Global reinsurance broker Howden Re is making two key senior hires to boost its catastrophe analytics business in Asia: Renuka Janwalker has been named head of catastrophe analytics for Asia and Ramdeo Gupta has been named senior catastrophe analyst for Asia.
The appointments are part of the company’s continued expansion in the region, following an increase in nature activity in the area in the past year.
In 2025, Asia suffered from Super Typhoon Lagasa, which affected Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South China; Cyclone Senya, which affected Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia; and major earthquake damage events in Myanmar and Taiwan.
These developments reinforce the importance of advanced disaster analytics to better understand event probabilities and potential impacts, assess mitigation effectiveness, and identify protection gaps.
Andy Souter, head of Asia Pacific at Howden Re International, said: “Against the backdrop of increasing climate volatility in the region, clients are increasingly looking for analytics that combine global insights with local knowledge to support informed decision-making in high-risk environments.
“I’m delighted to welcome Renuka and Ramdeo to the team as we continue to strengthen Howden Re’s regional analytics capabilities alongside the capabilities of our global team and support our clients in an ever-changing environment.”
Joining from Gallagher Re, Janwalker brings over 16 years of experience working with global insurance and reinsurance companies to her new role, specializing in catastrophe modeling, risk quantification, internal model validation and model change management across multiple catastrophe models.
In his previous role, Renuka led the Mumbai CAT Modeling team for the UK business unit, helping to build and scale the team across multiple business lines, as well as leading strategic and operational initiatives, streamlining processes, developing automation tools and building high-performing teams.
Ramdeo also joins Howden Re from Gallagher Re, where he has over 14 years’ experience in disaster analysis, providing cat model support across the region.
Previously, he supported brokers by providing catastrophe analysis for reinsurance placements, which involved developing automated solutions to improve modeling efficiency and quickly resolve basic requests.
Tim Edwards, head of Howden Re International Analytics, added: “Advanced analytics plays a key role in understanding the potential impact of natural events, but is equally important in supporting response, recovery and rebuilding when a loss occurs.
“By continuing to invest in our analytics capabilities, we are helping customers better predict risk, respond more effectively when events occur and, over time, support wider access to coverage for communities and businesses that need it most, helping to close long-term gaps in cat protection.”
