DUBLIN—Tom Hutton has stepped down from the board of directors of XL Group P.L.C., the insurer said Tuesday.

Mr. Hutton, managing partner at Menlo Park, Calif.-based Thompson Hutton L.L.C., is leaving the insurer’s the board of directors to start a new business focused on risk and insurance in renewable energy, Dublin-based XL Group said in a statement.

He joined the insurer in January 2009 and served as chair of the special committee on enterprise risk management.

Previously, Mr. Hutton served as CEO of Bermuda-based White Mountains Re Group Ltd. and as president and CEO of Newark, Calif.-based Risk Management Solutions Inc.