Speaking at the Baden-Baden Reinsurance Symposium, hosted by Guy Carpenter and featuring speakers from Hannover Re, Zurich Insurance, Descartes Underwriting, and Marsh, Laurent Rousseau, CEO of EMEA and Global Capital Solutions at Guy Carpenter, urged the re/insurance industry to step up and push the traditional boundaries of risk-taking.
“While the universe of risks is expanding, the world is fragmenting. Organisations are seeking new opportunities while having to navigate the most complex set of risk challenges in a generation. For the (re)insurance industry, this is a moment to step up, to create more risk transfer capacity, bring better solutions, and push the traditional boundaries of risk taking,” Rousseau explained.
He added, “Creating innovative capital solutions goes to the heart of Guy Carpenter’s ambition for its clients, and the broader reinsurance industry.”
Meanwhile, Hannover Re CEO Clemens Jungsthöfel, a featured speaker, highlighted that reinsurance continues to act as a stabilising force in an increasingly volatile world. He emphasised that for his firm, reinsurance represents more than financial security.
“It creates space for innovation, spreads risk, and provides stability. Our strengths lie in global diversification, a solid capital base, in-depth expertise, and long-term partnerships,” Jungsthöfel said.
Amy Barnes, Global Head of Energy & Power at Marsh, noted, “In today’s complex world – from supply chain rewiring and geopolitical tensions to climate change and energy transition – the insurance industry is a vital partner.
“By providing tailored risk solutions and strategic guidance, insurance empowers clients to navigate uncertainty with confidence. More than ever, the industry proves its value by enabling resilience, fostering innovation, and supporting sustainable growth in a complex global landscape.”
Penny Seach, Group Chief Underwriting Officer at Zurich Insurance, echoed the sentiments of other speakers, observing, “Rising geoeconomic fracturing creates a backdrop of more serious and less predictable global risks, and as insurers, we have front row seats to this. But we can’t shy away from risk; it is at the very heart of what we do.
“Our business is not about avoiding uncertainty, but about understanding, quantifying and helping our customers navigate with confidence. But the structural nature within this new era of risk requires a different approach, making engagement and dialogue more important than ever.”
At the same time, Tanguy Touffut, Co-founder and CEO of Descartes Underwriting, noted that times of crisis highlight the relevance of reinsurance.
He said the current “polycrisis” also offers fertile ground for innovation, with growing data sources and AI enabling new products.
Parametric reinsurance solutions, he added, can help close protection gaps caused by high retentions or a lack of aggregates while lowering costs, strengthening the industry’s foundations.
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