Canopius Group has named Michelle Rudd as Chief Operating Officer, APAC, and Vanessa Hall as Casualty Underwriter, as part of its ongoing strengthening in the region. Both are based in Sydney.
Rudd joins the specialty insurer after over 15 years at Arch Underwriting at Lloyd’s (Australia), most recently as its Director and Operations Manager. She also spent almost 3 years at Arch Insurance in London. She brings over 27 years of industry experience, having also worked for ACE Europe Limited and CGU Insurance earlier in her career.
At Canopius, Rudd will be responsible for the operational strategy and performance across the region, reporting to Soon Keen (SK) Lee, CEO for Asia Pacific & MENA, and Group COO Kate Roy in London. She will also sit on the APAC Executive Committee and work alongside Andrew Ziolkowski, the Lloyd’s players recently appointed Head of Australia and New Zealand.
Commenting on her appointment, Lee said that Rudd has joined Canopius as the business continues to strengthen its leadership presence in the region. “With her exceptional experience and strategic vision, she and Andrew will play key roles in driving Canopius’ growth momentum.”
Hall joins Canopius from ARAG Services Australia, where she worked as an Underwriting and Product Manager for over 3 years. In her new role, she will report to Brodie English, Head of Casualty Australia and New Zealand.
She brings over two decades of industry experience, having held underwriting positions at numerous firms, including Miramar Underwriting Agency, CGU Insurance, and Lumley Insurance.
Speaking on Hall’s appointment, English said: “We are delighted to welcome Vanessa to the Canopius APAC
team. Her appointment reflects our continued investment in our people and our commitment
to delivering outstanding service to brokers and clients across the region.”
The appointments follow Canopius’ recent hires of Ray Wong as APAC Energy Underwriter and Jinnan Tang as APAC Casualty Treaty Underwriter, reinforcing the company’s ongoing recruitment drive across key business lines.
The moves come amid strong regional growth for Canopius, with Asia Pacific contract written premiums up 33% in the first half of 2025 to US$230m, from US$173m a year earlier. The growth was supported by continued development of its Property and Casualty and Specialty portfolios, along with strong retention across the region.
