Howden Re further strengthens operations in Switzerland and DACH

News

4 minutes

18 May 2026

Howden Re, the global reinsurance, capital markets and strategic advisory arm of Howden, today announced that it is further enhancing its Swiss platform and leadership structure as part of its continued development across Europe.

Switzerland remains a key market, and the firm continues to build on the foundations laid following the acquisition and integration of Haakon in 2023. As part of this next phase, Howden Re is further aligning its Swiss business with the wider European organisation, deepening collaboration across DACH and broadening access to regional and global expertise.

Christian Schaer has been appointed Head of Howden Re Switzerland, with responsibility for the Swiss business and its treaty activities. He brings more than 15 years’ experience in the EMEA reinsurance market, with a focus on Switzerland and DACH. He was most recently with Partner Re, where he served as Senior Underwriter P&C, EMEA. He joined Howden Re in Switzerland in 2023.

Howden Re is also grateful to Ivo Gugolz for his key role in establishing the Swiss business, including the acquisition and integration of Haakon. Following this phase of development, Ivo will step back from his current role while continuing to support a smooth transition over the coming months.

As part of this next phase, Michael Hauswirth will join Howden Re Switzerland as Director. Based in Zurich, Hauswirth brings broad experience across underwriting, direct insurance and reinsurance broking, most recently as Senior Underwriter Property Treaty at NewRe. He will be part of the DACH team building out the firm’s offering across the region.

Tobias Andersson, Head of Continental Europe, Howden Re International, commented:
“We have successfully built a strong and well-positioned platform in Switzerland following the acquisition of Haakon in 2023, and we are now taking the next steps to further strengthen and utilise our capabilities to bring increased value to clients. As we continue to invest in the DACH region, our focus is on ensuring our clients benefit from the full breadth of Howden Re’s DACH and global expertise.”

Christian Schaer, Head of Howden Re Switzerland, commented: “Our focus in Switzerland is on delivering an integrated client offering across DACH, combining local expertise with strong connectivity to the wider Howden Re platform. Having Michael Hauswirth join us will be a great addition to our proposition, across both Switzerland and DACH.”

The DACH team of brokers driving Howden Re’s further strengthened offering to clients across the region now consists of Christian Schaer, Lars Nelson, Anke Salm, Björn Hagendorf, Pascal Kahraman, Andrew MacKinnon, Eric Mueller and Mirko Prueter. In addition, they are supported on the wider platform by specialist Howden Re teams based in DACH, led respectively by Alex Roth, Head of Capital Solutions, Wolfram Schultz, Head of Casualty Europe, and Enver Karapinar, Head of Facultative DACH. 

These adjustments and additions follow significant growth and investment in the DACH facultative space as well as the establishment of a Germany-regulated Howden Capital Markets & Advisory (HCMA) entity.

Tobias Andersson concluded: “DACH and our valued clients in the region are a priority for Howden Re. We are entirely focussed on maximising value and service, supported by data and analytics, as we continue to strengthen our capability and grow our business.”

This announcement is the latest in Howden Re’s ongoing investment and development in the DACH region. See other recent appointments and thought leadership below.