Liberty taps PartnerRe's underwriting manager for European expansion

Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has hired a senior underwriter from PartnerRe to strengthen its focus on profitable and sustainable growth and develop new distribution capabilities across Continental Europe.

Valérie Baucher has been appointed to the newly created role of underwriting manager affinity and programme business for Europe.

In this role, she will be responsible for the underwriting performance and governance in LSM’s new affinity and programme business (A&PB) model and developing the A&PB model across traditional and new alternative distribution channels in Europe.

Baucher was most recently underwriting manager EMEA financial lines at PartnerRe. Prior to that, she was head for France for PartnerRe Wholesale. She has significant experience in casualty and financial lines underwriting from a variety of carriers.

Based in LSM's Paris office, Baucher will report to Pierre- Édouard Fraigneau, chief underwriting officer Europe, and to Kerry Mckay, head of client and distribution for Europe.

Kadidja Sinz, head of Europe at Liberty Specialty Markets, said: “We welcome Valérie to the LSM team and look forward to working with her. Her knowledge and expertise will be a considerable asset to our European business. This role was created to take advantage of the growing impact technology and data are having on insurance transactions.

"Her role will strengthen our focus on profitable and sustainable growth across Continental Europe and further supports our strategy to develop new distribution capabilities for our products, solutions and services to our broker partners.”