Appointment establishes the broker’s first physical presence in Portugal as it targets further investment and team growth in the market
Howden Re has appointed Filipe Duarte as head of Portugal, establishing its first physical presence in the country.
Duarte (pictured) joined the reinsurance broker on 2 August and is based in Lisbon.
He joins from Aon Reinsurance, where he was most recently head of treaties, leading the advisory and placement of reinsurance solutions for insurers across Portugal.
Duarte has more than 16 years’ insurance industry experience, including more than 12 years in reinsurance, spanning treaty and facultative business.
He began his career at Willis in Lisbon in 2010 and has since held a range of client-facing and advisory roles.
Howden Re said the appointment marks the first step in a broader investment strategy for Portugal, with plans to build out a local team of experienced professionals.
The broker highlighted an active start to 2026 for the Portuguese market, including the sequence of storms led by Storm Kristin in the first quarter, which it said had underlined the need for greater understanding of secondary perils and more sophisticated catastrophe modelling.
Howden Re also pointed to the continued development of the Portuguese Natural Catastrophe Pool as an opportunity to apply international expertise, noting Howden is currently advising Spain’s Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros on optimisation of its catastrophe pool.
David Santos, managing director and head of Iberia at Howden Re, said: “Filipe’s appointment is an important milestone for Howden Re in Portugal. Since launching in Iberia, we have built strong momentum across Spain and Andorra, and establishing a dedicated presence in Portugal is the natural next step.”
He added: “Filipe brings deep technical expertise and a strong network built over more than a decade in the market, and he is exactly the right person to lead our growth there.”
Duarte said the Portuguese market was “evolving rapidly”, creating demand for deeper technical expertise and more innovative solutions.
“We believe the market is seeking a broker that offers the best of both worlds: the reach, tools, and resources of a global organisation combined with the flexibility, speed, and client proximity of a local partner,” he said.
“That is exactly the proposition we are bringing to Portugal,” he added.
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