Allied World Asia Hires Nigel Taylor as Head of Claims for the Asia Pacific Region

ZUG, Switzerland, December 14, 2010 - Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG (NYSE: AWH) announced today
that Nigel Taylor has joined the Allied World Asia team as Head of Claims for
the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Taylor will be based in Hong Kong reporting
directly to Colm Singleton, Senior Vice President, Chief Claims Officer for
Bermuda & International and William Cotter, Managing Director for the Asia
Pacific region. Mr. Taylor will be responsible for the planning and direction
of the claims operation for Allied World Asia, ensuring the delivery of a
responsive and client-focused service for clients throughout the Asia Pacific
region.

Prior to joining Allied World Asia, Mr. Taylor worked for Munich Re Hong
Kong as Deputy Head of Claims for the Greater China region, responsible for
casualty and marine claims. Prior to Munich Re Hong Kong, he was with the
Corporation of Lloyd's in a market supervision and corporate governance role,
working in partnership with the Lloyd's syndicates to ensure effective claims
management. Mr. Taylor began working in insurance in 2002 as an in-house
legal advisor to Euler Hermes. Subsequently he joined Hiscox as a claims
adjuster, working with various lines of business including, professional &
financial lines, general casualty, construction surety bonds, marine & energy
liability, aerospace, terrorism and political risks. Mr. Taylor is a
non-practising barrister and ACII qualified. He has acquired mediation
experience in U.K., U.S. and Caribbean jurisdictions.

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 branches and affiliates. Our insurance and reinsurance
subsidiaries are rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company, and our Lloyd's
Syndicate 2232 is rated A+ (Strong) by Standard & Poor's and Fitch. Please
visit our website at 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.

Media, Faye Cook, VP, Marketing & Communications, +1-441-278-5406, faye.cook at awac.com, or Investors, Keith J. Lennox, Investor Relations Officer, +1-646-794-0750, keith.lennox at awac.com