Howden Re has expanded its operations in the DACH region with the appointment of four senior leaders in Germany.
Lars Nelson (pictured above, left) has been named managing director, head of the German branch of Howden Re, while Dr. Bjoern Hagendorff (pictured above, right) has been appointed managing director, head of regional clients, Germany.
Dr.-Ing. Mathias Raschke joins as director, nat cat modeling for Germany and Austria, and Verena Schärtl, Dipl. Math. (univ.) & Aktuar (DAV), will serve as director, head of actuarial for Germany and Austria.
From 2010 to 2023, he held various leadership roles at SiriusPoint, including general manager and underwriting manager for Central Europe, and prior to that, he spent over six years at Aon.
Hagendorff is set to join Howden Re on Nov. 1. He comes from Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions Germany, where he held roles in treaty broking and leadership, particularly with regional insurance companies in Germany. He started his broking career at Aon in 2012 and most recently served as vice president and deputy area head.
Earlier in his career, he conducted Ph.D. research at Hannover Re, focusing on natural catastrophes and insurance securitization.
Raschke, who joined Howden Re on Sept. 1, brings more than 25 years of experience in natural catastrophe research and modeling. His previous roles include Nat Cat analyst at Ecclesia Reinsurance and senior consultant for catastrophe modeling at R+V Versicherung, along with research positions at ETH Zurich and Bauhaus University Weimar.
Schärtl, who joined Howden Re on Oct. 1, has extensive experience in actuarial science and risk management. Before joining Howden Re, she led Solvency II quantitative and ORSA reporting at WWK Versicherungen and managed client projects in the DACH region at Guy Carpenter. Her expertise covers risk assessment, sustainability reporting, and a range of actuarial software and tools.
These new hires will integrate with the existing Howden Re team in the region, including recent additions such as Anke Salm-Reifferscheidt, head of broking and strategy for Howden Re Germany and Austria; Wolfram Schultz, head of casualty reinsurance, Continental Europe; and Alex Roth, head of capital and operational solutions.
With this expanded team, Howden Re is bolstering its capabilities in broking, catastrophe modeling, actuarial services, and client relations while also tapping into the broader strategic and risk advisory services offered by Howden Re and its parent group, Howden.
Tobias Anderson, head of Continental Europe for Howden Re International, said that the combined expertise of the new team members will enhance Howden Re's offerings.
“The team’s combined expertise will enable us to enhance our service offering across all lines of reinsurance broking, modelling, analytics and client service, and reinforces our position as a leading provider of reinsurance and risk advisory solutions in Europe,” Anderson said.
Massimo Reina, CEO of Howden Re International, said that Germany, as Europe's largest economy, is central to Howden Re's strategic expansion.
“The expansion of our team is a key strategic step for Howden Re as we broaden our footprint, strengthen capabilities and demonstrate our commitment to delivering outstanding service and value to our clients in the DACH region,” Reina said.
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