Michael Butt has been Chairman of the Board of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited since September 2002.
Mr. Butt has over 50 years of insurance industry experience. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Mid Ocean Limited in Hamilton, Bermuda from 1993 to August 1998 when it was acquired by XL Capital Ltd. From 1998 to August 2002, he was a Director of XL Capital Ltd.
From 1982 to 1986, Mr. Butt was the Chairman of Sedgwick Limited and Vice Chairman of the Sedgwick Group plc, London, England. From 1987 to 1992, Mr. Butt served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Star Holdings plc and Eagle Star Insurance Company, London, England. He was on the Board of the Farmers Insurance Group, California, U.S.A. and BAT Industries, London, England from 1987 to 1991.
Mr. Butt was also formerly a Director of Phoenix Securities Limited, London, England (1991-1992); Marceau Investissements S.A., Paris, France (1987-1992); and Instituto Nazionale delle Assicuranzioni (INA), Rome, Italy (1994-1998).
Mr. Butt was the Chairman of the INSEAD International Council from 1988 to 1991 and was a member of the INSEAD Board, Fontainebleau, France from 1982 - 2010. He then joined the Advisory Board. He was also the Chairman of the Development Capital Campaign from 2002-2009. He has been a Member and Contributor of the Geneva Association since 1987.
He was Vice Chairman of the Association of Bermuda International Companies (ABIC) from 2001 - 2007 and Director from 2008 - 2013. He was Chairman of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) from January 2008 - December 2009. He was a Director of the Bank of Butterfield in Bermuda from 1996 to 2002. Mr. Butt was a Member of the Board of Trustees, Bermuda Biological Station for Research from 1996 to 2007 and was elected Trustee Emeritus in 2006. Mr. Butt was a founding member of The Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies in 1996 and on the Steering committee. He became an Advisory Trustee in 2000.
Mr. Butt was awarded the Bermuda Insurance Institute Lifetime Award in 2008. In June 2011, Mr. Butt was appointed as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Bermuda and the Reinsurance Industry. Mr. Butt was awarded the Insurance Day Lifetime Achievement award in December 2015. In December 2018, Mr. Butt was elected as the 2019 Insurance Hall of Fame Laureate.
Mr. Butt resides in Bermuda, is married, and has three children.