Within six weeks, Howden Re has recruited senior reinsurance executives from Aon Re, Gallagher Re, and Guy Carpenter. The coordinated push aims to build a full-service China broking platform based in Hong Kong.
The three appointments announced on 24 June cover the three core commercial lines that define a China reinsurance operation: treaty, agriculture, and retrocession. The breadth of the move signals a strategic intent to compete across the market rather than enter through a single specialism.
Houqin Zhu (pictured, right) joins as managing director and head of China treaty, effective 17 June, from Aon Re. Mike Xin (pictured, centre) joins as managing director and head of agriculture, APAC, effective 13 July, from Gallagher Re. David Song (pictured, right) joins as managing director and head of retrocession, Greater China, from Guy Carpenter in October once his contractual obligations are fulfilled.
The timing is deliberate. The April 2026 renewals are the primary renewal window for China, and demand rose roughly 10% as cedants added limits and restructured programmes. Global reinsurer capital reached a record $785 billion at year-end 2025, a nearly 10% increase from the prior year.
The underlying market opportunity is considerable. China’s property reinsurance ceded premiums surpassed ¥100 billion for the first time in a single half-year period in 2025. Underwriting profits for the sector reached ¥26 billion (US$3.7 billion), the highest first-half figure on record.
Zhu brings more than 40 years of experience across Chinese and international reinsurance markets. Before Aon Re, he held senior roles at Willis Re and TigerRisk before its acquisition by Howden Group.
Xin brings more than 20 years of specialist experience in agricultural reinsurance. Before Gallagher Re, he held senior roles at JLT Re and Aon Benfield. His career spans the full development of China’s agricultural reinsurance market.
Song brings nearly 30 years of experience across Hong Kong and mainland China. He joins from Guy Carpenter, where he served as Deputy Head of Hong Kong and Senior Vice President. His responsibilities covered retrocession, China state-owned enterprise clients, and Hong Kong local clients.
Andy Souter, head of Asia Pacific at Howden Re International, said China is a strategic priority for the firm. He said the appointments strengthen the firm’s ability to bring its capabilities to clients across the region.
The competitive pattern behind the hires extends beyond this announcement. In February 2026, Howden Re hired two senior catastrophe analytics professionals from Gallagher Re for its Asia operations. With Xin joining from the same firm in July, the broker has drawn at least three Gallagher Re Asia professionals within a single year.
Across the full China and Hong Kong build-out, Howden Re has now recruited from Aon Re, Gallagher Re, and Guy Carpenter simultaneously.
