Allianz Commercial expands U.S. Construction with team of key hires

Allianz Commercial today announced the expansion of its U.S. Construction team with the addition of five industry professionals. The five new hires will join Allianz Commercial’s Master Builder’s Risk team by mid-April and report to Chris Fancher, United States Head of Construction Property, North America Practice Group Leader of Construction at Allianz Commercial.

Construction is a strategic growth area for Allianz Commercial  with the global construction market set for a sustained period of strong growth, driven by a planned surge in government and private spending on infrastructure, including a pipeline of energy transition projects. Allianz Commercial offers tailored engineering insurance solutions to provide protection globally for contractors, developers, and businesses across the infrastructure, civil engineering, manufacturing, data centers, and builders' risk sectors.

“We are excited to welcome this exceptional group of talented and respected industry professionals to the Allianz Commercial Construction team to support the growing demand in our Master Builder’s Risk portfolio,” said Fancher. “This team will hit the ground running. With strong industry relationships, in-depth market knowledge and a proven track record of long-standing service across the national construction sector, they will drive Allianz Commercial’s growth in this strategically significant business line.” 

Darren Tasker, Regional Head of Construction, Americas, noted, “Allianz Commercial is committed to investing in talent and resources to grow our core businesses. Construction is a key growth area where we can capitalize on our capabilities across multiple lines of business, including Surety, E&O, Construction Liability, and Environmental to better serve our clients.”

Kristen Hoskinson is appointed Executive Underwriter Team Leader for Allianz Commercial, effective April 3, 2025.  Based in Atlanta, Hoskinson was previously the Master Builder’s Risk Practice Leader and Eastern Zonal Construction Leader at AXA XL, where she was responsible for underwriting property for large, complex risks, civil and engineering projects, and ENR Top 400 Contractors specialized portfolio programs. Hoskinson also held underwriting positions at International Marine Underwriters, Ace Group and Zurich Financial Services.

Emily Hernandez joins as an Underwriting Specialist, effective April 14, 2025, and is based in Chicago. Previously, Hernandez was an Underwriter at AXA XL and was responsible for the Midwest region where she focused on Master Builder’s Risk, Project Specific Builder’s Risk and Contractor’s Equipment.

Alexander Hansen joins as a Senior Underwriter, effective April 14, 2025.  Hansen is based in Chicago and was previously an Underwriter with AXA XL. He held various account management positions at Lockton Companies, Aon Risk Solutions and Hub International earlier in his career.

Karima Jones brings her underwriting and project management expertise to Allianz Commercial in a newly created hybrid role focused on delivering seamless client services support alongside her underwriting skills, effective April 3, 2025. Jones is based in Atlanta and was previously a Builder’s Risk Underwriter for AXA XL’s North America Construction Property team.

Jared Bush-Howe joins as Senior Risk Consultant for the Construction team, effective April 3, 2025, and will be based in St. Louis, MO.  He joins from AXA XL where he was a Senior Construction Risk Engineer and worked with the Master Builder’s Risk and Builder’s Risk teams. He brings extensive experience in construction risk management, having worked as a Project Engineer with Hensel Phelps and various prior roles in both the residential and commercial markets. Jared is a U.S. Army Veteran and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the Military Police Corps.  

“Joining Allianz Commercial presents an incredible opportunity for my colleagues and me to take our expertise in Master Builder’s Risk to the next level,” said Hoskinson. “Allianz Commercial’s reputation for technical excellence, global capabilities and strong client partnerships align perfectly with our holistic team approach to support Construction companies as they navigate an evolving and complex risk landscape.”