Ace Group, one of the world’s largest multiline property and casualty insurers, has announced three key appointments - Warda Saeed Habib, Ayat Sobeh and Batool Ali - to its underwriting team in Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

All the three female appointments are effective immediately and will be based in Bahrain.

Saeed Habib has been named the new regional underwriting manager, property for Ace in Mena region. In the new role, she will be responsible for managing the underwriting performance of Ace's property insurance portfolio in the region, and for driving its future profitable development.

A veteran in the region, Saeed Habib has 12 years of insurance industry experience, having held a series of property underwriting roles. She joins Ace from Hannover Re, where she held the position of facultative reinsurance manager in Bahrain.

She will report to Mojgan Khoshabi, the regional managing director (Mena). Her appointment follows the recent promotion of Carlos Beltran to the regional head of placement and facultative reinsurance for Ace in Latin America.

Sobeh, currently property underwriter for Ace in Mena, has been promoted to the role of senior property underwriter for the region.  

In her new role, Sobeh will contribute to the profitable growth of the company’s property insurance portfolio in the region, and will be reporting to Saeed Habib.

She had joined Ace in 2007, when the company opened its Mena operations as underwriting assistant for property.

Ali, who is currently the underwriting assistant (Casualty) in Mena, has been promoted to the role of assistant energy underwriter. In her new role, she will contribute to further building Ace’s energy portfolio across the region.

Ali, who had joined the firm in 2010, will be reporting to Hassan Yousif, the senior underwriter (Oil and Energy) in Mena.

With operations in 54 countries, Ace provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients.

Ace Limited, the parent company of the ACE Group, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is a component of the S&P 500 index.

On the new appointments, Khoshabi said: "This underlines our commitment to investing in a strong, locally-empowered underwriting team with a deep understanding of the regional risk landscape."

"Saeed Habib is a great addition to our highly skilled team and both Sobeh and Ali have already distinguished themselves since they first joined Ace. I am looking forward to working with all three ladies in their new roles," he added.-TradeArabia News Service