Peter Bitterlin joins from Partner Re

XL Insurance has appointed Peter Bitterlin as regional underwriting manager for energy.

Bitterlin will be heading XL Insurance's onshore energy team for Europe and Asia Pacific and will be based in London.

Bitterlin has more than 25 years' of underwriting experience. In his last position, as senior underwriter energy with Partner Re in Zurich, he focused on refineries and petrochemical risks as well as power generation plants and mining operations on a worldwide basis. Prior to this he worked for Rhine Re and Baloise Insurance Company in Switzerland.

Gerald Kanis, chief property underwriter - Europe & Asia Pacific for XL Insurance, said: "At XL Insurance we have built up a reputation for high-quality underwriting, loss prevention expertise and providing capacity to the energy market, especially for complex risks.

"This expertise and focus on service are proving to be real differentiators in the current market. Peter's skills as an experienced energy underwriter will be of great benefit to our global client base and positions him well to further grow our energy operations across Europe and Asia Pacific."