Colahan, president, BHSI in Europe and the UK.

“François-Xavier brings extensive experience to BHSI, and I am so pleased to have him at the helm as we build our product line and team in Paris.”

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