Hannover Ruck SE

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our earnings call for the results for the first nine months of 2024. As usual, our CEO, Jean-Jacques Rochon, and CFO, Clemens Jungstiefel, will give you a brief overview on the business development in 2024 so far. And thereafter, Jean-Jacques will provide an outlook for the financial year 2025. And for the Q&A, Today we will be joined by Klaus Miller and Sven Althoff. And with that, I hand over to you, Soschack.

Thank you very much, Karl, and good morning, everyone. Before we discuss our nine-month results, let me say a few words about the personal announcement we made on Friday. I will hand over the CEO position to Clement at the end of March. And I mentioned in our media release that the decision Not to renew my contract was taken with a mix of emotions and it was indeed not an easy decision for me. I've been extremely happy with my role as CEO of Hanover Re and I've come to love this company, which is perhaps why it took many people by surprise. The main reason for my decision is purely private and as I reflected about my personal goals for the coming years, I felt that I should allocate more time for my family and personal interests. Possibly turning 60 in September right after Monte Carlo added to my wish to be a bit more self-determined, although the prospect of not going to Monte Carlo was not part of the decision. I intend to build a portfolio of activities in the future, which will ideally include non-executive and advisory roles. but also an opportunity to give back in the form of nonprofit activities. In that sense, I have a great sense of gratitude for the opportunity to lead this fantastic company, and I've been blessed with a very strong team. And the good news is that Clements is, in my view, an ideal successor. The two of us have worked in tandem for the last few years, And I'm convinced that Hanoveri will continue its upwards trajectory under his leadership. No pressure. Clements. With Christian Hemmerling-Meyer, we're also very fortunate to have a talented new CFO joining in April. He has convinced everyone within the Talangs Group with his deep expertise and leadership qualities in his current role. So the executive board is in great shape and will start the year with a lot of strength and a good outlook. So this is not a farewell event today as I still have a number of tasks to complete and also some further opportunities to exchange with you all in the new year. I also intend to remain closely linked with Hanover Re after Munch. So this is certainly an outlook with my presence a bit more in the background going forward. With that, Clemens, maybe you want to add a few words before we dive into the figures.

Well, thank you, Jean-Jacques. I certainly do share the mix of emotions you mentioned, Jean-Jacques. I'm very grateful for the time we have worked together and will work together in the coming months in a transition. I'm also extremely grateful for the trust placed in me. It is important for me to emphasize here that it is an orderly handover. Hanoveri is in an excellent position, as you will see from the numbers which we are about to present to you. And as I step gradually into Jean-Jacques' shoes, which are big, Jean-Jacques, I will make sure that Hanoveri stays on its strong and successful path and that we conduct our business the Hanover E-Way the somewhat different way. And I very much look forward to continue to working with all of you in the future. Thank you very much, Clemens.