MS Reinsurance (MS Re) has appointed Lutz Honstetter (pictured above) to the role of chief investment officer. Honstetter, who will be based in Zurich, assumes responsibility for the global reinsurer's long-term investment strategy.
The newly appointed CIO reports directly to MS Re chief executive officer Robert Wiest and joins the company's leadership team.
Wiest said the appointment comes as the company continues to expand. "As our company continues to grow, it is increasingly important to have high quality investment decision-making, and Lutz's deep expertise and leadership experience will be critical as we align our long-term investment strategy with both the reinsurance cycle and overall business objectives," Wiest said.
Honstetter has more than 25 years of experience in asset management across the insurance, pension, and banking sectors. His background includes work in asset-liability management, strategic and tactical asset allocation, and investment operating model transformation.
The executive has held positions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas throughout his career. His previous roles include Chief Investment Officer Germany at Zurich Insurance Group, where he also served on the executive committee.
Before joining MS Re, Honstetter held advisory and board positions in investment management and real estate in Switzerland and Germany. Earlier in his career, he held a regional leadership role at Axa-Winterthur in Asia and worked at PwC and Winterthur Group.
The CIO appointment is part of a broader hiring push at MS Re. The company recently expanded its agriculture underwriting team with the appointments of Marc Tüller and Ramiro Iturrioz as lead underwriters, adding combined experience of more than 50 years in reinsurance.
The leadership additions come amid a period of growth for MS Re. AM Best revised its outlook to positive from stable, citing improved financial results and the company's expanding role within the MS&AD group. Gross written premiums increased from US$3.1 billion in 2023 to US$3.6 billion in 2024.
