Howden Re Appoints Senior Talent to Enhance APAC Catastrophe Analytics Capabilities

As part of Howden Re’s continued expansion across Asia, the firm has strengthened its catastrophe analytics capability with two senior appointments. Renuka Janwalker has joined as Head of Catastrophe Analytics, Asia, alongside Ramdeo Gupta, who joins as Senior Catastrophe Analyst, Asia next month. Both join from Gallagher Re.

The appointments follow a year marked by heightened nat cat activity across the region, including Super Typhoon Ragasa in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and southern China; Cyclone Senyar across Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia; and significant seismic loss events in Myanmar and Taiwan. These developments have reinforced the importance of advanced catastrophe analytics in improving understanding of the probability and potential impact of similar events, the effectiveness of mitigation efforts and the extent of protection gaps.

Andy Souter, Head of Asia Pacific, Howden Re International, said: “Against the backdrop of increased climate volatility across the region, clients are increasingly seeking analytics that combine global insight with local knowledge to support informed decision-making in an elevated risk environment. I am pleased to welcome Renuka and Ramdeo to the team as we continue to strengthen Howden Re’s regional analytics capabilities, alongside those of our global team, and support our clients through this evolving landscape.”

Renuka has more than 16 years of experience working across global insurers and reinsurers, specialising in cat modelling, risk quantification, internal model validation and model change management across multiple CAT models. In her previous roles, Renuka headed the Mumbai CAT Modelling team for the UK business unit, where she helped establish and scale the team across multiple lines of business and led strategic and operational initiatives, streamlined processes, developed automated tools and built high-performing teams.

Ramdeo has more than 14 years of experience in catastrophe analytics, providing cat modelling support across the region. In his previous role, he focused on supporting brokers with catastrophe analytics for reinsurance placement, working extensively on automation solutions to improve modelling efficiency and respond to critical requests. Both join from Gallagher Re.

Tim Edwards, Head of Howden Re International Analytics, added: “Advanced analytics play a critical role in understanding the potential impact of nat cat events, but they are equally important in supporting response, recovery and rebuilding when losses occur. By continuing to invest in our analytics capability, we are helping clients better anticipate risk, respond more effectively when events happen and, over time, support broader access to coverage for the communities and businesses that need it most, contributing to closing the cat protection gap over the long term.”

These appointments represent the latest step in the continued build-out of Howden Re’s analytics function, combining global insights with localised nuance. Over the past year, the firm has made a series of strategic investments across Hong Kong and Taiwan expanding its regional team across analytics, research and advisory capabilities, strengthening its ability to support clients with insight-driven, analytics-led reinsurance solutions across regions and perils.  Emily Lo, Head of Analytics, Asia, and Karl Marshall, Head of Advisory and Analytics, APAC, continue to drive this expansion.