Bermudian Charles Cooper has joined Validus Re from Island rival XL Re to head Validus's North American property catastrophe underwriting operation.

Bermuda-based Validus, which has boosted its market presence through the takeover of IPC Holdings Ltd., completed last week, said yesterday that Mr. Cooper's appointment was effective immediately.

Conan Ward, chief executive officer of Validus Re, said: "We are excited by the addition of Charles to the Validus team. With more than 14 years of international underwriting experience, Charles will be an important asset to the company as we build on our track record of superior underwriting performance.

"I look forward to working with Charles to serve our clients and capitalise on opportunities for growth."

Before joining Validus Re, Mr. Cooper was senior vice-president, vice-president and underwriter of XL Re Ltd., where he was responsible for co-managing and underwriting the US and international property business.

Prior to joining XL Re in October 2005, Mr. Cooper held the positions of vice-president, assistant vice-president and casualty treaty underwriter at XL Reinsurance America, Inc.

Mr. Cooper received an MBA degree from Columbia University and BA degree from the University of Colorado.