Allied World Appoints Michelle Hoppes, Senior Vice President, Global Risk Management & Loss Control

ZUG, Switzerland, July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG (NYSE: AWH) announced today that Allied World has appointed Michelle Hoppes, Senior Vice President, Global Risk Management & Loss Control.  In this role, Ms. Hoppes will be responsible for developing loss control products and services, and overseeing an in-house team that provides consulting and client services to policyholders, helping them assess and manage their organizational risk.  She will also act as a healthcare subject matter expert and resource globally. Ms. Hoppes assumes the position previously held by Susan Chmieleski, who was recently appointed President, U.S. Professional Lines. 

Gordon Knight, President of Allied World U.S. Insurance, commented, "We are thrilled that Michelle has joined Allied World's growing team.  Her 30 years of experience in the field of risk management and her professional commitment to the development of quality safety control products will make her a critical player in our continually expanding business." 

Frank D'Orazio, President of Allied World Bermuda & International Insurance added, "Customized risk management services are now available to our international clients as a complimentary feature of their policies. Recently we've extended these services to clients based in Asia and Europe to help them best mitigate the continually evolving risks that their organizations face. We welcome Michelle's insight and contribution in this effort."

Ms. Hoppes has nearly 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, focusing on patient safety and risk management.  She has held leadership positions in healthcare organizations, medical malpractice insurance companies, and national healthcare risk management consulting companies. Ms. Hoppes has served on the board of several healthcare and risk management organizations including: Board of Directors of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) as the President for 2011, President of ASHRM's Michigan Chapter, Board Member and Secretary of the Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation and Member of the Safe Medication Use Committee for the United States Pharmacopoeia. She has also completed the AHA/ASHRM/NPSF Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship and she is a frequent speaker on topics related to enterprise risk management, quality improvement, data analytics, loss control, leadership and patient safety. Ms. Hoppes is a Registered Nurse and has a Master of Healthcare Management degree with an emphasis in Healthcare Risk Management from Chicago Medical School's Finch University. She has been the recipient of several distinguished awards, including the designation of Distinguished Fellow of ASHRM and is certified in both risk and quality management.

About Allied World Assurance Company
Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG, through its subsidiaries, is a global provider of innovative property, casualty and specialty insurance and reinsurance solutions, offering superior client service through a global network of offices and branches. All of Allied World's rated insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries are rated A by A.M. Best Company, A by Standard & Poor's, and A2 by Moody's, and our Lloyd's Syndicate 2232 is rated A+ by Standard & Poor's and Fitch. Please visit www.awac.com for further information on Allied World.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Any forward-looking statements made in this press release reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in these statements.  For example, our forward-looking statements could be affected by pricing and policy term trends; increased competition; the impact of acts of terrorism and acts of war; greater frequency or severity of unpredictable catastrophic events; negative rating agency actions; the adequacy of our loss reserves; the company or its subsidiaries becoming subject to significant income taxes in the United States or elsewhere; changes in regulations or tax laws; changes in the availability, cost or quality of reinsurance or retrocessional coverage; adverse general economic conditions; and judicial, legislative, political and other governmental developments, as well as management's response to these factors, and other factors identified in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We are under no obligation (and expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or revise any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

SOURCE Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG