Ainsley Keating Named Head of East Region for General Industries, Mid-Market, Americas at AXA XL

Keating joins from Marsh, will focus on deepening relationships and executing growth strategy in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast.

Feb. 6, 2026 at 10:07am

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Ainsley Keating has joined AXA XL as the new head of the East Region for General Industries, Mid-Market, Americas. Keating previously spent over 10 years at Marsh in placement broking and leadership roles, most recently as senior vice president and Specialties Placement Leader. In her new role at AXA XL, Keating will report to Adele Smith, head of General Industries and Excess Casualty—U.S. Mid-Market, and will focus on deepening relationships that have fueled AXA XL's middle market growth in the Northeast while executing the business' broader growth strategy across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

Why it matters

This appointment is an important milestone for AXA XL as it continues to strengthen its mid-market presence in the U.S. Keating's extensive experience on the broker side and her strong industry relationships are expected to help elevate AXA XL's performance and support the company's ambitious growth goals in the mid-market segment.

The details

With Keating's appointment, General Industries, Mid-Market now operates under a three-zone structure: East, led by Keating in New York; Central, led by Zach Hauer in Chicago; and West, led by Chris Kelly in Los Angeles. AXA XL remains committed to selectivity in broker appointments, a focus on relationships, product density, and speed of doing business.

  • Ainsley Keating joined AXA XL on February 6, 2026.

The players

Ainsley Keating

The new head of the East Region for General Industries, Mid-Market, Americas at AXA XL. Keating previously spent over 10 years at Marsh in placement broking and leadership roles.

Adele Smith

The head of General Industries and Excess Casualty—U.S. Mid-Market at AXA XL. Smith expressed confidence in Keating's leadership, connectivity, and market insight to elevate AXA XL's performance and help achieve the company's ambitious goals.

Zach Hauer

The leader of the Central region for General Industries, Mid-Market at AXA XL, based in Chicago.

Chris Kelly

The leader of the West region for General Industries, Mid-Market at AXA XL, based in Los Angeles.

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What they’re saying

“I'm confident Ainsley's leadership, connectivity, and market insight will elevate our performance and help us achieve the ambitious goals we've set.”

— Adele Smith, Head of General Industries and Excess Casualty—U.S. Mid-Market at AXA XL (riskandinsurance.com)

The takeaway

This appointment underscores AXA XL's strategic focus on strengthening its mid-market presence in the U.S. by bringing on an experienced industry leader like Ainsley Keating, who has deep relationships and a proven track record of driving growth in this segment.