Howden Re develops DACH operations with four major employers in Germany

Howden Re has expanded its operations in the DACH region with the appointment of four senior executives in Germany.

Lars Nelson (pictured above, left) has been appointed managing director, head of Howden Re’s German branch, and Dr. Bjoern Hagendorff (pictured above, right) has been appointed managing director, head of regional customers, Germany.

Dr.-Ing. Mathias Raschke joins as director, nat cat modeling for Germany and Austria, and Verena Schärtl, Dipl. Mathematics. (univ.) and Aktuar (DAV), will work as director, head of actuary for Germany and Austria.

Nelson, who will officially join Howden Re on Jan. 1, 2025, brings 20 years of insurance experience, including positions at Aon and SiriusPoint in Germany. His most recent role was as regional head and senior vice president at Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions, based in Hamburg.

From 2010 to 2023, he held various leadership roles at SiriusPoint, including general manager and secretary general for Central Europe, and before that, he spent more than six years at Aon.

Hagendorff will join Howden Re on Nov. 1. He comes from Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions Germany, where he held a role in the negotiation and leadership, especially with regional insurance companies in Germany. He started his sales career at Aon in 2012 and most recently served as vice president and deputy area head.

Earlier in his career, he did a Ph.D. research at Hannover Re, focusing on natural catastrophes and reinsurance.

Raschke, who joined Howden Re on September 1, brings more than 25 years of experience in natural disaster research and modeling. His previous roles include Nat Cat analyst at Ecclesia Reinsurance and senior risk modeling consultant at R+V Versicherung, as well as research positions at ETH Zurich and Bauhaus University Weimar.

Schärtl, who joined Howden Re on Oct. 1, has extensive knowledge of actuarial science and risk management. Before joining Howden Re, he led Solvency II quantitative and ORSA reporting at WWK Versicherungen and managed client projects in the DACH region at Guy Carpenter. His expertise includes risk assessment, sustainability reporting, and a range of actuarial software and tools.

Another recent Howden Re appointment

These new hires will join Howden Re’s existing team in the region, including recent additions such as Anke Salm-Reifferscheidt, head of sales and strategy for Howden Re Germany and Austria; Wolfram Schultz, head of insurance reinsurance, Continental Europe; and Alex Roth, head of finance and operational solutions.

With this expanded team, Howden Re is strengthening its capabilities in trading, risk modeling, actuarial services, and client relations while tapping into the comprehensive risk advisory services offered by Howden Re and its parent group, Howden.

Tobias Anderson, head of Continental Europe for Howden Re International, said the combined expertise of the new team members will enhance Howden Re’s offerings.

“The combined expertise of the group will enable us to improve our service offering across the lines of rehabilitation, modeling, analysis and customer service, and strengthen our position as a leading provider of rehabilitation solutions and risk advice in Europe,” said Anderson.

Massimo Reina, CEO of Howden Re International, said that Germany, as Europe’s largest economy, is important to Howden Re’s strategic expansion.

“The expansion of our team is an important step for Howden Re as we expand our footprint, strengthen capabilities and demonstrate our commitment to delivering outstanding services and value to our clients in the DACH region,” said Reina.

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