Howden Re Inspire: Dr. Melodie Vanderpuye
In our Howden Re Inspire series, we are proud to showcase our amazing team.
It’s important to us that the businesses and divisions within Howden Re reflect and contribute to the culture that we at Howden are so proud of. We are a global business with an entrepreneurial mindset, and we put our people first in everything we do. We value independent thinkers, celebrate different perspectives and experiences, and strive to make Howden a great place to work.
Our collaborative approach and collective power make us an industry leader, but it’s our people who make it possible!
Whether they’re forging a unique path in or outside business, leading the way on community impact, giving back, or D&I initiatives, or demonstrating what it takes to make a difference, we are proud to introduce you to our team.
Be Inspired by: Melodie Vanderpuye, Managing Director, Howden Re
Dr. Melodie Vanderpuye is a Managing Director, in Howden Re. While servicing global and retro clients, she is based in Switzerland. Like many people, she did not originally plan to work in (re)insurance, having received her first degree in economics.
After moving into reinsurance, she began building her expertise in Natural Catastrophe pricing and analytics. Alongside a full-time career, she completed her ACII exams, a part-time master’s in natural hazards, and eventually a PhD in Seismology, focused on statistical modelling.
Over the past two years, Melodie has been instrumental in creating a first of its kind partnership between Howden Re and the UCL School of Management, responding to long-standing challenges around data transparency in per risk (re)insurance that have led to significant volatility in underwriting performance.
Together, they are developing an AI-driven solution that is designed to transform unstructured data into structured insights, with minimal human intervention, streamlining per-risk pricing and accumulation processes.
“I think this project is a really great example of how Howden Re will invest in new ideas, new technology, and the people that are actually part of the organisation,” said Melodie. “Being in an environment where within 12 months you could have an idea and turn that into something that the company is prepared to invest in — I think that’s very special.”
Melodie and her teammates in the UCL School of Management submitted their proposal, and secured £200,000 in government funding as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), co-funded by Innovate UK and Howden Re.
Those funds were used to hire a dedicated research associate (Alex Zhang) to assist with implementation of model for Howden Re and a selection of client partners.
“By creating this role, we create a new intersection between our industry and computer science — and where we can also develop something that moves forward the way we think about the processes that we have in place,” said Melodie.
This project comes as the reinsurance market continues to evolve, risks become more complex, and data volumes increase; expectations are rising across the industry.
Melodie said she is grateful for her colleagues and how the culture at Howden Re encourages innovation and entrepreneurship. Projects like this build partnership between academia and business, as shared knowledge and collective power are crucial to solving challenges across the industry as they arise.
