AXA’s adventure

AXA’s origins can be traced back to a small mutual insurer from Normandy: Ancienne Mutuelle de Rouen, created in the early 19th century and specialized in property and casualty insurance.

In the post-war period, the insurance industry is struggling. The creation of the French social security system in 1945 deprives mutual insurers of a large part of their business by providing workplace accident and illness cover for workers. However, carefully led by its manager André Sahut d’Izarn, Ancienne Mutuelle emerges from this period in quite a strong position. It even welcomes on board several small regional mutual insurers.  

In this environment, the young Claude Bébéar joins the company “a bit by chance” in 1958. Sahut d’Izarn, looking for a future successor, adopts him as his protégé and trains him up on the business’ specific demands. 

In France, after 25 years in opposition, a left-wing government takes power in 1981. This brings the looming possibility of major nationalization programs targeting private insurance companies. 
In the 1980s, after various acquisitions in France, Ancienne Mutuelle de Rouen  changed its name to Les Mutuelles Unies and embarked on a mission to bring people together around a shared vision.  
The AXA name was created. It was short and simple, legible in every language and appeared at the top of alphabetical lists. 
The concept behind the name took shape at an exceptional seminar held in the Ténéré desert in Niger, led by Françoise Colloc’h, an influential figure in the company from her arrival in 1981.  

From 1982 to 1989, three successive acquisitions make AXA the No. 2 insurancecompany in France behind UAP.

However, in 1986, the saying “three’s a crowd” proves right as disputes start to flare up between Drouot, Mutuelles Unies and Présence, as each of the Group’s components looks to take center stage. To bring everyone on board for the strategy, Claude Bébéar and Françoise Colloc’h take all the executives off to the Ténéré Desert. This shared experience paves the way for a truly united group and support for one single name: AXA.

The early 90s are marked by three main events: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War and a major economic recession. This challenging period also opens opportunities for those who know how to capitalize on them. 

In 1991, AXA acquires the US firm Equitable. With this acquisition, AXA establishes itself as a leading international group.
The second key milestone from this decade takes place five years later. To widespread surprise, AXA “absorbs” UAP, which is twice its size. This deal creates France’s number 1 and the world’s number 2 insurer. 
AXA follows this with a series of acquisitions, buying out the Japanese company Nippon Dantai and taking over Guardian Royal Exchange, enabling it to strengthen its presence in 15 countries and move into the health segment through its subsidiary PPP Healthcare. The Group continues to invest in health then in research for collective progress by protecting what is most essential for people: their health.
At the dawn of the new millennium, AXA becomes a global leader. More than ever, its success is built around a shared culture.

When Henri de Castries took over the reins of AXA in 2000, the company faced a series of crises: the bursting of the dot-com bubble, the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the Eurozone crisis, earthquakes in Japan, and so on. Henri de Castries focused on strengthening the organization, in particular, by reinforcing its risk control strategy, in order to weather the storm.

In this volatile environment, AXA remains convinced of the importance of its long-term commitments to its customers and society in general. In line with this spirit, AXA launches the AXA Research Fund to improve the understanding and prevention of major risks around the world. The AXA Research Fund further enhances the wide range of initiatives in place across the Group, which is committed to acting on what counts for communities. Created out of the belief that science has a key role to play in meeting society’s major challenges, AXA sets out its commitment to help drive collective progress by supporting research projects focused on health, environment and socio-economics.

Thomas Buberl took the helm at AXA in September 2016.  
As the first non-French CEO, he embarked on an ambitious transformation, by streamlining the company's activities, refocusing its strategy and expanding into growth areas such as health insurance and personal protection.
In 2018, with the aquizition of the XL Group, AXA strengthens its position in corporate insurance and complex risk management. Through this acquisition, along with the IPO of the US subsidiary AXA Equitable Holdings, the Group redefined its business portfolio, making AXA the world's leading provider of property and casualty insurance for business customers.

In 2020, the Group sets out its vision to "Act for Human Progress by Protecting What Matters". Thomas Buberl thus made human progress the central focus of the 'Driving Progress' strategic plan and integrated environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into strategic decision-making. 

With new and interrelated risks emerging, the 'Unlock the Future' roadmap was developed to address economic, social, and environmental challenges. 

To mitigate these risks, Thomas Buberl expanded AXA's operations in climate and cyber insurance for businesses and emphasized the importance of collaboration between private and public stakeholders to develop effective solutions.