Headquarters:
20 Gracechurch St, London EC3V 0BG
Year founded:
1998
Number of employees:
500+
Phone:
236 202 0076
Email:
enquiries@dualgroup.com
Website:
axaconnect.co.uk
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/axa-broker-uk
“Continuous product development sits at the centre of a proposition that has earned AXA a 5-star recognition from brokers”
Spokesperson,
AXA
AXA
Matt Briggs
UK Technical Director, Commercial Property and Risk Engineers
Andy Hogg
Lead Construction Underwriter
Catherine Dixon
Chief Underwriting Officer
Leadership
Simon McGinn joined DUAL in 2024 to drive ambitious growth plans for the UK business. He had previously worked for 19 years at Allianz, where he was CEO of Allianz Commercial and sat on the UK PLC board. Before that, he spent three years at Aviva, having started his career as a graduate at Commercial Union.
UK Technical Director, Commercial Property and Risk Engineers
Matt Briggs
Rebecca Bramley joined DUAL in 2015, having first worked at Howden in 2013. At the helm of its HR team, her role is a twofold responsibility – to empower teams to reach their full potential while meeting DUAL's business strategy through effective people solutions.
Lead Construction Underwriter
Andy Hogg
Catherine Dixon is chief underwriting officer for DUAL UK. Joining the company in June 2024, she is responsible for leading the underwriting functions in the UK. She brings over 35 years of experience in the insurance industry, including roles in underwriting, risk control and portfolio management. Prior to joining DUAL, she was chief underwriting officer at Allianz Commercial UK.
Chief Underwriting Officer
Catherine Dixon
Caroline Stone
Chief Risk Officer
Caroline Stone joined DUAL in 2022 to head up our risk and compliance teams in the UK, where she sits on the board of DUAL Corporate Risks Limited. She previously held roles at BGL, Nottingham Building Society, Experian, Capital One and Mars.
Chief Risk Officer
Caroline Stone
Julie Adams-Moore
Chief Financial Officer
Julie Adams-Moore joined DUAL in 2023, having previously worked for KGM, which is now part of DUAL. As KGM’s finance director, she also led the company’s data strategy and broker service operations.
Chief Financial Officer
Julie Adams-Moore
When AXA set out to sharpen its construction proposition, it began with the cover itself. The insurer relaunched its single project construction wording alongside its owned and hired-in plant policy, rebuilding both so that core extensions are included as standard rather than bolted on afterwards. Continuous product development of this kind sits at the centre of a proposition that has earned AXA a 5-star recognition from brokers.
Investment in coverage is matched by depth in underwriting. AXA’s construction specialists, located in each of its regional branches, combine technical knowledge with established market relationships, allowing policies to be tailored to the risks of large-scale projects on both a single-project and annual basis. The proposition is led by Matthew Briggs, AXA’s UK technical property and construction director, supported by construction experts drawn from across the market.
Behind the cover sits the service infrastructure construction brokers rely on. AXA has put processes in place to speed up claims payment, among them the firm’s One & Done and Faster Payments initiatives, while dedicated claims relationship managers work to support swift resolution. Broker service is handled through a regional presence and dedicated underwriters – an approach built on collaboration rather than one-off transactions.
“AXA’s construction specialists, located in each of its regional branches, combine technical knowledge with established market relationships”
Spokesperson,
AXA
Mark Budd
Chief Operating Officer
Robert Corner
Chief Distribution Officer
Catherine Farnworth
Chief Actuary
Sophie Cresswell
Head of Marketing
Mark Joined DUAL UK in 2024 as the CIO and became the UK COO in September 2025.
Mark has over 25 years of experience in insurance and has held numerous senior roles across IT & Operations. Mark started work with HSBC’s financial services arm, before moving to Aviva, then held various roles at Zurich prior to joining DUAL.
Chief Operating Officer
Mark Budd
Rob Corner joined DUAL in 2024 as chief distribution officer. He was previously regional director for AXA and, before that, managing director of Premierline insurance broker. He spent nine years at Allianz, having joined as management trainee with a master’s degree in international business from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Chief Distribution Officer
Robert Corner
Catherine Farnworth joined DUAL in 2024 to head up its actuaries in the UK and Europe. She was previously chief risk actuary at IQUW in London and MS Amlin in Zurich. She spent five years in Bermuda as lead actuary for PwC, and then as group actuary for MS Frontier.
Chief Actuary
Catherine Farnworth
Sophie Cresswell joined DUAL in 2019 and was appointed head of marketing in 2023. Her responsibilities include marketing strategy, brand awareness, events, content and communications. Before joining DUAL, Sophie held a number of marketing roles in various law firms and start-ups.
Head of Marketing
Sophie Cresswell
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Ciaran Astin
Chief Personal Lines Officer
Ciaran joined KGM as Managing Director in 2024 and in 2025 expanded his role to Chief Personal Lines Officer for DUAL UK. Ciaran has over a decade of leadership experience within the motor and home insurance sectors, having previously held senior roles at Hastings Group and Direct Line Group. He was most recently Managing Director of DriveScore, the app-driven motor insurance data business within ClearScore group.
Chief Personal Lines Officer
Ciaran Astin
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Innovation
Reputation
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Overall service level
BDM support
BDM support
Stephen Kerr
Chief Executive Officer, Asia
Nicki Dunn
Chief Client Officer
Nigel Cook
Chief Executive Officer, Singapore
Head of Major Complex Loss, Asia
John Law
Chief Executive Officer, China
Alexa Tang
Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong
Aldrin Wong
Chief Executive Officer and
Managing Director, Malaysia
Andri Dirgantara
President Director, Indonesia
Pam Chhabra
Manager – Residential Strata
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
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Risk mitigation forms a further strand. AXA’s Risk Engineering and Resilience team brings considerable construction experience, offering expert advice and training to brokers and clients alike on subcontractor selection, site safety and modern methods of construction. The team also draws on relationships with specialist suppliers to help clients manage physical risks, from dust-related ill health to slips and trips, working at height and unoccupied buildings.
Underpinning all of this is a model that pairs local delivery with global reach. AXA’s relationship with AXA XL allows it to support construction clients both in the UK and internationally, offering the personalised, reliable service the insurer regards as its point of difference. Market feedback, gathered largely through its people, feeds directly into how quickly products are shaped and refined.
Looking ahead, AXA intends to expand its construction offering by continuing to invest in its people and in the ongoing development of its products. It aims to sustain its growth by building on market relationships as well as an increased focus on risk, producing thought leadership material aimed at supporting the wider construction industry. For a market shaped increasingly by data, sustainability and complex project risk, the firm is positioning itself to remain the construction insurer that brokers turn to first.