AXA’s commercial lines division has appointed Anne Harrison as head of strategic relationships.

Harrison joins from rival insurer NIG, where she was in a similar role responsible for key strategic relationships.

In the newly-created role, Harrison will lead a team of strategic relationship managers who will develop AXA Commercial Lines’ relationships with key brokers. She will report directly to Matthew Reed when he joins as AXA’s managing director of intermediary and direct business.

“Anne has a fantastic track record in successfully developing relationships with brokers and leading teams to deliver high performance,” said AXA Commercial Lines chief executive Amanda Blanc in a statement.

In addition to NIG, Harrison has worked at Groupama, AXA and Commercial Union in both operational and sales roles.