AXA XL appoints Christian Schmitz as Risk Consulting Regional Manager for Northern Europe

Dublin - October 22, 2026

AXA XL today announced the appointment of Christian Schmitz as Risk Consulting Regional Manager for Northern Europe, effective December 1st, 2026. He will be based in Cologne, Germany, and succeeds Simon Schäfer, who was appointed Country Manager for Austria and CSEE in June 2026.

In his new role, Mr. Schmitz will oversee AXA XL's risk consulting services and teams across Germany, Switzerland, the Benelux region, the Nordics, Austria, and Central and Southeastern Europe.

Maxime Ambourg, Risk Consulting Regional Head of APAC & Europe at AXA XL, commented: “AXA’s 2026 Future Risks Report found that 85% of experts believe the risks that concern them most can be at least partially avoided through strong preventive action. Risk consulting plays an important role in helping clients understand their exposures, identify practical measures to reduce them and strengthen their preparedness.”

He added: “Christian brings extensive experience in client relationship management and business transformation, as well as a strong understanding of the challenges faced by our clients and brokers across Europe. His experience will help us coordinate our risk consulting expertise across the region and work more closely with our underwriting teams.”

Mr. Schmitz joined AXA Group in 2016 as Senior Commercial Manager and held various leadership positions managing AXA XL's broker relationships. Most recently, he served as Product Owner for Client Relationship Management across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Earlier in his career, he worked in underwriting and business development at Allianz.