R+V Re, a German reinsurer and part of privately held R+V Versicherung AG, has announced changes in the leadership of its business, promoting three long-term employees to lead different underwriting divisions.
These promotions reflect R+V Re’s commitment to developing internal leadership leveraging its extensive underwriting experience and deep market expertise.
Jessica Dear has been appointed chief underwriting officer for the Trade Credit, Guaranty and CPRI segment, effective February 1, 2026.
Falko Kontos will serve as Chief Underwriting Officer, North America/Global Head of Aerospace, effective April 1, 2026.
Thomas Szech has been promoted to chief underwriting officer, temporary/specialty lines, effective July 1, 2026.
Dear will replace Kay Scholz, who will leave the company at the end of 2025. In her new role, she will lead an underwriting team that will leverage its long-standing client relationships and market expertise to strengthen R+V Re’s product offerings and services in these areas.
She joined R+V Re in 2007 and has held various roles in primary and reinsurance underwriting. Most recently, she served as an underwriting officer for Trade Credit, Guaranty and CPRI.
Kontos succeeds Peter Koob, who will retire at the end of July 2026 and has played a key role in shaping R+V Re’s underwriting approach across regions, particularly North America, over the past 37 years.
Kontos has been with R+V Re since 2009 as pricing actuary. In 2013, he assumed the role of property and casualty (P&C) treaty underwriter for the North American market and, starting in 2023, led the U.S./Puerto Rico team.
Szech will succeed Harald Etzdorf, who has led the department since 2014. Etzdorf, who will remain with R+V Re until his planned retirement at the end of 2028, will have a particular focus on the casualty department, ensuring that responsibility and knowledge for this business line are completely transferred across the organization.
Szech joined R+V Re in 2013 as a casualty insurance specialist and has led the Special Insurance team since 2021. He successfully expanded the remit and capabilities of the Special Lines team and played a key role in establishing the company’s cyber treaty reinsurance division.
“With these appointments, we ensure continuity and stability in our leadership team,” said Holger Nieswandt, CEO of R+V Re. “We are proud to have these three positions filled by long-term colleagues within R+V Re. Their deep expertise, deep understanding of our culture and strong commitment to our customers will help us continue to grow our business in a stable and sustainable way.”
Marina Sokolova, chief underwriting officer at R+V Re, added: “The leaders we have appointed, Jessica, Falco and Thomas, combine strong technical expertise with modern, collaborative leadership skills.
“At the same time, we are also building on the work of our colleagues who have led our underwriting activities for many years. We are very pleased that Peter Koob and Harald Etzdorf will continue to contribute their experience during the transition. This combination of continuity and a new leadership perspective ensures the reliability and future readiness our partners expect from us.”