Ariel Re brings back Partington Howarth as Chief Capital Officer

Ariel Re, the global reinsurance company that is a consistent user of third-party and ILS capital, has announced the hiring of a former employee to a key role, with Katie Partington Howarth to rejoin the company as Chief Capital Officer.

Katie Partington Howarth has a track-record as a ceded reinsurance buyer and senior underwriter, with roles held at major companies in Bermuda through almost the last two decades.

Rejoining a former employer Ariel Re, she will now take on the the newly created role of Chief Capital Officer (CCO).

She will be responsible for Ariel Re’s capital strategy, including sourcing external capital and managing investor relations, so Partington Howarth is set to play a significant role in Ariel Re’s use of third-party and insurance-linked securities (ILS) capital, including its catastrophe bonds and other collateralized third-party reinsurance capital structures.

In the new role, Partington Howarth will be based in Bermuda,and report to Ariel Re Chief Executive Officer Ryan Mather.

Her career began in reinsurance broking at Benfield in London in 2000, before moving to San Francisco for the company.

In 2005 she moved to Bermuda and joined Ariel Re in its start-up era, becoming one of its earliest hires.

She moved up to become Ariel Re’s Head of Underwriting Risk when the business was acquired by Argo Group in 2017, where she then held the role of Group Head of Ceded Reinsurance.

In 2021, Partington Howarth moved to AXIS Capital and become the Chief Underwriting Officer at its reinsurance arm AXIS Re.

Partington joins Ariel Re on June 1st and will continue to progress the work of Chief Financial Officer, Mike Pedraja, whose team brought onboard new underwriting capital for 2023, including $270m of investment previously announced in March, part of which was funnelled through the Lloyd’s ILS vehicle London Bridge 2.

“I am delighted to be returning to Ariel Re in this exciting period of growth for the company as we seek to work with our capital partners and take advantage of the best opportunities in the market,” explained Partington Howarth. “Ariel Re has a well-earned reputation as a premier manager of reinsurance risk, and I look forward to working with Ryan and Mike on continuing their success.”

CEO Ryan Mather commented, “We are excited to have Katie rejoin Ariel Re and facilitate our growth as we seek to take advantage of the hardening property market. Katie brings extensive knowledge of the insurance and reinsurance industries having served in a variety of senior leadership roles. We look forward to her contributions in raising and managing our future capital.”