Opportunity report

Speed is one of the qualities used to measure a successful knowledge transfer. Quick solutions and staying one step ahead of the competition is the name of the game. Hannover Re searches systematically for new business opportunities in order to generate sustainable growth and strengthen the company’s profitable development. With a view to identifying opportunities and successfully translating ideas into business, Hannover Re adopts a number of closely related approaches in order to achieve holistic opportunity and risk management. Of significance here is the interplay without overlaps of the various functions within opportunity and risk management, which is ensured by defined interfaces.

Major elements in Hannover Re’s business opportunity management include its various market-specific innovations in the Life & Health and Property & Casualty reinsurance business groups. Not only that, Hannover Re has set up an organisational unit for “Innovation Management”. This service unit deals systematically with ideas and potential business possibilities and it concentrates its activities on opening up additional growth opportunities.

A key project initiated back in 2016 went by the name “Journey Re”. It forged a connection to students, university graduates and young professionals with a view to developing new business models for primary insurance and reinsurance and translating the creativity that exists outside the industry into new business opportunities. The principal venues for this global ideas competition were Berlin, Boston, Dublin and Johannesburg. The results of the project were refined in a subsequent incubator phase with the participation of external partners.

The networking of the innovative minds involved in these activities gives rise to close links with other projects, working groups and bodies, such as with the working group on “Emerging Risks und Scientific Affairs” in regard to emerging risks and opportunities (see “Other risks”). This working group carries out qualitative assessments of emerging risks. As a result, however, not only are the potential risks explored but also any available business opportunities. In the year under review, for example, issues such as “Political crimes” and the “Regulatory environment” were analysed by the working group.

If a business idea is translated into reality and a new reinsurance product results, the normal procedure – provided the criteria defined for this purpose by Risk Management are applicable – is to work through the so-called new product process. This process is supported by Risk Management at Hannover Re. The process is always worked through if a contractual commitment is to be entered into in a form not previously used by Hannover Re or if a new type of risk is to be insured. If this is the case, all material internal and external influencing factors are examined beforehand by Risk Management (e. g. implications for the overall risk profile or the risk strategy) and evaluated. Risk Management ensures that before it can be used or sold a new reinsurance product must be approved by the Executive Board.