Dan Riordan has joined XL Catlin as president, global political risk and trade credit (PRTC), a newly-created role.

He makes the move from Zurich, where he held senior positions between 1997 and 2015, most recently serving as CEO of global corporates in North America and previously as president of specialty products. He has had a long association with the Berne Union, and held the position of president between 2013 and 2015.

In his new position at XL Catlin, Riordan reports to Neil Robertson, chief executive, global specialty, insurance.

The appointment marks a structural change at XL Catlin with PRTC becoming a separate underwriting unit, having previously been under the umbrella of crisis management, led by Stephan Ashwell. Joe Blenkinsopp will continue in his role as global chief underwriting officer, reporting to Riordan.

Commenting on the moves, Robertson says: “We have appointed Dan and made changes to our structure because we want to fully focus on developing our share of this significantly growing market. Global geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty have led to an increase in demand and over time we will be looking to add further resources in our key underwriting regions to respond to this growth opportunity.”