Gulf Reinsurance (Gulf Re) has appointed Michael Gertsch as chief executive officer of the company.

Gertsch, who previously served as chief underwriting officer at Gulf Re, takes over from Gail Norstrom; the company’s founding chief executive, who is stepping down after successfully overseeing the company’s first three years of operation. All appointments are effective March 1.

Equally owned by Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) and Arch Capital Group, Gulf Re provides reinsurance support to a range of leading regional firms in the oil and gas, petrochemical, power and manufacturing sectors, as well as portfolio support to many of the region’s largest insurers.

“Michael has been a core component of Gulf Re from the beginning and was key in establishing the underwriting platform under Gail’s guidance” said Marc Grandisson, Gulf Re chairman and chairman of Arch Worldwide Reinsurance Group.

“He is well qualified to lead the company into the next stage of its development and we expect a smooth transition.”

The company has also recruited a new chief underwriting officer, Christian Vogel.

Prior to joining Gulf Re in December 2010, Christian was heading Partner Re’s Chief Underwriting Office Global in Zurich, Switzerland.-TradeArabia News Service