Re/Insurance Outlook Europe brings the industry’s sharpest minds to Zurich

Uncertainty is no longer a temporary disruption. Shifting geopolitical dynamics, inflation volatility, intensifying litigation pressures, and climate-driven natural catastrophes are converging to create increasingly complex and interconnected risks. At the same time, stronger capital positions, deeper digitalisation, and advanced analytics are reshaping how volatility is understood and managed.

The question facing the market is no longer whether to adapt, but how quickly — and with what discipline.

Intelligent Insurer has announced the return of Re/insurance Outlook Europe 2026, taking place on 24–25 June 2026 at the Zurich Marriott, bringing together senior re/insurance leaders from across Europe for two days of strategic discussion, market debate, and high-level networking.

At a time when geopolitical instability, inflation volatility, climate-driven catastrophes, social inflation, cyber accumulation, and systemic exposures are reshaping the risk landscape, the event has been designed as a platform for meaningful industry dialogue — focused on real market challenges rather than surface-level trends. The conference will convene CEOs, CUOs, CFOs, heads of reinsurance, cedants, underwriting leaders, analytics specialists, capital markets experts, and innovation leaders to examine how the industry can remain profitable, relevant, and resilient in an increasingly uncertain environment.

“This is not designed to be another conference built around rushed soundbites and consensus theatre,” said Debbie Atwell, Senior Conference Producer at Intelligent Insurer. “The market is looking for honest conversations, sharper debate, technical depth, and practical insight. Re/insurance Outlook Europe is about bringing peers together to challenge assumptions, exchange ideas, and tackle the issues materially impacting profitability, capital, underwriting discipline, and long-term resilience.”

Re/insurance Outlook Europe 2026 brings together an exceptional community of senior and highly respected leaders. A snapshot of confirmed speakers include:

 - Christian Silies, President, Europe Reinsurance, Sompo

 - Thomas Braune, Chief Executive Officer, NewRe

 - Tobias Sonndorfer, Chief Executive Officer, VIG Re

 - Fabian Pütz, CEO, Echo Re and Board Member, DEVK Re

 - Pierre Jal, President, Arch Re Europe

 - Beatrix Dodgson, Chief Underwriting Officer, Korean Re

 - Cristina Ferrari, Chief Underwriting Officer, VIG Re

 - Reto Koller, CEO Active Reinsurance, Helvetia

 - Petya Ivanova, Head of Property, Reinsurance International, AXA XL

 - Jörg Bruniecki, CUO Global Specialty, MS Reinsurance

 - Joachim Racz, Chief Executive Officer, Ageas Re

 - Thorsten Fromhold, Chief Group Reinsurance Officer, Allianz

 - Jeremy Goodman, Chief Client & Growth Leader, Guy Carpenter

 - Amandine Motte, Chief Executive Officer, Barents Reinsurance

 - Ivana Stark, Chief Executive Officer, UNIQA Re

 - Beat Kramer, Group AI Lead, Swiss Re

 - Christa Schwimmer, CEO Specialty Reinsurance, Bermuda & Lloyd’s, Munich Re

 - Adam Podlaha, CEO, Impact Forecasting, Aon

 - Michal Suchan, Chief Financial Officer, Toa Re

 -Arnold Löw, Chief Executive Officer, SIGNAL IDUNA Reinsurance

 - Vincent Foucart, Managing Director – Reinsurance, Miller Insurance

 - Harald Jacobsen, SVP and Head of Continental Europe, Everest Re

 - Patrick Roder, Head of Casualty Treaty Underwriting EMEA, Swiss Re

 - Piet Haers, General Manager, QBE Re

..and more

The programme will also feature leaders from organisations including SCOR, Liberty Mutual Reinsurance, Howden Re, Gallagher Re, Moody’s, Acrisure Re, Descartes Insurance, PartnerRe, and more.

“With softening conditions and abundant capital, reinsurance is under pressure — not all capital will find suitable deployment. Reinsurers will need to either adjust shareholder expectations or redeploy capital through M&A, alternative capital strategies, or niche product development.”

 — Michal Suchan, CFO, Toa Re

Across two days, the event will explore how the industry is responding to mounting volatility, evolving liabilities, and shifting capital dynamics.

