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Howden appoints Holger Schaefer as CEO, Germany

  • Publish Date: Posted almost 3 years ago
  • Author:by Alan Jarque

International insurance broker, Howden has appointed Holger Schaefer as chief executive officer, Germany, effective 1 September 2021.

In his new role, he will lead Howden’s objectives for the German market by building on its strong presence and leveraging the businesses and their expertise to deliver innovative solutions for their clients.

Additionally, he will also focus on strategic acquisitions of other culturally aligned firms and investing in both talent and digital transformation.

Howden states the appointment of Schaefer as CEO, Germany, follows the recent announcements of Felix Jenny as CEO, Switzerland and Luigi Sturani and Enrico Nanni as CEO and CCO, Europe, respectively.

Schaefer joins the business from Allianz Group where he spent over 30 years. He most recently held international roles as regional CEO for Asia Pacific for Euler Hermes since 2016, and previously CEO of Allianz’s Corporate and Specialty business in Australia and New Zealand.

Prior to that, he was part of Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, Germany for 20 years, where he held a number of senior positions in underwriting and sales.

Schaefer said: “I am thrilled to be joining Howden at this exciting time as its ambitions for Germany and for its wider European platform are being realised.  Howden is delivering on its strategy for growth and I’m delighted to be part of it.  Howden’s ‘People First’ approach and culture of employee ownership is appealing to both clients – from SMEs, through to mid-market firms and multinationals – and also talent looking for a credible alternative in a consolidating broker market.”

José Manuel González, CEO, Howden Broking, said: “I am delighted to welcome Holger to the group, who will lead our continuing expansion in the German market, building on the success we have delivered there so far and taking it to the next level.  Our ambition is to be one of the top three brokers in key markets across Europe through strategic acquisitions, organic growth and investment in talent.  Holger’s appointment shows that we are consistently delivering on our plan and we are proud that he has chosen to join us.”