Stephanie Bode will assume expanded responsibilities within the Talanx Group, taking on a dual role as head of reinsurance at HDI global and leading the corporate & specialty lines department at Talanx Group Reinsurance, effective September 1. Bode (pictured above) will report both to Stefan Pasternak, CFO at HDI Global, and Oliver Grabau, head of Talanx Group Reinsurance, reflecting a move to consolidate reinsurance purchasing and coordination across the group.
The restructuring is designed to reduce duplication, improve efficiency and give HDI Global closer access to the reinsurance market. Talanx said the changes reinforce its commitment to a cohesive strategy in managing its global reinsurance needs at a time when ceded reinsurance costs remain a significant factor in insurers’ profitability.
Pasternak described Bode as a proven expert in both insurance and reinsurance, noting her experience across international markets. He said the alignment under one leadership will enhance communication and strengthen HDI Global’s negotiating position with reinsurers. Grabau added that Bode’s expanded remit will help the group respond more quickly to shifting reinsurance market conditions, including contract terms and pricing, which have remained tight following several years of elevated catastrophe losses.
Bode succeeds Rainer Fischer as head of Reinsurance at HDI Global following his retirement after nine years in the role, though Fischer will remain in an advisory capacity. Within Talanx Group Reinsurance, she takes over from Antje Pfitzner, who will now lead Group Reinsurance Retail & Group Protection & Counterparty Risk Management.
Previously, Bode was responsible for market management across Continental Europe (excluding Germany), South Africa and Japan at HDI Global.
Centralising reinsurance businesses
Talanx’s decision mirrors a broader trend among European and global insurers to centralise reinsurance buying in order to leverage scale and secure more favorable terms.
Allianz and Generali, for example, have both restructured their reinsurance operations in recent years, pooling placements across subsidiaries to strengthen their negotiating position with reinsurers. This approach has become increasingly important as ceded reinsurance costs remain elevated, particularly in property-catastrophe lines, and as reinsurers tighten terms in response to climate risk, geopolitical volatility and inflationary loss trends.
For buyers like Talanx, consolidating under a single leadership not only improves purchasing power but also ensures consistency across contracts and provides greater flexibility to adapt to pricing shifts. For reinsurers, the move creates larger, more complex negotiations but also increases transparency in group-level exposures.
With her dual role, Bode will now play a central part in ensuring Talanx can navigate a challenging reinsurance market and maintain access to capacity in a way that supports both HDI Global’s corporate clients and the group’s broader specialty lines portfolio.
Earlier this month, HDI Global named Nikita Tikhonov as head of marine global risk. He succeeds Felix Cassua, who will join Hannover Re.