Key themes include:

 - Market cycles, underwriting discipline, and profitability

 - Climate risk, catastrophe modelling, and secondary perils

 - AI, automation, and underwriting transformation

 - Cyber accumulation and systemic exposure

 - PFAS and emerging liability threats

 - Alternative capital, ILS, and parametric solutions

 - Distribution disruption and evolving market access

 - Talent, leadership, and the future workforce

“Our industry must maintain its resilience while responding to key pressures: an expanding risk universe and increasingly demanding capital adequacy requirements. The key is to maintain a clear risk appetite, demonstrate long-term commitment, and stop fighting for unproductive price reductions that simply recycle commoditised risks from one balance sheet to another.”

 — Vincent Foucart, Managing Director – Reinsurance, Miller Insurance

“AI will undoubtedly have the greatest impact — potentially the defining one. However, many companies are still struggling to realise its full value, largely because their underlying data landscape is not yet fit for purpose.”

 — Wolfram-Ferdinand Schultz, Head of Casualty for Continental Europe, Howden Re

On the growth-versus-discipline tension, Tobias Sonndorfer commented:

“The industry must clearly distinguish between pure growth and true long-term, sustainable business development. Leaders need to find the right balance between the desire to grow and their obligation to shareholders to do so profitably.”

On innovation and relevance, he added: “Traditional lines no longer cover the full spectrum of emerging risks. This creates a powerful opportunity for the industry to step forward with more innovative and relevant products — to be bolder in bringing new products to market as proactive players.”

Some standout sessions include:

Reinsurance Under Pressure – Profit, Protection, and Purpose

Christian Silies will open the event by examining how reinsurers can protect capital, maintain profitability, and remain relevant amid rising volatility and growing systemic exposure.

State of the Market: CEO & C-Level Perspectives on Growth, Discipline and Profitability in an Age of Volatility

Senior executives including Thomas Braune, Tobias Sonndorfer, and Pierre Jal will debate whether capital is genuinely abundant or increasingly mispriced and misallocated — and what this means for profitability, portfolio construction, and underwriting discipline.

Floods, Wildfire, Hail & Non-Peak Perils: Rethinking Modelling, Pricing & Proactive Approaches

Petya Ivanova will examine where catastrophe models are falling short, how secondary perils are reshaping pricing assumptions, and whether traditional structures remain fit for purpose.

Buyers, Brokers & Reinsurers in a Changing Power Landscape: One Year On — Senior Perspectives on the Future of Reinsurance

Senior leaders including Jörg Bruniecki, Joachim Racz, Thorsten Fromhold, and Jeremy Goodman will examine how shifting capital dynamics, alternative capital, broker influence, and changing buyer behaviour are reshaping competitive power across the reinsurance ecosystem — and what this means for profitability, partnerships, and market structure heading towards 2030.

Alternative Capital & ILS: Partner, Competitor — or the Future of Risk Transfer?

A high-profile discussion featuring Kevin Dedieu and leading ILS specialists will explore how alternative capital, parametric solutions, and next-generation structures are reshaping reinsurance strategy and competitive advantage.

Conversations with Women Shaping the Re/Insurance Industry

Senior female leaders including Christa Schwimmer, Paloma Quiroga Arias, and Justyna Pikinska will discuss leadership, resilience, influence, and navigating complexity in a rapidly evolving market.

Operationalising AI in Reinsurance: Where Value Is Really Emerging

Beat Kramer will explore how reinsurers are moving beyond AI experimentation towards enterprise-scale implementation that delivers measurable business value.

Parametric Reinsurance: Redefining Risk Transfer Beyond Nat Cat

Discussions will examine how parametric structures are evolving beyond natural catastrophe into cyber, supply chain, and non-damage business interruption risks — and whether parametric solutions can help close widening protection gaps.

Alongside keynote and panel sessions, the conference will feature technical deep-dive roundtables, extended networking opportunities, Q&A, and executive levels conversations. 

“The major challenge of 2026 is how to remain relevant to our clients in a transitioning market while maintaining underwriting discipline, as the underlying risk environment — nat cat, geopolitics, and inflation — becomes structurally more intense and volatile.”

 — Petya Ivanova, Head of Property Reinsurance International, AXA XL

With Zurich’s central European location, strong transport connectivity, and growing role as a reinsurance hub, organisers expect attendance from across the European and international re/insurance community.

Now in its fourth edition, Re/Insurance Outlook Europe has established itself as a leading forum for senior executives shaping strategy across the European reinsurance market.

Reflecting the event’s growth, the 2026 edition moves to a larger venue in Zurich, while maintaining its focus on senior-level dialogue and meaningful engagement.

For more information about the event, visit:

https://events.newton.media/Reinsurance-Outlook-Europe-2026 or reach out to Debbie Atwell at datwell@newtonmedia.co.uk

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